As the clock ticks closer to Christmas and the festive spirit is everywhere, CAMRA has been looking at its award-winning beers to help stout fans through the ongoing Guinness shortage.
This list showcases just some of CAMRA’s recent winners from a range of competitions: Champion Beer of Britain, Champion Bottled Beer of Britain, Champion Winter Beer of Britain, Champion Beer of Scotland, and Champion Beer of Wales.
All the 12 are available in cask so your local can beat the Guinness shortage, and some can even be found as bottle-conditioned beers to pair with your Christmas dinner.
CAMRA’s 12 Stouts of Christmas
Hop Back Entire Stout (4.5 per cent)
Champion Beer of Britain Stout Category Bronze 2013
Entire Stout is a smooth, rich, ruby-black stout with strong roast and malt aromas and flavours. This stout will leave a long bittersweet and malty aftertaste this Christmas.
London Brewing 100 Oysters Stout (4.6 per cent)
Champion Beer of Britain Stout Category Silver 2017
This session stout delivers a dark chocolate and raisin aroma and taste, with roasted notes of liquorice, dark plums and a hint of sweetness.
Loch Lomond Silkie Stout (5 per cent)
Champion Beer of Scotland 2017
This award-winning cask stout is filled with chocolate and orange spicy notes – perfect flavours to enjoy during the festive season.
Siren Craft Brew Broken Dream Breakfast Stout (6.5 per cent)
Champion Beer of Britain 2018
There's a gentle touch of smoke, coffee and chocolate to this cask stout. Judges said Broken Dream stood out for its superb aroma, taste and finish.
Tudor Black Mountain Stout (4 per cent)
Champion Beer of Wales Silver 2015
Black Mountain is a traditional stout, with roasted barley enhancing the flavour of this vegan and gluten-free bottled beer.
Fixed Wheel Blackheath Stout (5 per cent)
Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2020
Fixed Wheel brewery’s full-bodied, fruity cask stout is dedicated to the home of its Blackheath brewery and is brewed with New Zealand Pacific Gem and English Bramling Cross hops to give an oaky bitterness and dark fruits finish.
Thurstons Milk Stout (4.5 per cent)
Champion Beer of Britain 2023 Session Stouts and Porters Silver
A chocolate-and-sweet-malt-flavoured milk stout, this brew is smooth and leaves a pleasant sharpness as lactose comes through leaving a slightly dry finish.
Dancing Duck Dark Drake (4.5 per cent)
Champion Beer of Britain 2023 Session Stout and Porters Gold
A session stout with malty caramel liquorice flavours that combine into a smooth-drinking velvety oatmeal stout, with a freshly roasted coffee and tea finish.
Cairngorm’s Black Gold (4.4 per cent)
Champion Beer of Scotland 2005, 2015, 2023 and 2024
Cairngorm’s serial award winner is packed with roasted malt flavour, with a slight smoky aroma leading to a liquorice and blackcurrant sweetness background taste. This stout leaves a long, dry and bitter finish.
Incredible Brewing Co Milk Stout (4.6 per cent)
Champion Bottled Beer of Britain Bronze 2024
Incredible’s Milk Stout is a bottled session stout with a chocolate sweetness and a slight vanilla finish. Incredible offers delivery of its cans and bottles, but cask is brewed on demand only, so make sure to try a pint if you see it!
Lancaster Black Stout (4.5 per cent)
Champion Beer of Britain 2024 Winter Round Gold
Lancaster’s Black session stout has a hoppy, roasted bitterness, with coffee and a hint of caramel.
Five Kingdom’s Dark Storm Stout (6.9 per cent)
Champion Bottled Beer of Britain 2024. Champion Beer of Scotland 2024 Silver
Dark Storm is a smooth, rich and creamy bottled strong stout with a long and dry finish.
CAMRA national chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: “Christmas is a truly wonderful time of the year to spend time with loved ones, and what better way to top it off with a well-brewed stout. Our award-winning breweries work exceptionally hard to bring a variety of beers to pubs and consumers, so please raise a toast to them whether you are drinking a bottled or cask stout this Christmas.
“Pubs, social clubs, breweries, and taprooms have faced an array of difficulties this year and have been forced to tackle excruciating financial restraints. Popping into your local for a pint will make a huge difference for these pub businesses, which will all be working tirelessly around the festivities.
“While Christmas brings a lot of joy to many, we know that loneliness can be a significant challenge at this time of year. Pubs bring more than beer to the table; they offer a great meeting space and provide social benefits, so make sure visiting your local is on the to-do list this Christmas.”
