Tight at the top: Three breweries dominate the medals at the SIBA North West Independent Beer Awards 2024
In what is a historic first for the region, the top 6 awards at the SIBA North West Independent Beer Awards 2024 were awarded to just three breweries; Bank Top in Bolton, Black Edge in Horwich, and RedWillow in Macclesfield.
Bank Top Brewery took home the Overall Gold and Silver in the cask competition having also won across a number of styles categories, with Black Edge being named the Overall Gold Champion in the separate keg beer awards. RedWillow were just edged out of the Overall Gold medal spots, but took home the biggest medal haul, with an Overall Silver in cask and an Overall Silver and Bronze in keg.
But top of the cask table was Bank Top’s flagship Flat Cap, a traditional English Bitter – a beer with a fierce local following but which has only recently begun to be appreciated more by judges in beer competitions. Claire Kirkman, Bank Top Brewery General Manager, was on hand to accept the award on behalf of the team;
“Flat Cap is our best-selling beer, our most famous beer, but it hasn’t won that many awards before but is just absolutely on form at the minute. It’s absolutely amazing to win, especially as we’ve just lost one of our brewers who has left to pastures new – so to know that we’re brewing great beer with Ben and the new team is really great.”
The Overall Keg Gold was Black Edge Brewery’s 99 Red Balloons, a Strawberry Berliner Weisse sour beer developed as part of a new more experimental range of keg beers by the brewery. Wanye Roper, Founder and Director of Black Edge, had this mto say on their win;
“We’re delighted so many awards tonight, especially in Bolton where we’re actually from. Absolutely overwhelmed to wint the keg award too as we’ve been working really hard to get the keg beers going for the last twelve months – especially something a little bit different like this sour beer which is more specialist. Lot’s of sour beers are made using flavourings rather than natural fruit, but by using real fruit and adding that fruit at the right time we can add sourness but also increase the body and flavour of the beer. It’s a beer that’s proved really popular with a huge range of drinkers who might not usually go for beer.”
The awards took place ahead of the Bolton Beer Festival at the Toughsheet Bolton Stadium, which continues today and over the weekend. The SIBA Independent Beer Awards are run by and for brewers and are judged by fellow brewers from elsewhere in the UK, as well other representatives from the industry and expert beer judges – making these the much coveted ‘brewers’ choice’ awards in the North West.
Hosting the awards on behalf of SIBA was Neil Walker, Head of Comms & Marketing, “Our most experienced judges join our Final Table where all of the category winners are pitted against one another to try and claim the Overall Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.
Comments from the judges this year were that this was perhaps the highest calibre of beers they’ve ever had at these awards. Huge congratulations to all of the winners and especially to the three breweries who bagged the top spots in the Overall category, which is judged completely blind and really is the very best of the best.”
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) represents independent craft brewers across the UK, and all the winners of the North West Independent Beer Awards will now go on to the National Finals at the BeerX UK event in Liverpool, March 2025.
Bolton Beer Festival continues today and over the weekend, where all of the award-winning beers will be on sale.
Full winners list: Click here
Judging and awards presentation photos: Click here
