Abbeydale Brewery’s Jim Rangeley named Brewer of the Year
Sheffield’s Abbeydale Brewery are celebrating this week, after their Lead Brewer, Jim Rangeley, was named Brewer of the Year at the 2024 Brewers Choice Awards.
Jim was presented with the prestigious award at a London ceremony earlier this week, where he and the team celebrated alongside hundreds of their brewing industry peers at the annual industry event. Jim, 35, who hails from Sheffield and this year celebrates a decade of working in the beer industry, heads up Abbeydale’s small batch, mixed fermentation “Funk Dungeon” project, alongside being a valued part of the brewteam.
Jim says “I’m privileged to have a job I truly enjoy, working as part of a brilliant team for a company that puts its trust in me. To have even been shortlisted was incredibly humbling and it’s a true honour to have won.”
Judged by a panel of industry experts, this accolade recognises Jim’s talent and passion, as well as his strong sense of values and commitment to progress within the wider industry. Beer writer and judge Melissa Cole said “What Jim has achieved at Abbeydale is nothing short of excellent. From the Funk Dungeon to churning out great core ranges and being a decent human at the same time, this award is well-deserved.”
Tim Sheahan, editor of The Brewers Journal and organiser of the awards, added: “The level of competition for the ‘Brewer of The Year’ category is always incredibly high and in 2024 this was no different. But the judging panel at The Brewers Choice Awards recognised not only Jim’s ability to produce a wealth of different styles with unerring ease but his commitment to the industry, too.”
In addition, Abbeydale Brewery were also shortlisted in the Branding of the Year category for their cask beer focused Travel Poster series, the artwork for which is created by designer James Murphy, who has been working with Abbeydale Brewery since 2016. James described making the top three in this hotly contested category as “fantastic”, adding that the unique branding for this range is intended to invoke an emotional connection between the beer, the place, and ultimately the drinker.
Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield’s longest established brewery, are well known for producing a huge range of beers (in particular their flagship pale ale, Moonshine), blending innovation with heritage and reflecting these values across their beers.
Website: www.abbeydalebrewery.co.uk
