5 days ago
The best beer in Britain has been crowned for 2025
For some people, plain old lager just isn't enough. Luckily when it comes to beer, the options are endless. Is your favourite a chocolatey porter, a fruity IPA, or something more left-field, like a tzatziki sour?
The people at the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) have named the UK's best beer for 2025 in the annual Beer of Britain championships. The CAMRA competition is one of the stiffest, and most prestigious, ale contests in the world; 12 finalists were judged by a team of beer experts to be named gold, silver or bronze in the championships.
A dark ale brewed by Cornwall's Penzance Brewing Company was crowned as CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain 2025. Called 'Mild', the brew was lauded for its complex flavour with notes of coffee, chocolate and dried fruits.
This is what Christine Cryne, Champion Beer of Britain judging coordinator, said about Mild: 'The aroma of this classic dark mild has all the enticing aromas one would expect. Chocolate and sweet cocoa on the nose. Chocolate, sultanas and dry roast on the palate where the gentle pleasant sweetness is balanced by a roasty, subtle, dry bitterness. Packs a lot of flavour for a 3.6 percent beer.'
Lewis Elliott and Richard Hickman of Penzance brewery said: 'It's quite overwhelming. I'm really glad the style has come back. It's down to the founder of our brewery Peter Elvin and his nephew Rob, who showed me the ropes.'
Silver went to 'Snowflake', a barley wine brewed by Dudley-based brewery Sarah Hughes, while bronze was clinched by pale ale 'Fallen Angel', brewed in Nuneaton by Church End.
Another Cornish beer took gold for the best bottled beer in the UK. St Austell Brewery's Proper Job, a golden IPA, was named number one for its 'strong fruity nose and a perfect balance of biscuit, citrus fruits and bitter hops'.
Meanwhile, a nitro porter brewed by London craft brewer Anspach & Hobday was recently named Britain's best in the Top 50 UK Beer Awards.
