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Press Release

11/02/2020

CAMRA reveals the best East Anglian brews

For more information, contact press on 01727 337 863 or email press@camra.org.uk 

Colchester Brewery has bagged gold and bronze awards for its draught beers in the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)’s Champion Beer of East Anglia competition. The overall gold award went to ‘Old King Coel’, Colchester’s 5% ABV London Porter. Colchester also won the overall bronze award for its speciality beer ‘Brazilian Coffee & Vanilla Porter’, ABV 4.6%.

The overall silver award was picked up by Lacons brewery of Great Yarmouth for its barley wine, ‘Audit’, ABV 8%.

Old King Coel is a rich dark ale brewed the original way, with brown malt. Since the 19th century, when pale malts became widely available, porters have been generally been produced with pale malt mixed with highly roasted black malts.

Audit barley wine has a prominent flavour of berry fruit, laced with pronounced spice. The finish is warming, smooth and sweet.

The awards come after over a year of blind tastings of real draught beers at CAMRA beer festivals around East Anglia. Judging categories were milds, bitters, golden ales, speciality beers, old ales, stouts, porters and barley wines. The beers were nominated by CAMRA’s East Anglia branches and tasting panels.

The awards were organised by CAMRA volunteers Paul Moorhouse and Kathy Hadfield-Moorhouse. Paul Moorhouse said: “Colchester beers always impress and I’m delighted that they have won the overall gold and bronze medals. These awards are well deserved and will hopefully lead to more pubgoers enjoying these splendid cask ales.”

Other gold awards in the East Anglia competition were scooped by the Son of Sid brewery at Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire; Bishop Nick of Braintree; Green Jack from Lowestoft, Fat Cat in Norwich; Norfolk brewers Grain at Alburgh; Adnams of Southwold and Milton at Waterbeach.

Other successful breweries taking awards were Suffolk brewers Earl Soham; Cambridge Brewhouse, 3 Brewers of St. Albans; New River of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire; Norfolk brewers Wolf and Woodforde’s; and Essex brewers Brentwood, Crouch Vale, Maldon, Mighty Oak, Nethergate, Red Fox and Wibblers.

The full list of awards is as follows:

CATEGORY GOLD AWARD SILVER AWARD BRONZE AWARD WHERE AND WHEN JUDGED
  BREWERY BEER BREWERY BEER BREWERY BEER  
Milds Son of Sid Muck Cart Mild Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde Milton Minotaur Cambridge, May 2019
Bitters Bishop Nick Ridley’s Rite Mighty Oak Captain Bob Earl Soham Victoria Bitter Chappel, September 2019
Best Bitters Green Jack Trawlerboys Best Bitter Colchester Colchester No 1 New River Five Inch Drop Watford, November 2019
Grain Redwood
Strong Bitters Fat Cat Marmalade Cat 3 Brewers of St. Albans Special English Ale Adnams Broadside Norwich, October 2019
Golden Ales Grain ThreeOneSix Bishop Nick Heresy Crouch Vale Brewers Gold St Albans, September 2019
Speciality Beers Colchester Brazilian Coffee & Vanilla Porter Wolf Straw Dog Brentwood Chockwork Orange St Neots, March 2019
Old Ales/Strong Milds Adnams Old Ale Wibblers Winter Wibble Colchester Double Brown Ale Chelmsford, February 2019
Porters Colchester Old King Coel London Porter Nethergate Old Growler Cambridge Brew House Night Porter Colchester, May 2019
Stouts Milton Nero Maldon Hotel Porter Green Jack Baltic Trader Export Stout Members’ vote, 2018
Barley Wines/ Strong Old Ales Lacons Audit Woodforde’s Headcracker Red Fox Ruby Red Mild Cambridge, November 2019
Overall Champion Beer of East Anglia Colchester Old King Coel London Porter Lacons Audit Colchester Brazilian Coffee & Vanilla Porter Colchester, January 2020

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