Wednesday 26 January 2011

Baron's Bar Beer Competition

The Scarisbrick Hotel, Southport, hosted the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) regional conference, competition and festival for many years, but this year SIBA took the event to Manchester. The Baron's Bar (part of the hotel) decided to hold its own beer competition on Friday 14th January, and invited me to be one of the judges, along with quite a few others. I was on one the panels for the heats and was selected by my fellow panelists to be on the final panel. Either that or I was the mug who didn't say no quickly enough.

It was interesting and good fun, and I have no argument with the overall winner. I'm just surprised that Tetley Mild won in its category; I thought it was thin and without much flavour myself, and I can't imagine anyone choosing it over Prospect Nutty Slack, but there you go - I suppose that's why they have more than one judge. After the competition, the Baron's Bar opened its spring festival. The results are:

Bitter Category
Gold Winster Valley – Best Bitter
Silver Kirkby Lonsdale – Ruskins
Bronze Arkwrights – Trouble At The Mill

Best Bitter Category
Gold Moorhouses – Blond Witch
One of the judging panels
Silver Lytham – Gold
Bronze Timothy Taylor – Landlord

Premium Ales Category
Gold Hart – Validiction
Silver Bank Top – Blonde
Bronze Lancaster – Red

Strong Ales Category
Gold Lancaster – Redder
Silver Moorhouses – Pendle Witches Brew
Bronze Kirkby Lonsdale – WPA
Judges Shirley & Barbara
with organiser George Sourbutts

Mild Category
Gold Tetley – Mild
Silver Bank Top – Dark Mild
Bronze Prospect – Nutty Slack

Porters / Old Ales / Stouts Category
Gold Lancaster – Black
Silver Southport – Old Shrimper
Bronze Lytham – Stout

OVERALL CHAMPION BEER
1st Place Moorhouses – Blond Witch
2nd Place Winster Valley - Best Bitter
3rd Place Lancaster - Redder

5 comments:

  1. Missed great fun, will definitely participate in the coming days & savor varieties of beer.

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  2. There are only two milds that I would consider drinking, Bank Top and Prospect. I am not a mild drinker but I find both of these beers delicious, really full of flavour. I would have to agree with you Nevile, how did Tetley mild even get on the shortlist?

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  3. I've no idea. I'm not keen on Tetleys, but to their credit they always give free beer to the Southport beer festival. I wonder whether they did here too?

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  4. Unfortunatley most of the Tetley mild gets poured down the toilet on the Sunday morning clear up. I agree there are many more milds to try before Tetley.

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  5. Rather odd as well that they only sell Tetley mild in keg form.

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