Elland 1872 Porter is champion winter beer

January 20, 2010: 1872 Porter, made at the Elland Brewery, in West Yorkshire, has today been crowned champion Winter Beer of Britain 2010 by a panel of judges at the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester.

The 6.5% ABV porter is described in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide as a "creamy, full-flavoured porter, with rich liquorice flavours, with a hint of chocolate from roast malt, and a soft but satisfying aftertaste of bittersweet roast and malt".

Graham Donning, National Winter Ales Festival organiser, praised the beer for its quality, calling it "a timeless classic well worthy of this accolade. It has won many awards at CAMRA beer festivals in the past, and it’s great to see this small brewer achieving such success. A perfect winter warming remedy to the snowy weather in recent weeks!"

Winning was especially sweet for the brewer after finishing as overall runner-up in the 2009 competition. Dave Sanders, head brewer, said: "I was elated to hear of the brewery’s success.

"It's absolutely brilliant — we came second last year and I am thrilled to finish on top in 2010. We originally started brewing this beer at the West Yorkshire brewery, so there’s quite a history behind this Victorian recipe."

The silver medal went to Breconshire’s Ramblers Ruin, while the bronze winner was Acorn’s Gorlovka Imperial Stout.

A panel of beer writers, members of the licensed trade and CAMRA members judged the competition, which is sponsored by JD Wetherspoon, at the Sheridan Suite, Manchester.

Drinkers at the festival will now be able to sample the winning brews, as well as a formidable selection of more than 200 different beers, including a range of ciders and perries.

Elland’s 1872 Porter will now enter into the final of the Champion Beer of Britain competition at the Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, in August.