Full Story

16th February 2011

Hook Norton’s Hooky Bitter triumphs in Brewing Industry International Awards

Three Hook Norton beers - Hooky Bitter, Double Stout and Hooky Dark - have been crowned among the world’s best beers by an international and highly respected judging panel of brewers.

Hook Norton’s Hooky Bitter triumphed with gold in the category for bottles ales. Double Stout won silver in the category for dark ale and Hooky Dark picked up a bronze in the cask ale category.

The Brewing Industry International Awards (BIIA) are dubbed the brewing “Oscars” and this year’s event took place in the National Brewery Centre, Burton Trent – 9-11 February.
The judges blind-tasted beers more than eight hundred beers from 30 countries for the awards, which are held every two years.
The awards are truly global as the winners in 2011 demonstrate with winners originating from the USA, Czech Republic, Japan, Germany and Hook Norton in Oxfordshire, England.

Hook Norton Managing Director James Clarke said: “I am delighted that our beers have been honoured by this prestigious competition.

"Everyday thousands of people drink Hook Norton beers because they think they are the best in the world, and it is a wonderful accolade that brewers from all over the world think they are the best too. Winning an award at this competition is recognition by fellow professional brewers that a beer is an outstanding example of its style."

“Hook Norton is a local brewer, which now has an international reputation for the quality of its beers to win these awards reflects the hard work and commitment of all the staff who work at the brewery.

“Hooky Bitter, Double Stout and Hooky Dark are premium beers which are selling well – and these awards are an affirmation of their quality by the judges of the Brewing Industry International Awards.

“This is the most medals Hook Norton has won in the BIIA. We had a silver in 1996, a gold in 1998, a silver in 2002, a gold a silver in 2005, and now bronze, silver and gold in 2011.”

Hook Norton’s triumphed in the following categories:-

• Hooky Bitter won gold in International Smallpack Ale Competition - Class 1 for ale 2.9 per cent - 3.7 per cent Alcohol by Volume
• Hook Norton Double Stout won silver in the International Dark Beer Competition - Class 3 for Dark Beer 4.8per cent -5.7per cent ABV
• Hooky Dark won bronze in the International Cask Ale Competition - Class 1 for Cask Ale 2.9 per cent - 3.8per cent ABV

The Brewing Awards are structured into nine categories, for different styles of beer – such as lager, strong ale, speciality beer – and then into 32 classes based on strength. The Brewing Awards are the only major international awards to have a cask beer category.

THE BREWING AWARDS – FACTS + FIGURES

• More than 800 beers entered the competition, from over 30 countries around the world including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Cambodia, Israel, Namibia, Norway and the USA, as well as the UK.

• The competition is held every two years.

• The Brewing Awards are the oldest international beer competition, first held in 1886. They were held originally in London, but moved to Burton Town Hall in the mid-1980s.

• Judges at the competition are some of the most highly respected brewers in the world. Uniquely, judges at this event are required to be currently working as brewers, ensuring that beers are assessed by experts with up to date industry knowledge.

• Setting up the casks, kegs and bottles to be tasted took three days. Over the course of this competition, over 3,000 glasses of beer were poured for tasting and almost 200 casks of ale tapped and sampled.

• The Brewing Awards are structured into nine categories, for different styles of beer – such as lager, strong ale, speciality beer – and then into 32 classes based on strength. The Brewing Awards are the only major international awards to have a cask beer category.

• All beers were tasted blind: judges were banned from entering the beer storage area so had no knowledge of which beers were competing until the winners were revealed.

• Gold, silver and bronze medal winners in each class will be announced immediately after the competition, while category winners – selected from the gold winners for each class – will be revealed at a separate Awards ceremony on 12 April 2011 in London.
  

Source: Hook Norton Brewery