Wednesday 11 December 2013

The 'Golden Pint' Awards 2013


Here we are again, the end of another year! Beer blogging has really had to take a back seat this year but I still manage to squeeze the odd half in here and there so hopefully I've had enough to put together some worthy candidates. Usual credit to Andy and Mark.
  1. Best UK Cask Beer: Dark Star Green Hopped IPA.
  2. Best UK Keg Beer: Summer Wine Teleporter was particularly good.
  3. Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer: Wild Beer Co. Ninkasi. Stunning stuff, must get myself some more and do a proper write-up.
  4. Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer: Sierra Nevada 'Northern Hemisphere Harvest' 2012.
  5. Best collaboration brew: I think the only one I've had was Thornbridge/Mountain Goat 'Thorny Goat' which, since it was excellent, I'm sure is a worthy winner!
  6. Best Overall Beer: Has to be the Ninkasi.
  7. Best Branding, Pumpclip or Label: Black Iris pumpclips, still some great work going into those.
  8. Best UK Brewery: Wild Beer Co.
  9. Best Overseas Brewery: De Molen.
  10. Best New Brewery Opening 2013: Not sure I've even had anything from a brewery that's only opened this year!
  11. Pub/Bar of the Year: Pivni in York.
  12. Best New Pub/Bar Opening 2013: See point 10!
  13. Best city for beer in the UK: York
  14. Beer Festival of the Year: Failed to get to any unless you count an inaugural 'craft beer' shindig at the Kean's Head, which was home to some excellent beer!
  15. Supermarket of the Year: I'm yet to be convinced this isn't a complete oxymoron.
  16. Independent Retailer of the Year: Trembling Madness, York.
  17. Online Retailer of the Year: Not used many but I think Beer Ritz wins again. Good beer, good service, what more can you ask for?
  18. Best Beer Book or Magazine: Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont's Pocket Beer Book 2014 has been quite a good read.
  19. Best Beer Blog or Website: Toss up between Steve and B&B for different reasons, but Beers I've Known I think. 
  20. Best Beer App: Untappd, again if only because I don't use any others, but I think it's a good bit of fun.
  21. Simon Johnson Award for Best Beer Twitterer: Wow, hard merkin to fill, I've only ever given this to Simon. Might have to plead too little time spent on Twitter.
  22. Best Brewery Website/Social media: I like Harviestoun's shiny new site, and at the risk of being considered open to (more) bribery, it was nice to be quoted on there!
Cheers, all the best beverages for 2014. My resolution is to get more beer up on the blog. (Don't expect the whisky not to keep coming though!)