The winners of the inaugural Brewers Choice Awards, presented by The Brewers Journal, were announced at a ceremony in London last night. 

Northern Monk, Bohem Brewery, Alice Batham and John Hatch took home the accolades at the first Brewers Choice Awards yesterday (28th November).

The Awards, which took place after a sold-out Brewers Congress, recognised some of the finest talent the brewing industry has to offer.

The first award of the evening ‘Young Brewer of The Year’, presented by SSV Limited’s Ventakesh Iyer, went to Alice Batham, formerly of Brewster’s and now of Thornbridge Brewery.

In a category that also featured Brick Brewery’s Pete Vick, Donzoko Brewing founder Reece Hugill and Ben Addison, formerly of Purity Brewing, Batham was recognised for her enthusiasm and drive, as well as her ability to make a mark in this challenging industry.

London’s Bohem Brewery, Yorkshire’s Salt Beer Factory and Hartlepool-based Donzoko Brewing contested the ‘New Brewery of The Year’ category.

Picking up the award, presented by Rankin’s Jim Rankin, was Bohem Brewery, an outfit judges applauded for its successful collaborations, the quality of the team’s output and commitment to producing beers authentic to style.

Later in the evening, a wealth of breweries fought it out for the accolade of ‘Beer of The Year’.

The shortlisted beers were Preferred Pronouns by Brick Brewery, Pintle by Burnt Mill, Northern Helles by Donzoko Brewing, Jarl by Fyne Ales, Kapow! by Hackney Brewery, Lager by Hackney Brewery, Keller Pils by Lost and Grounded Brewers, Petite Belgique by McColl’s Brewery, Dubbel by McColl’s Brewery, Transmission by North Brewing and Faith by Northern Monk.

Another hotly-contested award, presented by Helen Duffy from drinks management software provider and award sponsor Drink It by Norriq, went to Leeds-based Northern Monk and their excellent Pale Ale, Faith.

The outfits contesting the debut ‘Brewery of the Year’ category are collectively responsible for producing excellent beer, providing employment in their communities, industry collaboration and for driving the industry forward.

Falmouth’s Verdant, Leeds North Brewing, London-based Five Points, and Northern Monk, also of Leeds had these qualities in spades and could all have been worthy winners.

Judges awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ to Five Points, presented to its co-founder and head brewer Greg Hobbs by Lallemand’s Andrew Paterson.

However the winner of the 2019 accolade went to Northern Monk, who picked up their second award of the night, collected by head brewer Brian Dickson and founder Russell Bisset.

The final award of the evening was designed to recognise lifetime achievement. It recognised a brewer that has played an integral role in the UK brewing industry and the brewery he brews in.

The Ram Brewery is no normal brewery. Instead, it’s a truly unique operation housed on the grounds of the old Young’s brewery. A passion project that came into being upon the news that Young’s was to shutter it’s London brewing business back in 2006, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement award has ensured that although the brewery would be leaving the site, brewing wouldn’t.

In doing so, it guaranteed that Wandsworth would maintain the proud mantle of being home to the longest uninterrupted period of continuous brewing in the UK. And for the winner of this, who celebrated his 30th anniversary on site last September, it’s just the latest evolution of his love affair with Young’s and the brewing industry as a whole.

There’s a head brewer at Wandsworth’s Ram Brewery. He’s also the assistant brewer, head cleaner, packaging operative and everything in-between. The winner of the Brewers Choice Lifetime Achievement Award went to John Hatch.

Tim Sheahan, editor of The Brewers Journal, said: “It was a real privilege to help recognise some of the incredible talent the UK brewing industry has to offer.

“Everyone shortlisted demonstrated a wealth of quality and picking a winner in each category was a predictably tough task.

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone that entered and supported the inaugural Brewers Choice Awards, and to the judging panel that included award-winning writer Melissa Cole, John Keeling the former head brewer of Fuller’s, Brewers Association craft beer ambassador for Europe Lotte Peplow, Caps and Taps co-owner Phill Palgrave-Elliott and Close Brothers’ Raymond Morissey.”