Stroud Brewery is celebrating after its beer won eleven awards at the Midlands & West regional heat of the UK’s biggest independent brewing competition, with two beers now through to the national finals.
Stroud Brewery picked up two Overall Champion titles and nine further awards at the Midlands & West heats organised by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA). These achievements mean the brewery’s beer has won 20 awards in the past year alone. The Overall Champion titles – the highest accolade in each category – go to the brewery’s OPA (Organic Pale Ale) and Easy Peasy, its 2.6% ABV pale ale. Both now go forward to the SIBA national final next March.
SIBA is the trade association acting as the voice for independent breweries around the UK. Its annual awards are the largest and most prestigious for this sector, with regional heats feeding into a national final.
Founder and MD Greg Pilley said: “Twenty awards in a year tells its own story but for us, the real significance goes beyond a trophy cabinet. We’re delighted that our beer has won in a competition that doesn’t take sustainability into account, only taste. OPA was competing in a big field of 155 beers entered by over 50 breweries, so we feel being crowned Overall Champion was a significant achievement.”
“This shows that our consumers don’t have to make a choice between ethics or enjoyment, they can have both. That’s not just good news for us, it’s proof that ‘for-the-planet beer’ belongs in every pub in the UK.”
What makes the achievement particularly notable is how Stroud Brewery makes its beer. It was the first brewery in the UK to hold both organic certification from the Soil Association – held since 2008 – and B Corporation status, an internationally recognised accreditation awarded to businesses meeting the highest standards of environmental and social performance.
Greg added: “Stroud people have always believed in what we’re doing and winning so many awards feels like a huge ‘thank you’ to every person who’s ever supported us – either by drinking a glass of our beer or helping us to keep going during the pandemic.”
