Ossett Brewery’s ‘White Rat’ pale ale takes the Overall Gold in the SIBA North East Independent Beer Awards 2024
Ossett Brewery in West Yorkshire have taken home the Overall Champion Gold Award in the SIBA North East Independent Beer Awards, which took place at Gateshead Rugby Club over the bank holiday weekend.
The Overall Champion is the ‘best of the best’ and selected in a final round judging against all of the other style category winners. This year it was Ossett White Rat that took home Overall Gold, with Acorn Brewery’s Barnsley Bitter taking Silver – after winning the Overall Gold last year – and Rooster’s Tropical Assassin being named Overall Bronze winner.
The Ossett Team were on hand to collect the award in Gateshead, commenting “Absolutely speechless! Did not expect to win Overall Champions, a really great honour and glad our beers are getting appreciated and all the hard work from everyone has just really paid off.”
The awards are judged by beer industry experts including master brewers, beer sommeliers and experienced beer judges, with only the very best beers awarded medals in these prestigious awards. A broad range of styles are judged, from modern heavily hopped IPAs, pale ales and speciality beers, to more traditional British style bitters, stouts and porters.
Buster Grant from SIBA helped run the competition and presented this year’s awards, congratulating the North East’s winners he said;
“White Rat has always been a local favourite and has gained a bit of a cult following in recent years, so I’m delighted to see it getting the top spot at this year’s North East awards. Very pale and aromatically hoppy it’s a beer that wowed the judges and beat a very tough final judging, edging out last year’s winner for the top spot. A huge well done to all of this year’s winners in what was a superbly hard-fought competition.”
Ossett White Rat and the other beer style category winners will now go forward to the National Finals taking place at BeerX UK in Liverpool next year.
| Category | Brewery | Beer | ABV | Award | Category Champions |
| Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition | |||||
| Sponsored by Simpsons Malt | Ossett | White Rat | 4 | GOLD | Category Champion |
| Acorn Brewery of Barnsley Ltd | Barnsley Bitter | 3.8 | SILVER | ||
| Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Tropical Assassin | 6.1 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Session Dark Beers (up to 4.4%) | |||||
| Timothy Taylor’s | Landlord Dark | 4.3 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Rudgate Brewery | Ruby Mild | 4.4 | SILVER | ||
| Wensleydale Brewery | Black Dub Oat Stout | 4.4 | SILVER | ||
| Ilkley Brewery Co | BLACK LIGHT | 3.4 | SILVER | ||
| Little Critters Brewing Company | Bentley’s Bark | 4.2 | SILVER | ||
| First & Last Brewery | Reiver | 4.2 | BRONZE | ||
| Acorn Brewery of Barnsley Ltd | Old Moor Porter | 4.4 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask British Dark Beers (4.5 to 6.4%) | |||||
| First & Last Brewery | Eclipse | 5.6 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Allendale Brewery | Wolf | 5.5 | BRONZE | ||
| Harrogate Brewing Company | Porter | 4.8 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) | |||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Acorn Brewery of Barnsley Ltd | Barnsley Bitter | 3.8 | GOLD | Category Champion |
| Pennine Brewing | Millie George | 4 | GOLD | ||
| Brew York | Maris The Otter | 3.9 | GOLD | ||
| Craven Brew Co | BYB | 3.8 | GOLD | ||
| Twice Brewed Brewing Co. | Best Bitter | 3.8 | SILVER | ||
| Ilkley Brewery Co | JOSHUA JANE | 3.7 | SILVER | ||
| DALESIDE BREWERY | OLD LEGOVER | 4.1 | SILVER | ||
| Ossett | Butterley | 3.8 | SILVER | ||
| True North Brew Co | Stones Bitter | 4.1 | BRONZE | ||
| Timothy Taylor’s | Boltmaker | 4 | BRONZE | ||
| Goose Eye Brewery Ltd. | Goose Eye Bitter | 3.9 | BRONZE | ||
| Wensleydale Brewery | Gamekeeper | 4.3 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask British Best Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) | |||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | True North Brew Co | Limmers ESB | 4.5 | SILVER | |
| Harrogate Brewing Company | Harrogate Best | 4.5 | SILVER | ||
| Twice Brewed Brewing Co. | All The Way To Reno | 5.2 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Session Pale Ale (up to 4.4%) | |||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Ossett | White Rat | 4 | GOLD | Category Champion |
| Pennine Brewing | Pacifc | 4.1 | GOLD | ||
| Brew York | Calmer Chameleon | 4.1 | SILVER | ||
| Ilkley Brewery Co | PALE | 4.2 | SILVER | ||
| Little Critters Brewing Company | Spot-On | 4.3 | SILVER | ||
| Saltaire Brewery | Klaxon! | 4.3 | SILVER | ||
| Allendale Brewery | Pennine Pale | 4 | SILVER | ||
| Triple Point Brewing | Simtrazza | 4.4 | BRONZE | ||
| Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Easy-Going Assassin | 4.3 | BRONZE | ||
| Goose Eye Brewery Ltd. | Spring Wells | 3.6 | BRONZE | ||
| DALESIDE BREWERY | BLONDE | 3.9 | BRONZE | ||
| Horsforth Brewery | Trinity | 4.2 | BRONZE | ||
| The Alnwick Brewery company | SPRING PALE 24 | 3.7 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Pale Ales (4.4 to 5.5%) | |||||
| Sponsored by Crisp Malting Group | Horsforth Brewery | By the Hair of Ernie | 5.4 | GOLD | Category Champion |
| Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Thousand Yard Stare | 5.4 | SILVER | ||
| Saltaire Brewery | Pipeline | 4.6 | BRONZE | ||
| Triple Point Brewing | Yosemite | 4.8 | BRONZE | ||
| Twice Brewed Brewing Co. | Hazy IPA | 5.1 | BRONZE | ||
| Goose Eye Brewery Ltd. | Pommies Revenge | 5.2 | BRONZE | ||
| Rudgate Brewery | Valkyrie | 5 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask IPA (5.6 and over) | |||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Bridgehouse Brewery | Easy Tiger | 6.1 | GOLD | Category Champion |
| Thirsty Moose Brewing co. | Oot n Aboot | 5.6 | SILVER | ||
| Twice Brewed Brewing Co. | Nectaronicon | 6 | BRONZE | ||
| Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Baby-Faced Assassin | 6.1 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Speciality Light Beers | |||||
| Sponsored by Energy Oasis | Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Tropical Assassin | 6.1 | GOLD | Category Champion |
| Horsforth Brewery | Vice | 4.5 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Speciality Amber to Dark Beer | |||||
| Little Critters Brewing Company | Vanilla Chinchilla | 4.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Brew York | Tonkoko | 4.3 | SILVER | ||
| Thirsty Moose Brewing co. | Canny Canuck | 4.5 | SILVER | ||
| Rudgate Brewery | York Chocolate Stout | 5 | SILVER | ||
| Bridgehouse Brewery | Rum & Raisin Stout | 4.9 | BRONZE | ||
| Rooster’s Brewing Co. | Sleep Is For The Week | 5.8 | BRONZE | ||
| Twice Brewed Brewing Co. | Plum | 5.3 | BRONZE | ||
| Acorn Brewery of Barnsley Ltd | Plum Porter | 4.5 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Imperial and Strong (6.5% and over) | |||||
| Sponsored by Brewlab | Twice Brewed Brewing Co. | Main Offender | 8.5 | GOLD | Category Champion |
To download the full list of this year’s winners: Click here
