Black Country beer is the toast of Britain - here's why

Snowflake, by the Sarah Hughes brewery in Sedgley, retained its gold medal in the barley wines and strong ales category in the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Champion Champion Winter Beer of Britain.

The beer, which is eight per cent in strength, also took silver in the overall best beer category, being pipped to the post this time by Cairngorm brewery's Black Gold. Last year, Snowflake took the overall title as well.

Fixed Wheel brewery also took silver with Blackheath Stout in the strong stouts and porters section, having won gold in previous  competitions.

The winners were announced at the Great British Beer Festival Winter in Rotherham..

Following more than a year of local blind-tasting panels and regional heats, the final round of judging took place at the festival, with judges awarding the gold medal to Snowflake, beating Abbeydale’s Black Mass which took silver, and Exmoor’s Beast, which took bronze.

Judges described as: “A stunning golden brown barley wine with a strong fruity nose of orange and honey. These favours are on a smooth palette with a growing spicy bitterness. Rich and satisfying.”

Camra awards director Gary Timmins said: “Massive congratulations to Sarah Hughes for their fantastic win plus all the amazing category winners in this year’s competition.

"Snowflake is a cracking pint, and even in such an incredibly competitive shortlist, it is a worthy winner.

“Every year our judges find it harder and harder to pick a winner, which speaks volumes of the brewing talent in the UK."

But Mr Timmins said that  despite their evident quality, independent brewers struggled to find a place at the bar of Britain's locals. 

"Soulless global conglomerates have a greedy stranglehold on the industry, restricting true customer choice and our independent brewers’ access to market," he said.

“Everyone should get out to their pub, social club or taproom and look out for one of your local brews – it might be one of our award-winning beers!”

 The category winners from the Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition will be entered into the overall Champion Beer of Britain competition later this year.  

The brewery is at the back of the Beacon Hotel in Bilston Street and Snowflake, has been produced there as a seasonal Christmas ale since 1999.

The winners list in full is:

Overall Champion Winter Beer of Britain: Gold - Cairngorm brewery, Black Gold; Silver - Sarah Hughes, Snowflake; Bronze - Grain, Slate;

Brown Ales, Red Ales, Old Ales and Strong Milds: Gold - Tintagel, Caliburn; Silver -Orkney, Dark Island; Bronze - Merlin, Dark Magic; 

Session Stouts and Porters: Gold - Cairngorm, Black Gold; Silver - Blackjack, Manchester Stout; Bronze - Dancing Duck, Dark Drake; 

Strong Stouts and Porters: Gold - Grain, Slate; Silver - Fixed Wheel, Blackheath Stout; Bronze - Acorn, Gorlovka Imperial Stout;

Barley Wines and Strong Ales: Gold - Sarah Hughes, Snowflake; Silver - Abbeydale, Black Mass; Bronze - Exmoor, Beast; 

Speciality, Differently Produced: Gold - Allendale, Adder Lager; Silver - Anspach & Hobday, Smoked Brown; Bronze - Cromarty, Red Rocker; 

Speciality, Differently Flavoured: Gold - Siren, Broken Dream Breakfast Stout; Silver - Mr Winter’s, Vanilla Latte; Bronze - Purple Moose, Cwrw Ysgawen/Elderflower Ale.