The 3Brewers of St Albans Special English Ale has been awarded best Strong Bitter in the East Anglia Champion Beer of Britain with Leighton Buzzard Restoration Ale and Milton Cyclops coming close runners up.
Eight nominated strong bitters were judged in blind tastings at the Cambridge Beer Festival last May – one of 10 category competitions held at East Anglia beer festivals across the 2016 calendar year. Special English Ale was nominated by the CAMRA members’ nomination vote the previous September/October, as were most of the beers judged, with some others nominated by East Anglia’s tasting panels.
Champion Beer of Britain Coordinator Paul Moorhouse commented “I am delighted that 3 Brewers won a gold award on their first nomination in the Champion Beer of East Anglia competition. All CAMRA members in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire were able to nominate real ales brewed in the two counties, which resulted in a number of new local small brewers like 3 Brewers winning places at the judging tables.”
Mark Fanner from The 3Brewers of St Albans said “We feel highly honoured to have our Special English Ale win such a prestigious award. We go to great lengths to ensure the quality and consistency of our beers, and this award shows that our efforts are appreciated by the most discerning real ale drinkers. We’re proud to be flying the flag for tremendous locally brewed beers.”
Special English Ale is permanently available in mini kegs direct from the brewery. The brewery is open Monday to Friday 8am – 4pm.
A full list of results across all categories:
| Category | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Champion Beer of East Anglia | Adnams Old Ale | Cambridge Brew House Night Porter | Oakham Citra |
| Milds | Winter’s Mild | Greene King XX Mild | Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde |
| Bitters | Adnams Southwold Bitter | Bishop Nick Ridley’s Rite | Grain Oak |
| Best Bitters | Brentwood Best | Milton Sparta | Wells Youngs Special |
| Strong Bitters | 3 Brewers of St Albans Special English Ale | Leighton Buzzard Restoration Ale | Milton Cyclops |
| Golden Ales | Oakham Citra | Grain 3.1.6 | Oakham Bishops Farewell |
| Speciality Beers | Moonshine Chocolate Orange Stout | Green Jack Red Herring | Grain Blonde Ash Wheat Beer |
| Old Ales/Stong Milds | Adnams Old Ale | Wolf Woild Moild | Woodforde’s Norfolk Nog |
| Porters | Cambridge Brew House Night Porter | Grain Slate | Earl Soham Sir Roger’s Porter |
| Stouts | Milton Marcus Aurelius | Old Chimneys Black Rat Stout | Maldon Hotel Porter |
| Barley Wines/Strong Old Ales | Green Jack Ripper Tripel | Red Fox Ruby Red Mild | Humpty Dumpty Christmas Crack |
