Golden Pints 2012

 

 

Andy Mogg and Mark Dredge set the challenge every year to narrow down the best things we have done and drank over the course of the year and here is mine.
 

 

Best UK Draught Beer: 1- Cask- Magic Rock High Wire- Keg was Buxton Brewery Axe Edge for its pure drinkablility.

Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer: The beer I kept going back to this year was Imperial Black from Buxton.  

Best Overseas Draught Beer: Cask Torpedo was pretty special.  

Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer: Ten Fidy from Oscar Blues

Best Overall Beer: Toss up between Double SCANNS by Kernel, Axe Edge by Buxton or NZPA by Hawkshead. 

Best Pumpclip or Label: Redemption Trinity got my attention just because of the sheer utter brilliance of that beer being 3.0 abv.

Best UK Brewery: Impossible choice from Magic Rock to Kernel to Redchurch to Beavertown the list can go on and on and on.

Best Overseas Brewery: Seirra Nevada impressed me with the Beer Camp stuff they put out this year and their Foundation French Saison was very very impressive.

Pub/Bar of the Year: I'm a bit biased but Friends of Ham has even surprised me in terms of the buzz worthy factor in the beer community so just because I'm going to choose it. Honourable Mention goes to North Bar and Port Street Beer House.

My dishonourable mention in this category goes to Mr. Foleys Cask Ale House never has a bar fell so far so fast in terms of the quality of beer that was put on.

Beer Festival of the Year: I only went to one this year and it was the Leeds International Beer Festival and I have to say it was a pretty good effort at a first attempt, next year will be bigger and better.

Supermarket of the Year: I'm going to go with no of them as they don't carry anything that really interest me but if i have to pick one Lidl amazes me with its selection sometimes. cant go wrong with £1.50 for a decent pilsner like DAB.

Independent Retailer of the Year: The only shop I use is BeerRitz so by default they win, and the fact that everyone there shows huge knowledge of what they are selling.

Online Retailer of the Year: Ive enjoyed Beers of Europe range but I sadly don't buy beer online.

Best Beer Book or Magazine: No time to read this year.

Best Beer Blog or Website: Always enjoy reading Ghostmailer and Leigh Good Stuff website.

Best Beer Twitterer: Broadford Brewer gets my vote a promising home brewer with bigger aspirations. 

Best Online Brewery Presence: Magic Rock gets my vote pretty ballsy putting a camera in the brewery.

Food and Beer Pairing of the Year: Mary's Maple Porter and 14 hour slow cooked pork shoulder.

In 2013 I’d most like to... Brew with Broadford Brewery get more collabs on the bar at Friends of Ham and do some videos with Hopzine.

This year we saw some pretty special collaborations from some pretty special breweries.
Buxton and Kernel
Marble and Quantum
Magic Rock and Brodies
Kernel and Brodies
Magic Rock and Dark Star
Thornbridge and Odell
Roosters and Odell
Broadford and Roosters
I know I'm missing out on some but its damn good to see and hopefully its something breweries enjoy doing and we can see this happening more often.