SIBA members brew up a summer success
SIBA members have triumphed in the inaugural ‘Beer for Summer’ competition organised by Imbibe magazine. Four out of five of the finalists are SIBA members, and the fifth was brewed at a member brewery.
The finalists are: See Side APA from Bison Beer, Brighton (brewed at Vibrant Forest Brewery in Lymington); Sour to the People from By The Horns Brewing Co, London: Summer Dream from Green Jack Brewery, Suffolk; Swifties Cornish Lager from Keltek Cornish Brewery and Goddess of the Spring from The Celt Experience, Wales.
The competition was open to all brewers in the UK and attracted 27 entries. It challenged them to brew a new beer that tasted like ‘summer in a glass’ or, in the words of one of the judges, Charlie McVeigh, was “quaffable and with an astonishing capacity to refresh.”
The five finalists will battle it out in the Brewers’ Den at the Imbibe Live show for pub and bar professionals, held at London’s Olympia on 29 June. The winner will see their summer beer listed at the Draft House, the London chain of craft beer bars run by McVeigh, as well as a trip for two to the Budweiser Budvar brewery in the Czech Republic. The winning beer will also be promoted by the beer industry’s marketing campaign ‘There’s A Beer For That’.
SIBA managing director Mike Benner said, “Reaching the finals of the first ever Imbibe ‘Beer for Summer’ competition is no mean feat and all five brewers should be very proud of their achievement.
“SIBA is delighted to have supported this contest, which has sought out the best that Britain’s brewers have to offer for the summer: light, golden, delicious beers, ideal for supping in a pub garden or at home with a barbecue.
“These local brews are great examples of a summer beer and, whatever the outcome at Imbibe Live, we’re sure they will all be enjoyed by many drinkers over the next few months.”
