Green Jack brews champion winter beer

January 19, 2007: Green Jack Brewery’s Ripper has been named Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2007 by a panel of judges at CAMRA's National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester.

The 8.5% ABV barley wine was described as “a light coloured beer brewed as a homage to Belgian trappist ales, with sweet notes and a strong hoppy flavour".

Congratulating Green Jack on its victory, festival organiser Steve Prescott said: "It’s great to see a barley wine win the competition yet again. I sincerely hope people will be inspired to try this fantastic beer style on the back of Green Jack’s victory.”

Green Jack head brewer Tim Dunford said: “This is absolutely incredible. All my life it has been my ambition to win a national award for my beers and I can’t believe it has happened.”

The silver award went to Fuller’s London Porter and the bronze to Orkney Skullsplitter.

Category winners

Old ales and strong milds: gold, B&T Black Dragon Mild (Bedfordshire); silver Orkney Dark Island (Orkney); bronze, Rudgate Ruby Mild (Yorkshire).

Stouts and porters: gold, Fuller's London Porter (London); silver, Cairngorm Black Gold (Aviemore); bronze, St Peter's Old Style Porter (Suffolk);

Barley wines: gold, Orkney Skullsplitter (Orkney); silver, Green Jack Ripper (Lowestoft); bronze, Durham Benedictus (Durham).