Every year the branch gives awards to pubs, clubs and individuals. The awards were presented at the branch’s gala night at the NCI Sports & Social Club in Cambridge. The winners for 2019 were:
Pub of the Year : Chestnut Tree, West Wratting
Young Members’ Pub of the Year : Calverley's Brewery Tap, Cambridge
Cider Pub of the Year : Plough, Shepreth
Club of the Year : Bottisham Community Sports & Social Club, Bottisham
Dog-friendly Pub of the Year : Mill, Cambridge
LocAle Pub of the Year (rural) : Green Man, Thriplow
LocAle Pub of the Year (city) : Haymakers, Cambridge
Community Pub of the Year (rural) : Chestnut Tree, West Wratting
Community Pub of the Year (city) : Dobblers Inn, Cambridge
New or Most Improved Pub (rural) : Black Horse, Dry Drayton
New or Most Improved Pub (city) : Old Ticket Office, Cambridge
Dark Ale Pub of the Year : Live & Let Live, Cambridge
Lifetime Achievement Award : Horace White of the Six Bells, Fulbourn
Real Ale Champion : Ron Buchet, the organiser of every Cambridge CAMRA Octoberfest and deputy organiser for many Cambridge Beer Festivals.
As well as these branch awards we also presented awards to some of our local breweries and cider makers. These awards come from CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain competition and our own competitions held at beer festivals.
Calverley’s Brewery won Gold for their Porter in the porter category at both the East Anglian and overall national competitions, and went on to win Silver in the national Champion Winter Beer of Britain award. Milton Brewery won Silver in the East Anglian stout competition for Nero, and Bronze in the best bitter category for Pegasus.
In our festival competitions, Crafty Beers won Beer of the Festival for Sauvignon Blonde at last year’s 45th Cambridge Beer Festival. At the same festival Simon’s Cider won Cider of the Festival for COX!!! and Perry of the Festival for Gibson’s Perry.
Many congratulations to all our award winners, and many thanks to the NCI Sports & Social Club for hosting us. See you next year.