(apologies if this has been mentioned already, but it's not up on googlegroups yet!) Crouch Vale Brewers Gold (golden ale, S.Woodham Ferrers, Essex) has been voted CBoB, and deservedly so IMO.
Interestingly, the top 3 beers were all from E.Anglian micros - Grainstore's Rutland Panther (mild, Oakham, Rutland) got silver & Woodforde's Wherry (bitter, Woodbastwick, Norfolk) the bronze.
Other award-winners' details follow & text from CAMRA website;
The Great British Beer Festival, Tuesday 2nd - Saturday 6th August, London Olympia. Issued: Tuesday 2nd August 2005. For immediate use.
Brewers Gold, brewed by Crouch Vale of Essex, was today judged to be the best beer in Britain by a panel of brewers, beer writers and journalists.
The beer is described in the 2005 edition of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide as, "Striking grapefruit nose leads to a beer of generally citrus hoppy character, underpinned by a perfumed sweetness and an aftertaste of orange wine gums."
The Essex brewed beer, which was chosen as the overall winner from over fifty finalists in eight categories including beers from tiny micros to major regional brewers.
Roger Protz, one of the finalist judges and Editor of the Good Beer Guide said, "Congratulations to Crouch Vale. It is great to see a golden ale win this award. Golden ale is a rapidly growing style of beer and one that will appeal to younger drinkers and women as well as real ale aficionados. It's a wonderfully refreshing beer - the ideal antidote to lager!"
Olly Graham, General Manager of Crouch Vale said, "We have been in the final of the this competition for a few year's now but to have gone one step further this year and be voted the best beer in Britain makes me very proud. I would like to thank everybody at the brewery for all of their hard work. They have all played their part in making Brewer's Gold the best beer in the land."
The Silver award went to Rutland Panther from Grainstore (Rutland). Bronze went to Woodforde's Wherry from Norfolk.
CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St. Albans, AL1 4LW Tel: 01727 867201; Fax: 01727 867670; E-mail: snipped-for-privacy@camra.org.uk Internet
Great British Beer Festival 2005 London Olympia, 2nd - 6th August Champion Beer of Britain 2005
Champion Beer of Britain: Crouch Vale Brewers Gold
Second: Grainstore Rutland Panther
Third: Woodforde's Wherry
Mild Category Gold: Grainstore Rutland Panther (Rutland) Silver: Brains Dark (Cardiff) Bronze: Elgood's Black Dog (Cambridgeshire)
Bitter Category Gold: Woodforde's Wherry (Norfolk) Silver: Holdens Black Country Bitter (West Midlands) Joint Bronze: RCH PG Steam (Somerset) Belvoir Star (Leicestershire)
Best Bitter Category Gold: Harveys Sussex Bitter (East Sussex) Joint Silver: Mighty Oak Burntwood Bitter (Essex) Joint Bronze: Timothy Taylor Landlord (Yorkshire) Olde Swan Entire (West Midlands)
Golden Ales Category Gold: Crouch Vale Brewers Gold (Essex) Silver: Jarrow Rivet Catcher (Tyne and Wear) Bronze: Oakham JHB (Cambridgeshire)
Strong Ale Category Gold: Hanby Nutcracker (Shropshire) Silver: Bullmastiff Son of a Bitch (Cardiff) Bronze: Fuller's ESB (Fullers)
Speciality Category Gold: Cairngorm Tradewinds (Inverness-shire) Silver: Young's Waggledance (London) Joint Bronze: Daleside Morrocco (North Yorkshire) Ridleys Rumpus (Essex)
Real Ale in a Bottle category Gold: Durham Evensong (Durham) Silver: Young's Special London Ale (London) Bronze: Titanic Stout (Staffordshire)