Peerless brew claims top North West accolade
A brew from Wirral’s innovative Peerless Brewing Company will be judged in a top national contest after being acclaimed the North West’s best bottled ale.
At the SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) North West Region Beer Competition – the region’s toughest beer challenge – Peerless Oatmeal Stout (5%abv) scooped Overall Champion for Small Pack (bottled) beers against fierce competition across several classes. This followed a gold award in the class for bottled porters, stouts, old ales, strong milds and strong brown ales.
The prestigious regional contest in Bolton was judged by brewing industry experts and the beer will now compete in the annual SIBA National BeerX Competition early next year. Peerless Oatmeal Stout was rolled out just two years ago and is described as ‘stout brewed with oatmeal for a great body and a creamy head, with lots of roast and chocolate malt flavours and well balanced sweetness to finish’.
This top accolade comes in an already very exciting year for the Birkenhead brewery. In February brewing capacity was doubled with the launch of a modern, energy efficient, brew plant – capable of producing 120 brewer’s barrels-a-week (more than 34,000 pints) – and in the summer distinctive new branding was rolled out along with new beers.
The rebrand, which reflects the seafaring heritage of the town, aims to strengthen bar presence while new cask brew Peerless Gold (4.4%abv) and Storr keg lager have bolstered the award winning portfolio to further grow business. Sales have spiralled at some 30 per cent year-on-year while the six year old Pool Street brewery has collected many top awards , including five SIBA accolades last year*.
Toasting the latest award Peerless managing director Steve Briscoe said: “This is another marvellous win for us in a very busy year as we approach our sixth birthday. We have made a major investment in the new brewery and our rebranding as we aim to grow our sales across the UK. This latest recognition from our brewing peers will further help to spread the message that we are brewing first class beers in Birkenhead.”
Peerless delivers directly to outlets throughout the North West and its beers are distributed nationally via leading wholesalers.
