Loch Lomond sweeps board at SIBA awards
LOCH Lomond Brewery swept the board at the recent SIBA Scotland Independent Beer Awards after being named overall champion in the cask and packaged competitions – the first time a brewer has taken both titles in the competition’s history.
Loch Lomond Brewery’s Outlander won the Overall Champion of the Cask competition after taking gold in the Cask Premium Strong Beers category; the Alexandria-based brewery’s Silkie Stout was named Champion in the Small Pack Beers (bottles and cans) category after topping the Small Pack Porters, Stouts, Old Ales, Strong Milds and Strong Brown Ales section.
Family-owned Loch Lomond Brewery, which was established in 2011, took a further three gold medals at the awards: Out of Range topped the Cask Speciality Light Beers category, Southern Summit won gold in the Small Pack Standard Bitters & Pale Ales section; and Bravehop Amber topped the Small Pack Strong Bitters & Pale Ales section.
Loch Lomond Brewery MD Fiona MacEachern said the awards “mean the absolute world to us”.
“This rewards everything we do and we couldn’t be more proud to win – not only with one of our long-running beers, Silkie Stout, but also a brand-new one too with Outlander,” she said.
Other breweries which won individual categories include Strathaven Ales, which took three gold medals – Old Mortality in Cask Best Bitters & Pale Ales, Claverhouse in Small Pack Premium Bitters & Pale Ales, and Duchess Anne in Small Pack Speciality Light Beers; Windswept Brewing Co, which took golds in the Cask Porters, Stouts, Old Ales, Strong Milds & Strong Brown Ales category with its Wolf beer, and the Small Pack Speciality Mid to Dark Beers section with Bear; Jaw Brew, which topped the Cask Standard Mild Ales & Brown Ales section with Fathom; Fyne Ales, whose Jarl beer won the Cask Standard Bitters & Pale Ales category; Swannay Brewery, whose Pale Ale came out on top in the Premium Bitters & Pale Ales section; Cairngorm Brewery, which topped the Cask Strong Bitters & Pale Ales category with Wildcat; Orkney Brewery, which won the Cask Speciality Mid to Dark Beers with its Dark Island Reserve; Inner Bay Brewery, whose Jasper beer topped the Small Pack Standard Mild Ales & Brown Ales section; Knops Brewing Company, which took gold in the Small Pack Premium Strong Beers category with Black Cork; Stewart Brewing, whose Franz beer topped the Small Pack Standard Lager & Pilsners category; and Harviestoun, which won the Small Pack Premium Lager & Pilsners section with Schiehallion.
SIBA competitions committee chair Guy Sheppard said: “Scottish beer continues to go from strength to strength and these awards really were a representation of the very best independent craft beers the country has to offer – the standard was especially high.”
