Hophurst Brewery has taken home the overall champion cask beer award at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) North West Independent Beer Awards 2021.
Their gold-winning beer, Love is Noise, was brewed to celebrate the brewery’s seventh anniversary this month and is the first time the brewery has produced a double IPA. The hugely aromatic and flavoursome beer comes in at a punchy 8% ABV.
The silver award winner was another American style beer, West Coast, by Blackedge Brewing, while Hawkshead Brewery’s Windermere Pale took bronze.
The awards took place ahead of the Bolton Beer Festival, at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Hophurst founder and head brewer, Stuart Hurst, said: “To win with our first ever double IPA is just amazing, especially as we came so close last time around when we won the silver with our Porter. This was a very special beer to celebrate our seventh birthday and we wanted something big, fruity and with great body.
“The beer is chock full of hops, and we use loads of Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, Ekuanot, and a brand new ‘cryo pop’ hop, which we’ve used for the first time. I’m delighted it’s proved a hit.”
All the winners will now go on to SIBA’s national finals at the BeerX UK event in Liverpool, in March.
Neil Walker, chair of SIBA’s competitions committee, said: “There were some really excellent beers in this competition, and brewers should be very proud of taking home these hard-fought awards.
“The judges had a very tough job separating the pack, and I’d like to say a personal well done to all of the category winners and, of course, our overall gold winners, Hophurst. What a beer!”
Enjoying a pint of great beer 