The beer list is now complete, the beers have all arrived and they await your arrival! There are some changes from the printed programme.
This year the Champion Beer of Cheshire (CBoC) was selected out of the beers nominated by the Cheshire breweries. They put forward some cracking beers. The 23 beers (marked with and orange flash below) were divided in to three preliminary panels of seven to eight beers. Each beer was blind tasted by a panel of 4-5 judges under the beady eye of the scrutineer (a brewer and landlord from outside of the region). They were judged and scored against their style specifications. After the panels completed their assessments, the two highest scoring beers from each panel went forward to the final.
The finalist panel consisted of four Cheshire publicans chaired by an experienced beer tester, again from outside of the region. Using the same process they tasted, judged and scored the six beers to arrive at the Champion of best in class winners. Numbers in () refer to the programme reference below.
GOLD: Chapter Brewing Co. – #3 Dead Man’s Fist (16)
SILVER: Beartown Brewery – Crème Bearlee (4)
BRONZE: Pied Bull – Taurus (54)
And in no particular order the other finalists were…
- Mobberely Brewhouse – Eylsium (48)
- Red Willow – Effortless (58)
- Merlin – Avalon (45)
Beer styles:
B – Bitter | BB – Best Bitter | SB – Strong Bitter | G – Golden | M – Mild | P – Porter | SP – Speciality Beer | ST – Stout | OA – Old Ale
References within a red border indicate the beer is different to that in the printed programme.
| 1 | 4T’s (Cheshire) | Big Daddy IPA | 7.2% |  |
| A Double IPA made with American hops and also dry hopped. Clean & crisp bittering with intense amounts of resinous, citrus and grapefruit aromas. Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 2 | 4T’s (Cheshire) | Stout | 5% |  |
| An English stout, very well balanced and smooth, 40 IBUs. Specialist malts give it the biscuit, chocolate and burnt notes at the start, then English hops break through giving a burst of flowery tones. A taste you won’t forget, great for all year round. Allergens: barley; wheat | ST | |||
| 3 | Barngates (Cumbria) | Red Bull Terrier | 4.8% |  |
| Ruby red premium beer, dry fruit & spice. Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 4 | Beartown (Cheshire) | Crème Bearlee | 4.8% | |
| A velvety stout with burnt cream, Madagascan vanilla and molasses. Allergens: barley; wheat | SP | |||
| 5 | Beartown (Cheshire) | Kodiak | 4% |  |
| Well balanced, straw coloured and very drinkable. With citrus fruit and hops aroma, leading to a sharp bitter, clean aftertaste Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 6 | Big Hand (Wrexham) | Pendragon | 3.9% |  |
| Smoooth malty red ale with satisfying bitterness in the finish. Allergens: barley | B | |||
| 7 | Big Hand (Wrexham) | T-Wrex | 4% | |
| Perfectly balanced golden ale showcasing Challenger and Styrian Golding hops. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 8 | Blue Ball (Cheshire) | Concrete Mango | 4.8% | |
| An unfined IPA hopped with Amarillo and Citra and a delicate touch of mango. Allergens: barley; wheat | SP | |||
| 9 | Bollington (Cheshire) | Eastern Nights | 5.6% | |
| Our latest IPA this is hugely rich in body and flavour with great sweetness but a typical well defined bitterness. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 10 | Bollington (Cheshire) | Oat Mill Stout | 5% | |
| An Oatmeal Stout with a twist. Hoppiness with a hint of bitterness keeps the sweetness in check and allows for a great dark stout. Allergens: barley; wheat; oats | ST | |||
| 11 | Brewhouse & Kitchen – Chester (Cheshire) | Deva Victrix | 5.5% | |
| A single hop IPA with Simcoe, pale, dry citrusy and easy drinking. Allergens: barley | SB | |||
| 12 | Brewhouse & Kitchen – Wilmslow (Cheshire) | Secret Genius | 4.2% | |
| An American Pale Ale, hoppy, grapefruit and resinous named after one-time local resident Alan Turing. Allergens: barley | BB | |||
| 13 | Brimstage (Wirral) | Sandpiper | 3.6% | |
| Brewed with the Citra hop, this session beer has sublime balance and is light and refreshing with tropical fruit notes. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 14 | Brimstage (Wirral) | Trapper’s Hat | 3.8% | |
| A refreshingly hoppy session beer. Gold coloured with a complex bouquet, it provides a mouthful of fruit zest, with hints of orange and grapefruit. Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 15 | Chapter (Cheshire) | 11. That Old Rope | 5.4% | |
| A chunky malt backbone supports the “C” hop boost, the classic West Coast bitterness and rose Turkish delight undertones. Unfiltered, unfined, and suitable for Vegans. Allergens: barley; wheat; Vegan | SB | |||
| 16 | Chapter (Cheshire) | 3. Dead Man’s Fist | 5.5% | |
| Subtly smoked porter using beech smoked malt mixes with freshly ground black pepper for a touch of fire. Unfiltered, unfined and suitable for Vegans. Allergens: barley; other: Black Pepper; Vegan | P | |||
| 17 | Coach House (Cheshire) | Clipaty Hop | 4.3% | |
| An English IPA, light in colour with a hoppy aroma and flavour but a well balanced malty finish. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 18 | Coach House (Cheshire) | Innkeeper’s Special Reserve | 4.5% | |
| A darkish, full-flavoured bitter. Quite fruity, with a strong, bitter aftertaste. Allergens: barley | BB | |||
| 19 | Conwy (Colwyn Bay) | Irish Red | 4.3% | |
| A cracking ruby ale fit for St Patrick’s day! Plenty of roasted malts and dry hopping make for a rich, pleasant pint. Allergens: barley; rye | BB | |||
| 20 | Conwy (Colwyn Bay) | Kodiak American Brown | 5% | |
| US style brown malty beer with a big hop finish. Allergens: barley | SP | |||
| 21 | Cullercoats (Tyne & Wear) | Shipping Forecast – Biscay | 4.1% | |
| Pale and cloudy, this refreshing farmhouse style brew is inspired by the beers from the Wallonia region of Belgium. Allergens: barley; wheat | SP | |||
| 22 | Cwrw Ial (Mold) | Whipa Snapper | 5.9% | |
| Beautiful fruity wheat IPA scented with hibiscus flowers. Allergens: barley; wheat | SP | |||
| 23 | Elland (West Yorkshire) | 1872 Porter | 6.5% | |
| Rich, complex and dark Porter from an original 1872 recipe, with an old port nose and coffee and bitter chocolate flavours on the palate. Allergens: barley; wheat | P | |||
| 24 | Epic (Conwy) | Marshmallow Porter | 4.5% | |
| Luxurious dark porter with marshmallow flavour. Allergens: barley; wheat; milk | SP | |||
| 25 | Epic (Conwy) | Pale | 4% | |
| Delicate grapefruit flavour with a crisp dry finish. Allergens: barley; wheat; milk | B | |||
| 26 | Farmageddon (Northern Ireland) | Wee Gold | 4.2% | |
| Golden ale with Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hops. Allergens: barley; wheat; oats | G | |||
| 27 | First Chop (Salford) | Sup (Gluten Free) | 3.9% | |
| Pale amber, IPA style with a lower ABV. but no holding back on the hops. Big tropical fruit notes with a spicy, resinous, smooth bitter finish. Allergens: Vegan | B | |||
| 28 | Ghost (West Yorkshire) | Phantom | 5.3% | |
| Hazy golden coloured beer with an intense, resinous, piney, hoppy aroma. The flavour has hints of pineapple and a touch of bitter orange peel. Allergens: barley | SB | |||
| 29 | Green Duck (West Midlands) | Starlight | 4.5% | |
| Two shining lights of the American Hop breeds, Citra and Simcoe combine in a powerhouse pale ale. A riot in your mouth of passion fruit, mango, lychee and pine. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 30 | Gun (East Suusex) | Parabellum Milk Stout | 4.1% | |
| Dark and delicious, a rich jet-black Milk Stout made with a combination of barley, oats, wheat and roasted chocolate malts. The result is a satisfying balance of coffee, vanilla and chocolate notes. Allergens: barley; wheat; oats; milk | SP | |||
| 31 | Hafod (Flintshire) | British 5 Hop | 4.5% | |
| An old school IPA recipe combinin five British hop varieties including Admiral to make a classic IPA with a mouthwatering bitter finish. Allergens: barley | BB | |||
| 32 | Half Moon (North Yorkshire) | Session IPA #7 | 4.3% | |
| Multi-hopped session IPA. Different hops are used in each version of the brew. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 33 | Happy Valley (Cheshire) | Black Magic | 4.6% | |
| Full bodied dark beer featuring roasted malts with of chocolate, coffee & dark fruit and a balanced bitter finish. Allergens: barley; wheat | ST | |||
| 34 | Happy Valley (Cheshire) | Hoppiness | 4.3% | |
| Find true hoppiness with this blond ale single hopped with Citra for big fruity hit of grapefruit and lime. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 35 | Hawkshead (Cumbria) | Windermere Pale | 3.5% | |
| A very pale refreshing ale bursting with hop flavour from the signature hop – Citra. Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 36 | Howling Hops (London) | Pale XX | 5.1% | |
| Punch US style pale ale with Citra, Chinook and Columbus hops Allergens: barley; Vegan | SB | |||
| 37 | Joules (Shropshire) | Pale | 4.1% | |
| Traditional pale ale rich in malt, fruit and biscuit character, complemented by a satisfying bitter finish. Allergens: barley | BB | |||
| 38 | Joules (Shropshire) | Pure Blond | 3.8% | |
| Light, refreshing and subtle, a perfectly balanced blond beer A careful blend of four malts, coupled with European and American hops, deliver an easy drinking ale with light malt character citrus aroma. Allergens: barley | G | |||
| 39 | Kent (Kent) | Prohibition | 4.8% | |
| Highly hopped with some of the latest US hop varieties, this citrusy pale ale is a celebration of America’s contribution to modern brewing. Allergens: barley | SB | |||
| 40 | Lymm (Cheshire) | Chirotherium | 5.5% | |
| A full bodied Old English Ale, smooth and dark, with a rich fruity finish Allergens: barley | OA | |||
| 41 | Lymm (Cheshire) | Lymm IPA | 4.8% | |
| Traditional hoppy pale ale with hints of tropical fruit. Brewed with modern English hops. Allergens: barley | SB | |||
| 42 | Mad Squirrel (Hertfordshire) | London Porter | 5% | |
| A dark and foreboding ale, London Porter is a brew of mystery and intrigue. Hidden within its shadowy depths are lurking notes of coffee, chocolate and smoke. Allergens: barley; wheat | P | |||
| 43 | Magic Dragon (Wrexham) | Eyton Gold | 4% | |
| Golden session beer brewed with Cascade and Golding hops to create a well-rounded golden easy drinking ale. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 44 | Magic Dragon (Wrexham) | Old Magic | 3.6% | |
| An enchanting classic dark ale, hopped with magic from the new world. Allergens: barley; wheat | M | |||
| 45 | Merlin (Cheshire) | Avalon | 4.1% | |
| A pale ale with grapefruit, lemon and spicy flavours from the NZ and Czech hops. Allergens: barley | G | |||
| 46 | Merlin (Cheshire) | The Wizard | 4.2% | |
| A tremendous ale, bursting with flavour and taste. Light amber in colour, it’s an enchanting beer with an unmistakable and delightful aroma that’s followed with flavours that leave you wanting more and more. Allergens: barley | BB | |||
| 47 | Mission Creep (Liverpool) | Mr Malcontent | 4.8% | |
| Brewed with plenty of hops to give a gently bitter but very juicy and fruity character. Allergens: barley; wheat; Vegan | SB | |||
| 48 | Mobberley (Cheshire) | Elysium | 4.7% | |
| Session IPA hopped with Magnum and Chinook and dry hopped with Magnum and the wonderful 7Cs, making for a delicious pint. Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 49 | Mobberley (Cheshire) | Single Hop Chinook | 4.6% | |
| Immense flavours of grapefruit and citrus from the delights of Chinook, both in the boil and double dry hopped, with a lovely pine and citrus aroma. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 50 | Moorhouse’s (Burnley) | Scaredy Cat | 4.3% | |
| A frighteningly, easy-drinking session IPA. Dry hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo to give citrus orange and pineapple flavours, and tropical mango on the nose. Allergens: barley | BB | |||
| 51 | Oaks (Cheshire) | Delamere Blond | 4% | |
| A truly European inspired British blond with soft hints of citrus & orange that leaves a delicate finish which keeps you coming back. Allergens: barley; wheat; peanuts: possible | G | |||
| 52 | Orkney (Orkney) | Dark Island | 4.6% | |
| This beer offers beautiful, silky-smooth, coffee-and-chocolate flavours, followed by figs, dates and dried fruits, with a very appealing, lingering aftertaste of fruits and hop bitterness. Allergens: barley; wheat | M | |||
| 53 | Pied Bull (Cheshire) | Tangibull | 4.7% | |
| A Smooth, Easy drinking pale ale with tangerine citrus notes from the Summit hop. Allergens: barley; wheat; fish | G | |||
| 54 | Pied Bull (Cheshire) | Taurus | 6.2% | |
| Bold, no-nonsense stout. A rich robust, soul warming ale with coffee notes. Allergens: barley; wheat; fish | ST | |||
| 55 | Pomona Island (Salford) | Session IPA | 4.1% | |
| Session IPA brewed with an ever-changing variety of hops. This version uses Amarillo, Mosaic & Motueka hops. Allergens: barley; wheat; oats; Vegan | BB | |||
| 56 | Poynton (Cheshire) | Darkside | 5.2% | |
| A combination of chocolate and roast barley and our own secret ingredient, plus German hops for bittering , producing a smooth and balanced dark beer. Allergens: barley; wheat | P | |||
| 57 | Poynton (Cheshire) | Session IPA | 4.2% | |
| Contains pale English malt combined with generous amounts of American and Australian flavour and dry hops giving a citrusy fruity and pine flavoured easy drinking IPA. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 58 | Red Willow (Cheshire) | Effortless | 3.7% | |
| Ultra pale and refreshing with lots of body, gratuitously hopped with Nelson Sauvin for a full fruity flavour. Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 59 | Red Willow (Cheshire) | Wreckless | 4.8% | |
| A beautifully balanced pale ale loaded with Citra and Amarillo hops providing massive amounts of tropical fruit with a clean finish. Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 60 | Peerless (Wirral) | (Dark Alice) | 5% | |
| Full bodied black oatmeal stout with lots of oats to give a good mouthfeel, dark malts provide lots of backbone with toffee and caramel tones giving an element of sweetness to balance the bitterness from the roast malts. Brewed for the Looking Glass in Warrington Allergens: barley; wheat; oats | ST | |||
| 61 | Salopian (Shropshire) | Torque | 4.2% | |
| Yellow-blond session IPA with plenty of hops and a dominant clean tasting tropical fruitiness. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 62 | Sandiway (Cheshire) | Chain Breaker | 4.8% | |
| A delicious IPA made with British grains and hops from the USA Allergens: barley; wheat; oats | SB | |||
| 63 | Sandiway (Cheshire) | Endo | 4.5% | |
| A full bodied red ale with a malty finish Allergens: barley; wheat; oats | BB | |||
| 64 | Sandstone (Wrexham) | Morillo | 4.2% | |
| A bold fusion of Mosaic and Amarillo hops to form a light and easy-drinking pale ale. Allergens: barley | G | |||
| 65 | Sandstone (Wrexham) | Wynter’s Night | 6.5% | |
| Strong porter brewed with Amaretto. Allergens: barley | P | |||
| 66 | Settle (North Yorkshire) | Jericho Blond | 3.6% | |
| Full bodied blond ale. Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 67 | Signature (London) | Roadie IPA | 4.3% | |
| This refreshing IPA loads up notes of citrus fruits including grapefruit and lime. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 68 | Siren Craft (Berkshire) | Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.5% | |
| A breakfast stout with a gentle touch of smoke, coffee, chocolate. CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2018. Allergens: barley; oats; milk; other: Coffee, Chocolate | ST | |||
| 69 | Spitting Feathers (Cheshire) | Brainstorm | 4% | |
| This pale craft beer has a zesty, dry flavour and a fresh hoppy aroma. Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 70 | Spitting Feathers (Cheshire) | Rush Hour | 4.5% | |
| 5 different hop varieties give this pale ale a strong citrus character, bursting with grapefruit, orange and passion fruit flavours. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 71 | Storm (Cheshire) | Silk of Amnesia | 4.7% | |
| A champion beer; full-flavoured dark beer with a hoppy aroma, rich chocolate palate and a clean, bitter finish. Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 72 | Storm (Cheshire) | Touch of Frost | 4.4% | |
| Notes of citrus, lychee and gooseberry combine in this crisp, fresh pale ale with a powerful Citra kick! Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 73 | Tatton (Cheshire) | Malted Milk Chocolate Stout | 4.6% | |
| A luxurious, full-bodied, silky-smooth, malty, chocolatey mouthful of a beer. Hops – Pheonix Allergens: barley; oats; milk | SP | |||
| 74 | Tatton (Cheshire) | VIPA | 6.3% | |
| A big, bold, all British dry-hopped IPA. Hops – Bramling Cross & UK Cascade. IPA Pale Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 75 | Team Toxic (Liverpool) | Kahoutec | 5% | |
| This collaboration with Liverpool Organic brewery is an American pale ale with lots of Comet hops Allergens: barley; wheat | SB | |||
| 76 | Tiny Rebel (Gwent) | Citra Session IPA | 4% | |
| Hoppy session IPA created in collaboration with Magic Rock brewery. Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 77 | Tipsy Angel (Cheshire) | Angel’s Mild | 3.8% | |
| Dark mild, faithfully brewed from the old Walkers recipes. Allergens: barley; wheat | M | |||
| 78 | Top Out (Mid-Lothian) | Altbier | 4.5% | |
| Scottish take on a beer style normally brewed in Dusseldorf. This is a dark, malty beer with a decent dose of German hops. Allergens: barley; wheat; Vegan | SP | |||
| 79 | Waen (Powys) | Pamplemousse | 4.2% | |
| Fruity, dry hopped pale with a slight sweetness before a balanced grapefruit and citrus finish. Allergens: barley; wheat; Vegan | G | |||
| 80 | Weetwood (Cheshire) | Old Dog | 4.5% | |
| Robust, well-balanced amber beer with a slightly fruity aroma. Rich malt and fruit flavours are balanced by bitterness. Some sweetness and a hint of sulphur on nose and taste. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
| 81 | Weetwood (Cheshire) | Southern Cross | 3.6% | |
| A flavoursome, hoppy beer at a very ‘sessionable’ ABV. Pale golden with a great aroma and freshness from the pine and lemony characteristics of the New Zealand hops. The brewers have packed in plenty of character and layers of flavour, rare in a 3.6% beer. Allergens: barley; wheat | G | |||
| 82 | Wild Weather (Berkshire) | Full of Beans | 5% | |
| A dark chocolate stout with flavours of Irish Whiskey, cream and coffee. Brewed with speciality German chocolate malts and aged on freshly ground, cold steeped Arabica beans. Allergens: barley; rye; oats | ST | |||
| 83 | Wincle (Cheshire) | Old Oak | 6% | |
| Complex malt character with hints of roasted grain, slightly vinous, dark fruit and fresh tobacco. Allergens: barley | OA | |||
| 84 | Wincle (Cheshire) | Triple Hop | 3.9% | |
| Vibrant Spring ale with 3 varieties of English hop giving a refreshing hoppy aroma and citrus spicy flavours Allergens: barley; wheat | B | |||
| 85 | Wolf (Norfolk) | Lupus Lupus | 4.2% | |
| Unique, biscuit flavoured, blond ale which is highly hopped using American fruit flavoured hops. Allergens: barley; wheat | BB | |||
Beer styles:
B – Bitter | BB – Best Bitter | SB – Strong Bitter | G – Golden | M – Mild | P – Porter | SP – Speciality Beer | ST – Stout | OA – Old Ale