Norfolk’s 2019 Best Bottled Brew!

Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA’s tasting panel have drank and deliberated over 53 Norfolk beers to find the best bottled brew of 2019.

Beers were judged in categories with overall winners found across all categories. 

The overall Gold winner has now been unveiled as Elmtree Brewery’s Nightlight Mild – a ruby-coloured sweet, spicy brew with hints of crème brule, rich and complex with a soft liquorice aftertaste. 

Overall Silver winner went to Elmtree’s Golden Pale Ale – a full bodied ale with lime fruit depth and sweet malty character with malt aromas and short sweetening finish.

Overall Bronze is awarded to Lacons’ Audit Ale – also the overall winner of the CAMRA Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2019.  Honey coloured, with lemon aromas, a rich bittersweet flavour with malty marmalade base, with a satisfying caramel and spicy finish.

The 2019 competition covered beers from 12 Norfolk Breweries with Elmtree Brewery winning Gold in 6 out of 10 categories.  New winners in the bottled competition are All Day and Peoples Breweries. 

Taste Panel Chair, Alan Edwards, said: “Real Ale in a Bottle (RAIB) is the next best thing to tasting cask ale in a pub. Norfolk breweries have made great strides in quality over the last few years. The judges were impressed by the depth and variety of flavours found in the beers.

“Competition was intense in all categories with the scoring being close throughout. It is also pleasing that the winning breweries are spread throughout Norfolk.  Many of the beers are imaginatively named with stories behind them. We look forward to the next round of tastings!”

Alan added: “There are now more ales brewed and bottled specifically for Christmas. We are now considering adding a ‘Christmas Ale’ category for 2020.”

Alan is no stranger to Norfolk beer, being involved in the first ever Norwich Beer Festival in 1977 and having stood as Norwich Beer Festival Organiser for 16 years until the 25th festival in 2002 and has been on the organising committee every year from those early days to this year’s Great British Beer Festival Winter and Norwich Beer Festival, which will be celebrating its 42nd year in 2019.

Category winners:

MILD, BROWN ALE, OLD ALE
GOLD - Elmtree Brewery - Nightlight Mild
SILVER - Humpty Dumpty Brewery - Christmas Crack

BITTER
GOLD - Elmtree Brewery - Scary Tree
SILVER - Humpty Dumpty Brewery - Broadland Sunrise
BRONZE - Two Rivers Brewery - Denver Diamond

STRONG BITTER
GOLD - Elmtree Brewery - Gambrinosity
SILVER - Poppyland Brewery - East Beach IPA
BRONZE - Humpty Dumpty Brewery - Big Sharpie

GOLDEN ALE
GOLD - Elmtree Brewery - Golden Pale Ale
SILVER - Peoples Brewery - Cascade Bitter
BRONZE - All Day Brewery - Norfolk Green Hop, Tipsy Vegan

SPECIALITY
GOLD - Humpty Dumpty Brewery - Lemon and Ginger
SILVER - Why Not Brewery - Norfolk Honey Ale
BRONZE - All Day Brewery - Raspberry Tart

STOUT
GOLD - Elm Tree Brewery - Dark Horse Stout

PORTER
GOLD - Poppyland Brewery - Tragic Empress Imperial Porter
SILVER - Panther Brewery - Black Panther
BRONZE - Humpty Dumpty - Brewery Porter

UNIQUE
GOLD - Humpty Dumpty Brewery - Maid in Norfolk

BARLEY WINE
GOLD - Lacons Brewery - Audit Ale