Plenty of beer and cheer at Magna with national festival

The National CAMRA Great British Beer Festival began at the Rotherham attraction on Wednesday and is believed to be the first time the major event has been hosted in Yorkshire.

The festival runs until Saturday and has so far attracted hundreds of discerning beer lovers who have travelled the length and breadth of Britain – including the Isle of Man, Kent and Renfrewshire – to visit Rotherham.

The event also hosts the Great British Beer Festival Winter competition, organised by CAMRA.

Following more than a year of local blind-tasting panels and regional heats, the final round of judging took place at the winter festival this week with CAMRA awarding Black Gold – a session stout from Scottish brewers

Cairngorm’s – the title of Champion Winter Beer of Britain.

The runners up in the competition were Sarah Hughes’ Snowflake, which took home Silver, and Grain Slate which claimed Bronze.

CAMRA’s awards director Gary Timmins said: “Every year our judges find it harder and harder to pick a winner, which speaks volumes of the brewing talent in the UK.

“Despite their evident quality, our brewers struggle to find a place at the bar of our locals.

"Soulless global conglomerates have a greedy stranglehold on the industry, restricting true customer choice and our independent brewers’ access to market.

“Everyone should get out to their pub, social club or taproom and look out for one of your local brews – it might be one of our award-winning beers!”