A speciality beer has won CAMRA’s Supreme Champion Beer of Britain for the first time.

Bingham’s Vanilla Stout, brewed in Berkshire, was named the best beer of 2016 at the Champion Beer of Britain Awards Dinner held on Tuesday evening (9 August) at the Hilton Hotel, Olympia, London.

The award comes after almost a year of local tasting panels and regional heats seeing the best beers across the UK invited to compete at the Great British Beer Festival.

Final judging  for the competition was held at the huge beer festival which opened its doors to the public on August 9 and over the next week will see more than 50,000 people visiting Olympia in London to sample their choice of more than 900 beers, cider and perries – including the chance to try the nation’s best beer.

Bingham’s Vanilla Stout is a 5 per cent Dark Stout infused with vanilla and dark malts to create a smooth and dark beer.

The Kent-based Old Dairy brewery’s Snow Top claimed the silver award in the Champion Beer of Britain competition. The 6 per cent ABV Old Ale has already taken a gold award at CAMRA’s National Winter Ale’s Festival and is described by the brewery as the “perfect winter warmer” with fruitcake and marmalade flavours.

Placing third in the competition was Tring brewery’s Death or Glory, a 7.2 per cent Barley Wine, brewed by appointment to the Queen’s Royal Lancers. The beer is described by the Hertfordshire brewery as being a rich and sweet barley wine with a complex nature.

CAMRA national director responsible for the Champion Beer of Britain Competition Nik Antona said: “This year all the judges commented on how high quality all the beers were in the final stages of the competition and what a wide range of styles and beers they had to try and choose between.

“Bingham’s Vanilla Stout is packed full of comforting flavours and I’m sure it will be a popular Champion Beer Choice. It’s great to see a speciality beer win the award for the first time in the history of the competition and our congratulations go to the brewery.”

OVERALL WINNERS

 

CATEGORY – MILD

 

CATEGORY – BITTER

 

CATEGORY – BEST BITTER

 

CATEGORY – STRONG BITTER

 

CATEGORY- GOLDEN ALES

 

CATEGORY – SPECIALITY

 

All of these beers are available at the Great British Beer Festival throughout this week.