We are celebrating again after winning three awards at a prestigious regional brewing competition!
We won the awards this week at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Eastern region awards, held in Leigh on Sea.
We scooped a silver medal in each of three beer categories with our beers Skidaddler (stout category), Dewhopper (session lager category) and Snowshoe (red ale category) all receiving awards.
The beers were entered in the regional competition for keg dispensed beers and were judged against beers from seven counties across the eastern region. Over fifty brewers, beer sommeliers and industry experts attended the awards.
We are delighted that we were judged to be in the top beers produced in the region and to continue our proud run of representing craft beer from Norfolk.
It’s also testament of how Moon Gazer cask beers can transfer excellently into keg – by way of us now using Key Kegs – which are effectively produced in the same way as cask beer but are dispensed on a pubs’ keg line, which has opened up a whole new audience to our beers.
Dewhopper, which once again received an award in the lager category is particularly pleasing as we genuinely believe it to be the most awarded lager in East Anglia – now numbering over a dozen awards in recent years. It is an easy drinking 4% abv British lager and is judged in a fiercely contested categories as so many craft brewers and regional breweries now create craft lagers.
To be awarded three silvers against such a strong line up of top brewers was amazing. We take great pride in our craft beers, and just love the fact that we are able to fly the flag for Norfolk – our home county of which we are so proud.
There is a strong Norfolk flavour in all Moon Gazer ales as they are brewed using Norfolk Maris Otter barley from Norfolk maltster Crisp Maltings.
We are now looking forward to developing its keg range further as well as continuing with our core business of cask ales.
We will also be heading to the National SIBA awards in Liverpool in March where our Cheeky Jack IPA is in the national final as well as David entered for the Community Award for his work for charity and raising awareness of testicular cancer.
More about our latest award winners:
DEWHOPPER LAGER 4% abv
Probably the most awarded craft lager in East Anglia – with over a dozen regional and national awards. Its a British lager in style, and unusually for this style we use Maris Otter – and ale malt – to add some Norfolk flavour, character and authenticity, The hop profile is very typical of European lager however, with traditional hops such as Bobek, Saaz and Strisslespalt adding a gentle fruit and light citrus finish to the malty, biscuit base. We love it.
SNOWSHOE RED ALE 4.5% abv
The distinctive red hue of this modern ale is made possible by the use of a German red malt, used in Belgian and European red ales. – resulting in a red rather than brown colouring. We think its worth it. The hops are also form overseas, this time America looking to bring bold and distinctive flavor and aroma. The Belma hop in particular bring with it strawberry, orange and melon notes. Its rich, complex and a fireside ale which will please beer lovers old and young. Enjoy.
SKIDDADLER MILK STOUT 4.5% abv
A dark delight and another multi-award winner from Moon Gazer. Sweet as you would suspect for a milk stout – with the lactose delivering that aspect of the beer – but it is also complex with the malts creating a cocktail of liqourice, chocolate and coffee flavours – but in a smooth, balanced way.
Key Kegs – did you know….?
Our core ales can all be ordered by pubs and bars as KeyKegs – but lost of you have been asking what is this? Is it still real ale?
Well the simple answer as far as Team Moon Gazer is concerned is yes it is real ale.
You see when we fill cask ale form our conditioning tanks we fill the cask with beer which has sufficient residual sugars in it that when the yeast warms up and is awakened by the agitation of adding to cask it ferments the residual sugars , giving rise to the C02 in the beer and allowing to to condition. The ale is then served via a handpump without the aid of any gas pressure.
We do exactly the same for our KeyKegs – allowing them to condition in the keg. The pub can the dispense them via a keg line – but the gas used to force the beer up in the line doesn’t touch the beer, instead it goes into a space between the container and the bag the beer is in – compressing the bag and forcing the beer up the line – simple.
The results are fantastic and allows the pubs to serve real ale since the KeyKegs offer extended shelf life as the beer remains out of contact with oxygen.
Why not try our Pintail and Cheeky Jack on keg, or you can pre-order any of our cores beers
Hope that makes sense.
Up and at em.