The team at Butcombe Brewery are toasting their success in a prestigious awards scheme that celebrates the best of Britain’s bottle and canned drinks.
The brewery, based at Wrington, landed two Golds in the British Bottlers’ Institute (BBI) Competition.
Now in its 40th year, the contest is a blind tasting of packaged drinks by a team of experienced judges and industry experts assembled by the BBI.
Butcombe Original triumphed in the category for ales with an abv of between 4.5% and 4.9%, while the brewery’s Goram IPA earned the title of best IPA in the abv 4% – 5.4% group.
Butcombe, which was founded in 1978 by former managing director of Courage Western Simon Whitmore, was acquired by Channel Island-based beer, wine and pub group Liberation four years ago.
Liberation also won a gold on the night – its Liberation Ale topped the ales with an abv of 4% to 4.4% category – making it a hat-trick of awards shared between its Wrington and Jersey breweries.
Butcombe Brewery MD Marc McGuigan said: “We are delighted to have won gold in two categories in this prestigious competition. To have our beers recognised in this way, against such stiff competition, pays testament to the hard work and innovation of our excellent brewing team, who constantly strive to create products our customers love.”
Founded in 1953, the fundamental object of the British Bottlers’ Institute is to provide a forum for companies working in the bottling, canning and beverage industry to pool experience and expertise.
The judges agreed that the standard of the products entered in this year’s competition was higher than ever, mirroring consumer tastes for better quality drinks.
BBI president Ed Binstead said: “As the competition gets ever larger, for any award winner they are having to beat bigger entries, so to scoop three gold medals Liberation Group’s Butcombe and Liberation Breweries did extremely well.
“As a taste competition it is all about quality, great taste, colour carbonation and nose and the Liberation Group’s products were far ahead of anything else in their class.”
As well as brewing Original and Goram, Butcombe also produces Rare Breed and Gold ales, Bohemia pilsner, Underfall lager and Blackbeard stout. The brewery also owns 27 pubs around Bristol, Bath, Somerset and the Mendips.
Pictured: Liberation Group’s Phil Terry, Mike Jordan and Patrick Dean with the three BBI Gold awards
