ALE Spring 2004 No. 313 : Next section

[Campaign for Real Ale logo © CAMRA]

Round-up of Awards

The International Beer Competition 2004

The International Beer Competition is organised by OLN (Off-Licence News, sister magazine to the Morning Advertiser). The competition is restricted to 'packaged' (bottled) products rather than draught beers.

We hadn't heard of this competiton before but, following coverage in the local media, is seems:

Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2004

As judged at the National Winter Ales Festival in Burton-on-Trent in January. Old Freddy Walker from Moor Beer Company, Bridgwater, Somerset was the Supreme Champion. It's a 7.3% ABV Barley Wine and described in the Good Beer Guide as a 'rich, dark, strong ale with a fruity complex taste, leaving a fruitcake finish'. The beer is named after an elderly real ale lover in the village of Ashcott, near Bridgwater, where the brewery is based.

Local pub awards

Congratulations to:

Regional and National Pub of the Year 2004

The award analyses all the criteria that makes up a good pub including the quality of the beer, atmosphere, décor, service and welcome and value for money.

The Engineers Arms, Henlow, Bedfordshire, is this year's East Anglia Pub of the Year.

The Crown and Thistle, Gravesend, Kent is the National Pub of the Year. The pub was built in 1707 as one of three cottages and was converted into a beerhouse in 1838 to compete with the Terrace Hotel Tavern located next door. The first record of the pub being called the Crown and Thistle was in 1889, and it was named to commemorate the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland signed in 1707, the year the cottages were built.

Though situated next to the River Thames, it has not always enjoyed success and was closed in 2000 after being run into the ground by its previous owners.

CAMRA's Parliamentarian of the Year

Gordon Brown has been named as 'CAMRA's Parliamentarian of the Year 2004' in recognition of his contribution to the future of the small breweries sector following the introduction of small breweries' relief in his 2002 Budget.

This relief has benefited hundreds of small local brewers, making their businesses more viable and enabling them to invest in new plant and jobs. Gordon Brown has played a key role in supporting small brewers and the fairer excise duty system he introduced has already led to a more vibrant beer market making it easier for small brewers to compete with their larger competitors, leading to greater choice for consumers.

The current system of small breweries relief applies to those producing up to 30,000 hectolitres. Breweries producing less than 30,000 hl get a 50% reduction on excise duty for the first 5,000hl produced, with a further progressive reduction on production between 5,000 and 30,000hl.

A couple of weeks after the award, the Chancellor announced in the Budget he was doubling the cut-off for the relief to 60,000hl.

ALE Spring 2004 No. 313 : Next section
Cambridge & District CAMRA