Castle Rock named best UK brewer at SIBA Business Awards

15-Nov-2011 - Last updated on 18-Mar-2024 at 14:54 GMT

Related tags Brewing Beer

Colin Wilde (left) and Charlie Bromeley (right) of Castle Rock Brewery collected their Overall Winner award from SIBA chairman Keith Bott

Nottingham-based brewer Castle Rock was announced Overall Winner at the SIBA Business Awards 2011, while a further eight brewers were recognised for their business development skills last night in London.

The Business Awards, now in their sixth year, invited entries from SIBA’s 500 brewer members into a number of business-related categories. New awards were also given out to one SIBA pub associate and one supplier.

“Once again, the entries to the SIBA Business Awards were wide-ranging and of an extremely high standard,” said SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock.

“To succeed, our members have to do much more than just brew great beer: marketing, customer service, pack design and community support are all areas in which they have to become experts, and the winners and runners up today have more than risen to this challenge.

Worthy winners

"Castle Rock impressed the judges firstly with their marketing, in particular the phenomenal media interest they generated for their ‘Kiss Me Kate’ Royal Wedding ale earlier this year, but it is their sheer professionalism, and their business drive, that won the day for them. Far from sitting on their laurels after winning Champion Beer of Britain in 2010, Castle Rock have continued to evolve their range of core and seasonal beers, opened a bigger brewery and developed their pub estate. They are worthy winners of this year’s Overall Business Award.

“With talented and dedicated individuals like these at the forefront of local brewing, we should be optimistic about the prospects for the sector, which is continuing to show growth well ahead of the total UK beer market.

Castle Rock brewery also picked up the award for Best Marketing. The full list of winners at the SIBA Business Awards 2011 is as follows: -

Best Customer Support – Freedom Brewery, Staffordshire

Best E-Business – Bays Brewery, Devon

Best Community Support – Palmers Breery, Dorset

Best Marketing – Castle Rock Brewery, Nottingham

Best Sustainability – Otter Brewery, Devon

Best Business Development – Moorhouse’s Brewery, Lancashire

Best Individual Bottle Label – Derby Brewing Company

Best Range of Bottle Labels – Freedom Brewery

Best Individual Pumpclip – Palmers Brewery

Best Range of Pumpclips – Irving Brewery, Portsmouth

Best Total Design Concept – Wold Top Brewery, Yorkshire