Crouch Vale Takes Champion Beer of Britain Award.  Add/Read Comments

Their website states "Excuse us while we run around like headless chickens for a bit..." Crouch Vale Brewery have won the prestigeous Champion Beer of Britain Award for their 4% Brewers Gold Ale.

Crouch Vale
"Crouch Vale Brewery was founded in 1981 and remains entirely independent. The current barrelage is in the order of 2,300 brewers' barrels per year (around 660,000 pints), of which Brewers Gold accounts for half. As such Crouch Vale is a large 'small brewer', enjoying the permanent stocking of its own beers by many pubs in the Essex area, as well as other accounts in South Suffolk, East London, East Herts. and Cambridge. Crouch Vale Brewery has one tied pub - The Queen's Head in Lower Anchor Street, Chelmsford, where you can of course enjoy Brewers Gold as well as other Crouch Vale beers and guests from all over the country.

Brewers Gold is a very drinkable 4.0% a.b.v. (alcohol by volume), and is a very pale, aromatic, thirst-quenching, satisfying, tremendously more-ish and sparkling bright golden ale. It is currently only available on draught (we do not currently produce any beer for bottling). The brewery is running pretty much at full capacity at present, and expansion (already on the cards as the lease on the current premises expires in a year or so) will have to follow if the brewery is to keep up with the demand that winning Champion Beer of Britain 2005 is sure to generate."

The full list of winners can be viewed on the CAMRA website. In the bottled beer category (sorry, Real Ale in A Bottle) went to Durham Evensong an 'old ale' based on a 1937 recipe. It is available from the brewery for �27.40 for 12 500ml bottles.

Durham Brewery
"Evensong 5.0% abv An old fashioned English dark strong bitter. Based on an original 1937 recipe, this ruby coloured beer balances generous quantities of Goldings hops with luscious dark malt."