Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C., London’s last remaining traditional family brewer, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a record eight medals at this year’s International Beer Challenge (IBC) competition, more than any other UK brewer.
The haul includes a gold medal for Golden Pride, and medals for Discovery, ESB, London Porter, Gales HSB, London Pride, 1845 and Organic Honey Dew.
The IBC is judged by more than 30 industry experts, who blind taste 300 beers before awarding gold, silver and bronze medals.
John Roberts, managing director of The Fuller’s Beer Company, said; “The IBC is the world’s largest packaged beer competition and I’m delighted that so many of our terrific bottled ales have been recognised in this way.
“2009 has been a great year so far for us, and we are extremely proud to have such a fine range of award winning brands – and for eight of them to win an award in this important competition is proof as to how good our range really is. This is an outstanding achievement that no other brewer comes close to. Not only that, but the brands are performing very well in the market place – particularly London Pride, while Organic Honey Dew has grown dramatically and is not only the UK’s best selling organic beer, but also joins London Pride as one of the top 20 premium bottled ales in the UK.
“In addition, ESB, Discovery, Gales HSB and London Porter are all performing well, and our latest release, Seafarers Ale, is selling exceptionally well following its introduction recently. I’m sure the forthcoming limited edition ‘fine ales’ – our 2009 Vintage Ale and our next Brewer’s Reserve – will add further icing on the cake and ensure our range continues to go from strength to strength.
“In addition to the success of our bottled range, Fuller’s cask beers are also recording significant growth. I firmly believe that we have by far the strongest ale portfolio in our industry, with a very broad range of extremely interesting beers and styles. With the market in good growth, I think that this is a very exciting time for our industry and to be a brewer of such great ales.”
The gold medal winners, including Golden Pride, were subjected to a second round of tasting to determine the seven category winners and the overall champion, which will be revealed at an awards event on October 14.