The Best Berkshire Beer of 2023..
Yes.. you read that right. Sorry.
Well this is awkward. Almost completely a year late - and you can bet I’m going to ask you your opinions on 2024 before this is all over..
2024 has been a very strange year for me. I started a new role in January after 17 years in the same place and it took over everything. Hence this now being so late. I can only apologise, but here we are. And better late than never. Now where’s my Just Stout?
Please note - most links in the awards copy below will take you to the brewery or event website.
* * *
Beer In Berkshire is now on WhatsApp and Bluesky, you can find us in both those places.
Want to know how 2022 panned out?
Cast your votes for 2024 here - deadline is end of January with results early Feb. That’s a promise!
BEST BREWERY 2023
Didn’t they do well? Indie Rabble opened in August 2023 in Windsor - and proved popular with punters in those last few months of the year picking up 14.9% of the vote.
The new brewery was founded by the owners of A Hoppy Place - the popular bottle shops and bars in Windsor and Maidenhead, they tied with relative Reading veterans Phantom Brewing Co for top spot.
One voter wrote: “It opened this year (2023) with some fantastic Collaborations and theirs beers since have been great. From lagers and dark lagers to Stouts and IPAs. They have now released a good honest bitter that many breweries don’t do these days.”
Some familiar spots in the remaining podium spots with Siren Craft, Double-Barrelled and Elusive making it a delectable top five.
Total votes: 121
Cast your votes for 2024 here - deadline is end of January with results early Feb. That’s a promise!
* * *
BEST BEER (CORE RANGE)
Widely regarded as one of the best beers in the country, let alone Berkshire. Elusive’s Oregon Trail topped the table with the excellent staple Parka from Double-Barrelled coming in second. One of Siren Craft’s original brews retains its popularity at 10+ in Broken Dream while another ‘old favourite’ Soundwave is in fourth.
Meanwhile newbies (in 2023) Indie Rabble had their beer Tiny Violence rank fifth.
Total votes: 118
Cast your votes for 2024 here - deadline is end of January with results early Feb. That’s a promise!
* * *
BEST BEER (LIMITED RUN OR SPECIAL EDITION)
For 2023 I split out the Core beers from the Specials due to over 50 beers being given the nod in 2022. This seemed like a good idea at the time except there were just as many specials suddenly dropping into the inbox.
BUT.. there was no doubt which beer was a favourite - the annual Caribbean Chocolate Cake from Siren Craft Brew.
Siren made it a 1-2 in this category with the classic Liquid Mistress - one of the breweries launch beers back in 2016 - while Windsor & Eton charted with their seasonal favourite Mandarin.
Phantom took fourth and fifth spots with N is for Nectaron and Feeling This.
Total votes: 108
Cast your votes for 2024 here - deadline is end of January with results early Feb. That’s a promise!
* * *
BEST BEER FESTIVAL 2023
Well this is sad. Craft Theory Festival came out on top, and 2023 could well have been the final edition of the brilliant event at South Street Arts Centre in Reading after the closure of The Grumpy Goat in October the same year. There was no CTF in 2024 BUT fear not, it looks like we will have a replacement in 2025 at South Street with Dolphin Brewery taking on the mantle and launch StageCraft Festival. More details here.
The brilliant Burghfest came in second with Twyford Beer Festival not far behind. Maidenhead Beer & Cider Festival was fourth while my own Bracknell Ale & Cider Festival was fifth.
Total votes: 94
Cast your votes for 2024 here - deadline is end of January with results early Feb. That’s a promise!
* * *
BEST VENUE 2023
Big questions here. Does my name come off the sign? The Nags Head romps home like a prime equine with the majority of the vote in the ‘Grand National’ event on the Beer In Berkshire calendar - Best Venue.
“Essentially a permanent beer festival,” was how one voter put it. And we couldn’t agree more.
The Phantom Brewery Tap was second, with two-time winner The Fox & Hounds Caversham in third. Meanwhile, A Hoppy Place possibly suffered from a split vote, with both venues in Windsor and Maidenhead completing the table.
Cast your votes for 2024 here - deadline is end of January with results early Feb. That’s a promise!
* * *
Beer in Berkshire has a WhatsApp channel - you could be a trendsetter by joining ➡️ whatsapp.com
Beer in Berkshire is also on that new Bluesky.. ➡️ bsky.app
The is also of course the Facebook group where it all started ➡️ facebook.com/groups/berkshirepubsandbreweries
Thanks for taking the time to read all this. Happy New Year and all the best in beer for 2025.
Tom
You’re inspiring me to restart mine!