Top Award for John Hampden’s Bottled Golden Harvest Ale

John Hampden’s Golden Harvest Ale 4.8% vol from The Chiltern Brewery has won ‘Best Bottled IPA’ category at this year’s Farm Produce Awards organized by top magazine title, Great British Food.

All entries were initially short-listed based on the producer’s commitment to provenance and local souring, then taste tested by a panel of some of the top names in British food, including Nathan Outlaw, Rosemary Shrager, Valentine Warner and Richard Corrigan. The final winner in the Best Bottled IPA category was selected by renowned beer writer and beer sommelier Sophie Atherton.

Her favourable comments included “This beer managed to draw me in by having the best aroma of all the finalists. Dried, fruity flavours are not normally associated with IPAs but here they led to a dry, spicy and peppery hoppy finish – in a pleasantly astringent beer. Most importantly I wanted to drink more!”

Golden amber in colour and floral on the nose, John Hampden’s is brewed in the style of a classic harvest ale with premium quality Maris Otter malt and the aromatic fruitiness of only a single famous English hop, Fuggles, for balance.

Head Brewer Tom Jenkinson said “We consider John Hampden’s to be an earl amongst ales – a bottled beer with impeccable pedigree and this is a big accolade: a real honour.”

“We are proud of our age old brewing techniques here and our local heritage. This is a memorable moment for a beer with a memorable finish!” added fellow director George Jenkinson.

The Chiltern Brewery has been at the forefront of the revival of classic English ale styles for over 35 years. In recent years this has extended to the creation of new styles, all brewed with the finest English malt and hops, naturally.

Launched for the first time last year, the annual Farm Produce Awards were set up to provide a platform for the skilled, passionate and often unsung artisans behind the nation’s finest speciality food and drink. The 14 categories were chosen to represent the length and breadth of food and drink produced in the UK, from pies and cider to bacon and smoked fish.

www.chilternbrewery.co.uk 01296 613647 Twitter @Chiltern_Brewer