Stroud Brewery’s summer of success continues as it reaches the finals of two national awards – its taproom has made it through two tough rounds to reach the final of Great British Pub Awards, and its session ale, Easy Peasy, is in the running for the title of New Beer of the Year. This is fantastic recognition for the brewery and for the power of local. It shows that an independent, craft brewery can provide high quality, tasty beer as good (if not better!) as any national brand whilst keeping its local community at the heart of what it does and doing what’s right by people and the planet. Within the past two months, the brewery has won 10 local and regional awards for its beer, its taproom and the way it runs the business.
The brewery is keeping its fingers crossed that it’ll win the title of Sustainable Pub of the Year in the Great British Pub Awards 2023. Reaching the finals in itself is recognition of how it’s possible to run a business that combines financial success with being ethically responsible towards people and the planet. When the brewery started in 2006, such a combination was virtually unheard of within the brewing industry. Stroud Brewery led the way by becoming the first brewery in the UK to obtain certification as both 100% organic and as a B Corporation. The latter is a global corporate mark laying down strict and tough criteria that companies must meet to prove they are genuinely embracing sustainable and ethical ways of operating.
Easy Peasy is the brewery’s summer special, a session ale deliberately brewed to be light – in both taste and alcohol. Its mix of elderflowers and lemons and ABV of 2.6% make it refreshing and perfect for drinking on warm days. It’s fellow finalists for the title of New Beer of the Year in the Brewers’ Choice Awards 2023 are brewed by Exale brewery in Walthamstow, London, and the Saltaire brewery in West Yorkshire.
The winner is selected by a judging panel comprising some key names in the brewing world: John Keeling, former brewing director at London-based Fuller’s, Lotte Peplow, the craft beer ambassador in Europe for the Brewers Association, Paul Davies, founder of the award- winning AleHunters Brewery Tours, freelance beverage and hospitality consultant Sean Robertson, Tim Sheahan, editor of The Brewers Journal and Brewers Journal contributing editor Melissa Cole, Stephanie Brindley.
Tim Sheahan, editor of the Brewer’s Journal which is running the Brewers’ Choice Awards, said: “As with every year, the entries in each and every category was sky-high, making the judging process an incredibly tricky task.”
Greg Pilley, founder and MD of Stroud Brewery, said: “We’re so pleased to be flying the flag at a national level for the great things that can be created by local and independent breweries. And also for Stroud – the home of originality, sustainability and being fiercely independent.”
The Sustainable Pub of the Year winner will be decided on 19th September and the New Beer of the Year title will be awarded on 18th October.
