Champion Beer of Britain

The Champion Beer of Britain (also known as CBOB) is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), at their annual Great British Beer Festival in early August. Beers can qualify in three ways:

• CAMRA tasting panels judge the beers in their geographic area of the UK. The recommendations of these panels are put forward to 6 regional panels, with the winners of these qualifying for the finals in August.
• Votes from CAMRA members via a form in What's Brewing, the CAMRA newsletter.
• Winning one of the 150 Beer Of The Festival awards from CAMRA beer festivals held throughout the year

Nominated beers are then grouped into categories and go through several rounds of blind tasting at the Great British Beer Festival. Category winners are then re-judged to determine the supreme champion - the Champion Beer Of Britain.

Categories

Beers are split into categories depending on their style or strength

• Mild
• Bitter
• Best Bitter
• Special Bitter
• Strong Ale (until 1990)
• Strong Bitter (from 1991)
• Golden Ales
• New Brewery (until 1990)
• Old Ales (see note below)
• Barley Wines (see note below)
• Porters & Stouts
• Speciality Bitters
• Bottle-Conditioned Beers

Name changes

The Old Ales & Barley Wines category has been renamed over the years. The award was first presented in 1991. In 1992 the category was split into two - Old Ales and Barley Wines. The new Old Ales category was renamed in 1993 to Old Ales & Strong Milds, changed again to Old Ales & Strong Ales in 1994, finally reverting to Old Ales & Strong Milds in 1996.

The Strong Ale category was changed in 1991 to Strong Bitter, with the Strong Milds joining the Old Ales category.

Winter ales

Since 1996 the Old Ales & Strong Milds, Barley Wines and Porters & Stouts have been judged as part of the Champion Winter Beer Of Britain awards at the National Winter Ales Festival.

Current holders

• Gold: Triple FFF Alton's Pride
• Silver: Beckstones Black Dog Freddy
• Bronze: Wickwar Station Porter

Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for 2007 are:

• Gold: Hobsons Mild
• Silver: Might Oak Maldon Gold
• Bronze: Green Jack Ripper

Previous holders

• 1978 - Thwaites Best Mild and Fuller's ESB (joint winners)
• 1979 - Fuller's London Pride
• 1980 - Thwaites Best Mild
• 1981 - Fuller's ESB
• 1982 - Timothy Taylor Landlord
• 1983 - Timothy Taylor Landlord
• 1984 - No event was held this year
• 1985 - Fuller's ESB
• 1986 - Bateman XXXB
• 1987 - Pitfield Dark Star
• 1988 - Ringwood Old Thumper
• 1989 - Fuller's Chiswick Bitter

From 1990 onwards Gold, Silver and Bronze awards were made instead of just having an overall winner.

2008 awards

Champion Beer of Britain: TRIPLE FFF, ALTON'S PRIDE (Hampshire)

Second: Beckstones, Black Dog Freddy (Cumbria)

Third: Wickwar, Station Porter (Gloucestershire)

Mild Category Gold - Beckstones, Black Dog Freddy (Cumbria) Silver - Rudgate, Ruby Mild (York) Bronze - Rhymney, Dark (Merthyr Tydfil)

Bitter Category Gold - Triple fff, Alton's Pride (Hampshire) Silver - Lees, Bitter (Manchester) Joint Bronze - Jarrow, Rivet Catcher (Tyne & Wear) and Surrey Hills, Ranmore Ale (Surrey)

Best Bitter Category Gold - Skinner's, Betty Stogs (Cornwall) Silver - Highland, Scapa Special (Orkney) Bronze - Cairngorm, Nessies Monster Mash (Highlands) and Timothy Taylor, Landlord (West Yorkshire)

Strong Bitter Category Gold - Thornbridge, Jaipur IPA (Derbyshire) Silver - Fuller's, ESB (London) Bronze - Highland, Orkney Blast (Orkney)

Golden Ale Category Gold - Otley, O1 (Mid Glamorgan) Silver - Loddon, Ferryman's Gold (Oxfordshire) Bronze - Skinner's, Cornish Knocker Ale (Cornwall)

Speciality Beer Category Gold - Otley, OGarden (Mid Glamorgan) Silver - Wentworth, Bumble Beer (South Yorkshire) Bronze - Nethergate, Umbel Magna (Essex)

CAMRA Bottled-Conditioned Beers Gold - Wye Valley, Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout Silver - Fullers, 1845 Bronze - Wells and Young's, Special London Ale

Winter Beer of Britain Winner (announced in Jan 2008) Wickwar, Station Porter

2007 awards

Champion Beer Of Britain

• Gold - Hobsons Mild
• Silver - Mighty Oak Maldon Gold
• Bronze - Green Jack Ripper

Milds

• Gold - Hobsons Mild
• Silver - Nottingham Rock Mild
• Bronze - Brain's Dark

Bitters

• Gold - Castle Rock Harvest Pale
• Silver - Twickenham Crane Sundancer
• Joint Bronze - Surrey Hills Ranmore Ale and Fyne Piper's Gold

Best Bitters

• Gold - Purple Moose Glaslyn Ale
• Silver - George Wright Pipe Dream
• Joint Bronze - Fuller's London Pride, Nethergate Suffolk County and Station House Buzzin'

Strong Bitters

• Gold - York Centurion's Ghost
• Silver - Inveralmond Lia Fail
• Bronze - Brain's SA Gold

Speciality Beers

• Gold - Nethergate Umbel Magna
• Silver - Little Valley Hebden Wheat
• Bronze - St Peter's Grapefruit

Golden Ales

• Gold - Mighty Oak Maldon Gold
• Silver - Oak Leaf Hole Hearted
• Bronze - Otley 01

CAMRA Bottle-conditioned Beers

• Gold - O'Hanlon's Port Stout
• Silver - Titanic Stout and Wye Valley Dorothy Goodbody's Wholesome Stout
• Bronze - Wapping Baltic Gold

See also

• GBBF

References