WharfeBank Brewery Bottling Success
Following its first six months of expansion into creating bottled beers to complement its production of hand crafted cask ales, WharfeBank Brewery is celebrating Gold and Bronze success at this year’s SIBA North East Beer Competition.
The competition was held at the York Beer and Cider Festival, where more than sixty judges representing brewers, industry figures, beer writers, and CAMRA members gathered to judge the best beers submitted by breweries from across Yorkshire and the North East.
Martin Kellaway (right) accepts his SIBA Award
WharfeBank Brewery’s Yorkshire Stout (4.5% ABV) won the Gold Medal in the ‘Bottled Porters, Milds, Old Ales and Stouts’, and went on to win Bronze in the ‘Overall Bottled Beers’ competition.
This is the second accolade for WharfeBank’s traditional Irish-styled Yorkshire Stout, made with powerful roasted flavours, following silver medal success at the International Beer Challenge 2013.
Martin Kellaway, managing director and partner of WharfeBank Brewery comments:-
“We are delighted with the continued success of our Yorkshire Stout. We brew it on the banks of the River Wharfe in Yorkshire, but the style and flavour are inspired by a traditional recipe found on the West Coast of Ireland.“
WharfeBank’s Yorkshire SPA (5.8% ABV) also scooped a medal taking Bronze in the ‘Bottled Strong Bitters’ category. SPA is a distinctive and strong pale ale brewed with a complex mix of hops and was created this year to celebrate WharfeBank Brewery’s 500th brew.
Martin continues;
“This was a new experimental brew for WharfeBank, a real departure from our core traditional ales and we were blown away by customer feedback. It was so successful we had to bottle it and for a new premium ale, up against some strong contenders, we were proud to achieve Bronze.”
WharfeBank Brewery has recognised a growing trend in the market for experimental, unique flavours that push the traditional boundaries of beer styles. The craft beer scene in the UK is vibrant, with beers from the US and Europe, along with new beers from UK brewers all proving popular with beer lovers. WharfeBank has recently appointed an exciting new brewer, Steve Crump, to develop a range of refreshingly different beers that complement fully WharfeBank’s Originals Range. Steve is an Award Winning home-brewer, qualified micro biologist, and the perfect addition to the growing team of WharfeBank brewers.
Steve’s first new ale, Firestorm Furious (6% ABV), was also a winner at the SIBA North East Beer Competition, securing a Bronze in the competition for cask beers of 6.0% ABV and over. Although this award was for the cask version, the ‘Firestorm’ range will compose of a number of distinctive craft beers, all powerful in their own right, and will predominantly be available in keg and bottles.
Martin continues;
“Steve has already made his mark at the brewery – this award is a testament to his creativity and passion for developing something new. We can’t wait to see what his next brew will be!”
