2012 News

Two Anglia Ruskin University students are swapping the lecture hall for a brewery as they aim to win a prestigious international business competition.

Paula Albinana (BA Business Management) and Alena Linhartova (BA International Business Strategy) have won through to the final of the AB Inbev Best Beer Competition in Belgium on April 3.

The competition is to design a concept and brand for a new beer, but Paula and Alena plan to steal a march on their rivals by arriving at AB Inbev’s headquarters in Leuven with a barrel of CB, their new beer.

CB is a low ABV ale (2.8%) with hints of peach and passion fruit designed specifically to attract young female drinkers to the ale category. However, the subtle fruit flavour is achieved by combining specific hops, rather than any additional flavouring.

Tim Froggett, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Anglia Ruskin, said: "I’m delighted with what Alena and Paula have achieved because they have taken this from a theoretical competition to an actual product, which is being brewed and then sold in Cambridge pubs. It’s a great concept and it’s lovely that there’s the link to Cambridge through the name and the logo".

Yes our Production Director John and his mate and owner Newby Wyke brewery Rob have been at it again! Their annual collaboration for 2012 is a ‘genuine cloudy wheat beer’ at 5.2% abv. The two brewers have previously produced a wheat beer but have never attempted a cloudy one so thought why not give it a go. The beer is named after debris which can be found floating in water, but do not let this put you off! If you are a fan of wheat beer, or fancy trying something a little different than our usual mouthful of hoppiness, then give it a try! This beer has limited availability so if you spot it, get in quick!

Pictured: (left) category sponsor, (middle) Paul Hook, Partner Oakham Ales, (right) Adrian Posnett, managing director Oakham Ales.

Oakham Ales took top honours winning Supreme Champion with its Green Devil IPA 6.0% cask ale at a national beer award competition organised by SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers), announced last week in Stratford-upon-Avon.  Golden in colour, it has a harvest hop aroma with tropical fruit flavours bursting through.

Green Devil IPA won the Gold Award in the Premium Strong Beers category before going on to take the Supreme Champion title.  Adrian Posnett, Managing Director of Oakham Ales, said, “We’re delighted to have won this very prestigious Award, especially for Green Devil IPA, which we only started brewing 12 months ago. Awards like this help to cement our reputation and raise our profile with retailers and drinkers; they are a testament to the talent and hard work of our brewing team.”

Taking a Gold award at the National Beer Competition brings more than just prestige. The seven cask beer winners are now guaranteed a place on the SIBA Champions Bar at the Great British Beer Festival this summer.

SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock, said:  “With standards rising every year, it becomes ever more challenging to select the best beers from a very strong field. Winning an award at a regional competition is an achievement to be proud of and to take one at the national competition an even greater one... winning an award offers the successful brewers the promise of much-increased awareness among beer enthusiasts, and new listings in the growing number of beer-oriented pubs, bars and off-trade outlets.”

For the first time this year, Punch Taverns - a pub company with a portfolio of around 5,000 pubs nationwide - is offering to showcase the Overall Gold, Silver and Bronze cask competition winners through its Finest Cask guest ale scheme, which is made available to 1,000 of its pubs. Crucially, the listing will run during May and June, taking in the busy Euro 2012 and Diamond Jubilee trading periods.