Friday 20 December 2013

Golden Pints 2013

GOLDEN PINTS 2013
The WINNERS ARE…
Another excellent year for beer, and particularly enjoyed my increased exposure to Italian Beers. I expect we will see a lot more Italian Beer in the next couple of years, they have many passionate Brewers who are not just aping American Brewers.
Best UK cask beer:
Summer Wine Calico Jack Imperial Caribean Ginger Stout, so good it should have been illegal
Best UK keg beer:
Meantime Friesian Pilsner
Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer:
Yorkshire Dales Garsdale Smokebox
Best Overseas Draught Beer:
Birrificio Italiano Tipopils, but strictly speaking it wasn’t an overseas beer when I was drinking it in Rome
Best Overseas Bottle/can Beer:
Sierra Nevada Torpedo, I’m not that exercised about ticker beer, I want something I can get regularly
Best Overall Beer:
Fullers Vintage Ale 2005, sublime at present
Best Pumpclip or Label:
Red Willow
Best UK Brewery:
Kernel but it’s not really fair to single out a single brewery when we have over 1000, my go to beers have been Taylors, Kirkstall, Fullers, Red Willow, Magic Rock, Marble and the local Old Spot
Best Overseas Brewery:
Birrificio Menaresta these guys are doing some excellent stuff, just ask Justin
Pub/Bar of the Year:
North Bar, by a short head
Independent Retailer of the Year:
No idea
Online Retailer of the Year:
Don’t buy on line
Best Beer Blog or Website:
Tandleman, Boak & Bailey & Zythophile are the only ones I visit regularly
Best Beer Festival:
GBBF still the best, also enjoyed Leeds International Beer Festival and Fermentazione
Simon Johnson Award for Best Beer Twitterer:
Don’t twit
Best collaboration brew:
Adnams / Pretty Things Jack D’Or (does that count?)
Best New Brewery Opening 2013:
Time will tell.
Best New Pub/Bar Opening 2013:
Tapped Leeds
Best city for beer in the UK:
London, sadly
Supermarket of the Year:
Booths
Best Beer App:
Craft Beer London
Best Beer Book or Magazine:
Too many are just lists of beers so it goes to Stephen & Tim for the Pocket Beer Book 2014