News
- Champion Beer of Britain Results
Monday 1 September 2025
The Champion Beer of Britain competition concluded at the Great British Beer Festival held at the NEC in Birmingham in August. The Champion Beer of Britain, selected from a series of blind tastings, was Penzance Mild, 3.6% ABV. Described as having chocolate and sweet cocoa on the nose and chocolate, sultanas and dry roast on the palate, where the gentle sweetness is balanced by a roasty, dry bitterness. It packs a lot of flavour into a 3.6% beer. Runner up was Sarah Hughes Snowflake, an 8% ABV barley wine and third was Church End Fallen Angel, 5% ABV, a rich pale ale with honey notes. CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE
- Co-founder Martin Dickie Steps Down at Brewdog
Monday 1 September 2025
Martin Dickie, co-founder of Brewdog and largely responsible for the development of Jaipur when working at Thornbridge, has stepped down from the company citing personal reasons. Dickie founded the company with friend James Watt in 2007 and from very small beginnings allied to an aggressive marketing campaign influenced by that of Stone Brewing in the USA, they grew at a rapid rate to become the global behemoth they are today. Their deliberately controversial promotional stunts enthused many but alienated others. Watt, never far from controversy himself, stepped down from his role in Brewdog in 2024, although he remains as a board member. Dickie preferred to largely remain in the background helping to develop the company's products including a distilling arm which brewed Lone Wolf gin among others. He has now left brewing altogether and has started a new business producing licensed medical cannabis. Based on news features in the MORNING ADVERTISER
- Boddingtons to Make a Comeback
Monday 28 July 2025
Boddingtons cask beer, the legendary "Cream of Manchester", is set to return to pubs across the North West. It is being brewed and distributed by Manchester brewer JW Lees under licence from brand owner the Budweiser Brewing Group. First brewed in 1778, this beer became a symbol of Manchester's spirit and Northern pride. It disappeared from cask handpumps in 2012. With a new 4% ABV recipe, Boddingtons is due to reappear in pubs across the North West in December. Brian Perkins, president of AB InBev in Western Europe said: "We're excited to relaunch Boddingtons Cask Ale in partnership with JW Lees, combining one of the UK's most iconic beer brands with one of its most respected brewers". BEER TODAY
- Beer Writer and Historian Martyn Cornell Dies
Friday 6 June 2025
Beer writer and historian Martyn Cornell sadly passed away on 2 June aged 73. Martyn moved to Norfolk in 2021, from London, where he helped with Poppyland Brewery and Distillery’s media and publicity. His writing style when approaching the history of beer was entertaining, thorough, and detailed. On his excellent blog — Zythophile (ancient Greek for one who loves beer) — he devoted an entire section to debunking popular myths. Martyn was also a founding member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. Martyn’s work will live on, through his blog, and through a series of books, such as Beer: The Story of the Pint, Strange Tales of Ale, and Amber, Black, and Gold: The History of Britain’s Great Beers. Porter and Stout: A Complete History is due to be published this week. BEER TODAY
- Finalists Revealed in Champion Beer of Britain Competition
Friday 6 June 2025
The top IPAs, milds, bitters, blondes, pales and golden beers in the UK that will battle it out for the title of Champion Beer of Britain 2025 have been revealed by CAMRA at the recent Cambridge Beer Festival. They will be joined by the six finalists from the Great British Beer Festival Winter and one will be crowned overall champion at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) to be held at the NEC in Birmingham in August. The winners in the six categories were: MILD: Penzance Mild 3.6% ABV; SESSION BITTER: Butcombe Butcombe Original 4.0%; PREMIUM BITTER: Cairngorm Wildcat 5.1%; IPA: Elusive Oregon Trail 5.8%; SESSION PALE, BLONDE & GOLDEN ALE: Track Sonoma 3.8%; PREMIUM PALE, BLONDE & GOLDEN ALE: Church End Fallen Angel 5.0%. Volunteer tasting panels will judge the 12 beers in the competition in a series of blind tastings at the upcoming GBBF to decide the winner. CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE
- New Ownership for Cumbria's Jennings Brewery
Wednesday 30 April 2025
The historic Jennings Brewery, in Cockermouth, Cumbria, closed by Carlsberg Marston’s, has been acquired by two local business owners and entrepreneurs. The brewery has been purchased for an undisclosed sum by Kurt Canfield, chief executive of specialist engineering business Delkia, and Rebecca Canfield, proprietor of wine and spirits company Wine and the Wood. The deal involves the transfer of rights to the Jennings brand, including all trademarks, intellectual property, and recipes. “As lifelong residents of West Cumbria, we have cherished Jennings Brewery and its beer for many years,” said Rebecca. “Preserving the heritage of the brewery and the maltings building, which are integral to our community, is of utmost importance to us. We are delighted to bring Jennings back to the local area and to have it once again run by a family-owned business. The project is expected to create several new jobs in the area, including the appointment of a head brewer, a brewing team, and a local sales and marketing force. BEER TODAY