The team at Old School Brewery (OSB), based in Warton, North Lancashire, discovered on Monday (15th July) that their Hopscotch Beer has been shortlisted in the Beer category in the annual Great British Food Awards.
The Great British Food Awards launched in 2014, celebrate the country’s finest home-grown ingredients, as well as the hard-working folk who produce and cook with them.
This year’s judges, include Raymond Blanc, John Torode, Monica Galetti, Michel Roux Jr and the Hairy Bikers to name a few, will be tasting and cogitating in the coming weeks to decide the best of the best from among the 24 categories, which cover everything from beer, cheese, charcuterie, fish and seafood and cake.
The Best British Beer category will be judged by Dave Myers and Si King, otherwise known as the Hairy Bikers, two down-to-earth cooks with a love of good food and good beer.
After which the buying team from iconic food hall and Royal Warrant holder Partridge’s London will decide the overall 2019 grand champion to be crowned British Product of the Year from the individual categories
Old School Brewery can be found in an inspiring 300-year-old historic barn, situated at the foot of Warton Crag in North Lancashire, once home to Warton School's metal and wood crafts building. Now home to a dedicated team of artisan brewers, who craft a unique range of beers made using top quality British ingredients mixed with patience and a respect to produce first class hand-crafted beers reflecting the rich heritage of the building in which their brewery sits.
The Brewery’s shortlisted beer, Hopscotch, is an American style pale ale, which mixes medium sweetness with light bitter and citrus notes, with hints of green grass and caramel. Making it the perfect accompaniment to spicy foods, grilled and BBQed meat and fish and works especially well with a variety of cheeses.
Catherine Walsh, from Old School Brewery, commented:
"As a small independent brewery no one else chooses the beers we brew; we only craft beers that we want to brew and ultimately that we want to drink, using only the finest quality ingredients available to us. We’ve always set out to make authentic beers that reflect the heritage of our beautiful surroundings. For the team producing handcrafted beer is all about having direct influence and control over all the ingredients throughout the brewing process. And what's more it’s really important to us that we are excited about making new interesting and innovative beers for our customers, that way we maintain our distinctiveness and continue to create products that people enjoy."