Wild Beer Co wins Best Drinks Producer at BBC Food Awards

By James Beeson

- Last updated on GMT

Triumph: Wild Beer Co wins the BBC drinks award
Triumph: Wild Beer Co wins the BBC drinks award

Related tags Somerset

A somerset-based craft beer brewery has won the title of Best Drinks Producer at the 2017 BBC Food Awards.

Wild Beer Co, from Shepton Mallet, beat competition from Oliver’s Cider and Asterley Bros Spirits to take home the award at a ceremony in Bristol last night (20 September).

The brewery, founded in 2012, is famous for its use of wild yeasts and natural ingredients in its beer, and has recently expanded into gin production.

Other winners at the awards ceremony included Mike Spackman (Cook of the Year) and The Seafood Shack (Best Street Food/Takeaway).

'Massively humbling'

Wild Beer Co founder Andrew Cooper told The Morning Advertiser ​(MA​) the brewery was “massively humbled” to have been recognised at the awards.

“It's an award that has meant a lot to me for quite a long time now,” he said. “Not just being recognised as a brewery but as a drinks producer in this country is really amazing. We are part of such an exciting time in terms of food and drink. Winning an award like this is a massively humbling thing.”

“There are so many people out there that we admire and are inspired by, and there are some people doing amazing things in food and drink all over the country. To be recognised as part of that is very special and to win this award is amazing for the whole team.”

New brewery site

Cooper added: “We work really hard to make sure the quality of our beer is as good as it can be. Using great ingredients, we can help with the end product because, at the end of the day, it's all about what it tastes like.”

Wild Beer Co is in the process of building a new brewery site in Castle Cary, south Somerset, that will increase its capacity by more than 50%. £1.9m was raised in funding through crowdfunding earlier this year.

Cooper told MA​ that he hoped the new site would be operating before the end of 2018.

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