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.