Yorkshire beer named champion of Britain

Boltmaker, brewed by Timothy Taylor, took the prestigious supreme champion title at the Great British Beer Festival in London yesterday afternoon, beating a host of other finalists from across to Britain in seven different beer categories.

Real ale enthusiast and Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, whose own brew was available at the festival, presented the champion beer award to Timothy Taylor’s sales director Grant Simpson and its managing director Charles Dent.

The award, devised by the Campaign for Real Ale, is the culmination of more than a year of local tasting panels and regional heats.

Nik Antona, CAMRA’s champion beer of Britain director, said of Boltmaker: “This full flavoured bitter is a modern classic that is as impressive today as the day it was first brewed.”

Timothy Taylor’s head brewer Peter Eells said: “I’m speechless. We work very hard to produce great beers and we really believe this is the best beer we can brew – so to have it acknowledged in such an important competition is absolutely fantastic.”

Managing director Mr Dent added: “We’re absolutely delighted. It’s our favourite, it’s the brewers favourite, it’s the beer that you drink if you’re drinking with us and it’s named after one of our favourites pubs – The Boltmakers.”

This year’s Silver award went to Oakham Citra, an American Pale Ale beer brewed in Peterborough and the Bronze award was handed to a bitter beer called Salopian, produced by Darwin’s Origin in Shrewsbury.