A SUSSEX brewery's products have bagged several titles at a national awards ceremony this year.
Hepworth Brewery in Billingshurst offers a range of organic beers which have proved popular at this year's The Great British Food Awards.
Evidence for its quality has recently been demonstrated at The Great British Food Awards, with organic ale The Right Stuff winning the title of best beer.
Aztec was the only highly commended beer in the low alcohol category of the Great British Food Awards, a category usually dominated by wines and spirits.
Head brewer and MD of Hepworth Brewery, Andy Hepworth said: “We knew that ‘The Right Stuff was ‘The Right Stuff’ and now it is officially confirmed.
"It is the first Organic beer to win The Great British Food Awards. An American style Pale Ale (APA) 5% alc, brewed from organically grown barley at Goodwood on the Sussex Downs and bottle conditioned, it makes great beer that improves with age.
“Aztec is in a class of its own. As the only Highly Commended beer in the low alcohol category of the Great British Food Awards it means it was the best low alcohol beer.’
The organic ales, lagers and stouts are “high quality and in sufficient quantity using processes that do not harm the environment, human health, plant health or animal health and welfare” and “work within natural systems and cycles at all levels, from the soil to plants and animals, maintaining the long-term fertility and biological activity of soils” says the Brewery.
The West Sussex brewery believes that by creating organic beer is one of the main contributions they can make to improving the current state of the climate but also wants to make sure flavour and traditional techniques always come first.
Here’s the current range of organic beers available from Hepworth:
The Right Stuff
An organic ale made with locally sourced barley from Sussex and organically grown American style hops.
The Right Stuff is brewed from Chinook and Cascade hops to reflect its American nature. The result is a naturally carbonated, gluten free and vegan friendly ale which is full and fruitily flavoured.
It is 5% ABV and has been bottled conditioned so it improves with time. In addition, The Right Stuff contains no additives or preservatives.
Aztec
An organic, low alcohol lager made with agave, Aztec Agave Brewed Organic Lager has the traditional flavours of a full-strength lager that is brewed with a blend of Czech and German type hops and malts. The lager is then blended with both the syrup and inulin (dietary fibre) of the Agave cactus.
This gives the lager its distinctive body, flavour, and refreshing character of a continental lager, but with only 0.5% ABV.
The new Aztec Agave Brewed Organic Lager is gluten free and vegan friendly. It also only contains 65 calories per serving (13 cal per 100ml), 69% less than a leading continental lager and 40% less than its alcohol-free equivalent.
Blonde Lager
Hepworth utilises its local organic barley and citrus-spiked Admiral hops in this blonde lager. It’s crisp with a strong body and a long floral finish, making it great to pair with food. Naturally gluten free, it’s also suitable for vegans.
Prospect
Prospect is a bottle conditioned traditional Pale Ale, with an intriguing bitter note skilfully blended with Sussex grown barley malt to deliver a well-balanced natural brew. The organically grown ingredients mature slowly to create a traditional real ale. 4.5% abv. Naturally gluten free and suitable for vegans.
Mr Hepworth added: “The two awards at the Great British Food Awards prove that organic beers have come of age. Over the twenty years we have been brewing then we have seen the quality of the organically ingredients improve dramatically.
"Brewing great beer is so much easier when you start with the great ingredients. The fact they are grown locally and organically means it is kinder to the planet, something I don’t think we need to explain any more."
All beers are available to purchase in selected retailers and via Hepworth’s Brewery Shop in Pulborough, West Sussex. Prices available on request online and home delivery is available for retail purchases.
Visit www.hepworthbrewery.co.uk for further information.
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