No Moonshine… Abbeydale does double as top Yorkshire beer!
By: JimOldfield
March 6th, 2012
Abbeydale brewery has taken the title of best beer in Yorkshire, for the second year running, at the Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival.
Last year, its Absolution ale snatched top spot – and last night Sheffield’s top-notch brewers showed it was no flash in the mash tub as its golden ale, Moonshine, romped home to beat more than 80 brews vying for the coveted title at the huge South Yorkshire beer event.
The 4.3 per cent ale topped its category – one of seven, tasted blind, by some 30 ale experts in seven separate groups.
It then went on to take the overall festival title, in a grand final judged by a “super-panel” that included Rotherham Mayor, Coun Shaun Wright.
Runner-up was Timothy Taylor’s Ram Tam, and Golcar Brewery’s Dark Mild made it a second and third for West Yorkshire as the Huddersfield brewers took bronze.
To make Abbeydale’s evening complete, Abbeydale brewer Dan Baxter (pictured) was at the judging, to see his team do the double.
He told Hand-Pumped: “I’m gob-smacked. I was invited to come along to the judging but I never expected this. We have a good track record with Rotherham CAMRA and the festival – which we have fully supported for years – but this is absolutely brilliant”.
The festival proper – a major draw for real ale lovers across the whole country – opens today and the bar set-up in the Magna venue has been revamped to make it even easier to access the ales… as organisers stand by for an attendance of some 12,000 beer buffs over the next four days.
Opening times are 6-11pm tonight until Friday and noon-11pm on Saturday. More details of ticket prices, beers and music can be found on the website, below.
Hand-pumped links
www.magnarealale.co.uk
www.abbeydalebrewery.co.uk
www.timothytaylor.co.uk
www.golcarbrewery.co.uk
