International beer judges go for gold from the Wolds

A Yorkshire Wolds brewery has taken on big names in the brewing industry to win the title of United Kingdom’s Best Golden Ale 2016 title in the World Beer Awards.

Alex BalchinWold Top Brewery’s Wold Gold blonde beer won through three rounds of blind taste-testing, before a panel of 50 international brewers, journalists and industry experts came together in London to judge the final round.

The Wold Newton based brewery produces award-winning beers from home and Wolds-grown barley and water from the farm’s own borehole. Wold Gold is brewed using Wheat and Cara malt hopped with Goldings and Styrian hops that impart a fruity flavour with a hint of spice.

Brewery manager, Alex Balchin is delighted with the win: “Wold Gold has been a firm favourite since it was first brewed 13 years ago and it’s a real credit to the brew team that it should be awarded the ultimate accolade of the UK’s Best Golden Ale.”

The judges said the beer had a ‘gentle malt aroma with an almost pils-like sweetness’ and noted its ‘subtle herbal hopping with some spice’.

Adrian Tierney-Jones, European chairman of the World Beer Awards, said: “The winners in this year’s World Beer Awards demonstrate that the global beer revolution is not going to go away any time soon.  Now is a great time to be both a brewer and beer-drinker all over the world and the World Beer Awards is a fantastic reflection of this global excitement.”

Wold Gold was also selected by Morrisons as one of the showcase regional beers of its Beer Festival 2016.

Meanwhile, Wold Top Brewery’s Scarborough Fair IPA has also enjoyed success of its own having won bronze medals at the Global Beer Masters and SIBA North East Beer competition and a silver medal at the International Beer Challenge.

Wold Top Brewery’s beers are available in pubs, restaurants, shops and delis throughout North and East Yorkshire, with a select range sold through multiple retailers including Morrisons, Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Waitrose.