A Norfolk brewery’s smoked porter has won Overall Champion cask beer at the SIBA East Independent Beer Awards.
Grain Brewery’s porter ‘Slate’ took overall gold at the awards, beating over 100 other beers from breweries across the East of England.The brewery, which produces its traditional dark porter from its base in Alburgh, South Norfolk, will now battle it out at the National Finals in Liverpool next year.
Entering six beers, Grain Brewery came home with seven awards including gold awards for its Lignum Vitae IPA, and Blackwood Stout – another dark beer.
As dark beers continue to grow in popularity, Grain Brewery are putting their success down to Norfolk-grown barley and our region’s hard, chalky water. With light and sandy soils, warm and dry weather and salty sea breezes, Norfolk is famed for growing some of the best malting barley in the world. Coupled with the county’s hard water which is packed full of calcium and magnesium – perfect for darker profiles in beer – it’s no wonder Norfolk’s dark beers are scooping up awards.
Phil Halls, owner of Grain Brewery said: “Our water in Norfolk is very hard, making it dreadful for many things. It scales up your kettle, and leaves stains on your car after you’ve washed it, but fortunately it is good for brewing dark beer.
“Norfolk’s ground is full of calcium carbonate, in other words, chalk, which is why buses mysteriously disappear into deep sink holes in the road, but the chalk provides the barley and yeast what it needs to brew good beer, and also gives the beer a full flavour on the palate.
“After all, beer is mostly water, so our water is very important.”
The well-respected awards, run by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), are judged by brewers and beer experts in blind tastings and are seen very much as the brewers’ choice awards in the industry.
Slate, which is brewed with Norfolk grown barley and oak-smoked malt, was first brewed by Grain in 2012.
Phil Halls said: “I was delighted and astonished when we won again and again. We have always done well at beer competitions in the past, but for every beer to win an award is astounding.
“The brewery team were utterly thrilled by the news, and it is so good to see the hard work they put into making our beers the best they can be, pay off.”
The awards were held at Elgood’s Brewery in Wisbech prior to their beer festival and presenting the award on behalf of the SIBA Competitions Team was Buster Grant, who said: “Huge congratulations to Grain brewery for taking home the overall champion cask beer, and to all of the other winners across the categories in what was a very hard-fought competition.”
Attleborough’s Wolf Brewery also won gold for its session stout Sirius Dog Star and other Norfolk breweries who took home an award were Moongazer, Wolf, Lacons and Barsham.
Grain Brewery’s taproom is open every Friday and Saturday 12noon – 7pm.
To find out more about Grain Brewery and their beer visit www.grainbrewery.co.uk
