Golden Pints 2014

Matt | 31 Dec 2014

Since Andy Mogg launched the inaugural Golden Pints Awards in 2009, beer geeks all over the country have been handing out gongs at the turn of the year, celebrating their favourite beers and brewers over the previous 12 months. Here are ours for 2014…

 

Best UK Cask Beer

Matt - Hawkshead, Windermere Pale.

Gordon - Rev James by Brains or Bathams Best Bitter or Jaipur or...

 

Best UK Keg Beer

Matt - Burning Sky, Aurora

Gordon - Cannonball by Magic Rock

 

Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer

Matt - Runaway, American Brown Ale

Gordon - Pale Fire by Pressure Drop

 

Best Overseas Draught Beer

Matt - Lagunitas IPA. A dull choice maybe, but who would have thought 5 years ago that a beer this good would be available (at a decent price) in Spoons?

Gordon - Mosaic in Blocks by Ghost Brewing

 

Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer

Matt - Orval. Again. My desert island beer.

Gordon - Mikkeller Orange Yuzu Glad I Said Porter. The one aged in Grand Marnier barrels.

 

Best Collaboration Brew

Matt - Hawkshead and Lervig Green Juniper and Hemp DIPA - brewed as part of the wonderful Rainbow project.

Gordon - can’t decide.

 

Best Overall Beer

Matt - Hawkshead and Lervig Green Juniper and Hemp DIPA. Two great breweries. Wonderful collaboration project. Incredible beer.

Gordon - Tiger Baby by Mikkeller

 

Best Branding, Pumpclip or Label

Matt - Wiper & True, Bristol. The beer (more importantly) is awesome too.

Gordon - Magic Rock closely followed by Beavertown then Wiper + True.

 

Best UK Brewery

Matt - Beavertown nailed it this year.

Gordon - Wiper + True

 

Best Overseas Brewery

Matt - Naparbier OR Lervig

Gordon - New Belgium

 

Best New Brewery Opening 2014

Matt - Runaway Brewery (Manchester)

Gordon - What Matt said.

 

Pub/Bar of the Year

Matt - Pure Bar + Kitchen, Birmingham.

Gordon - Euston Tap, a godsend for those who have missed their train. But the Draft House on Goodge street is a close second. Locally, the Firelfly in the Woo gets my vote.

 

Best New Pub/Bar Opening 2014

Matt - Northern Monk Refectory, Leeds

Gordon - I don’t think I’ve knowingly been to a new bar this year!

 

Beer Festival of the Year

Matt - Charlbury Beer Festival. Not as fashionable as a new wave of craft beer festivals, but an old school event with a sprinkling of stunning, modern beers.

Gordon - Birmingham Beer Bash

 

Supermarket of the Year

Matt - Does Majestic count? If not, Waitrose, although there aren’t many reasons to buy beer from the supermarket nowadays.

Gordon - Booths

 

Independent Retailer of the Year

Matt - Stirchley Wines. Our brilliant, local bottle shop.

Gordon - What Matt said

 

Online Retailer of the Year

Matt - BeerBods

Gordon - Flatspot… Err BeerBods of course!

 

Best Beer Book or Magazine

Matt - Brew Britannia by Boak and Bailey.

Gordon - Barley and Hops by Sylvia Kopp, Sven Ehmann, Robert Klanten. Published by Gestalten. I really like what Mark Dredge has done too.

 

Best Beer Blog or Website

Matt - Chris Hall in the UK. Michael Kiser in the States.

Gordon - Chris Hall.

 

Best Beer App

Matt - Craft Beer London. Always useful on my trips to the big smoke.

Gordon - Sorry, no.

 

Simon Johnson Award for Best Beer Twitterer

Matt - Matt Curtis. Insightful and amusing in equal measure

Gordon - What Matt said. Irreverent.

 

Best Brewery Website/Social media

Matt - Brewdog always at the forefront. New website (as part of new branding) is swish.

Gordon - Twitter? Thornbridge. Website? FourPure. Instagram? Mikkeller.

 

Food and Beer Pairing of the Year

Matt - Beavertown Black Betty and Spaghetti Arrabiata.

Gordon -  Fourpure Session IPA with BBQ pulled pork or the Harbour Porter with a chocolate and seasalt brownie.