One of the largest brewpubs in Europe, which scooped two awards at this week's Great British Beer Festival, is continuing its fight against a demoilition threat at its Peterborough site.
Oakham Brewery's site in the Westgate area of the city is earmarked for demolition to make way for a new shopping centre. Its JHB standard bitter was named Supreme Champion at the Campaign for Real Ale's national festival at Olympia and it also picked up a gold award for its White Dwarf wheat beer in the speciality category.
Now the company is hoping that the publicity can help its battle for survival.
Partner Jake Douglas (pictured on right of above picture with Oakham Ales' brewer, Wil Wood) said: "Hopefully, Peterborough council will recognise that this is a prestigious award that honours the whole city and see what a valuable contribution we make.
"People come to Peterborough specifically to drink our beers and we believe the pub and brewery could easily be integrated into the development plan."
Plans for Westgate, currently in a consultation period, include compulsory purchase of the Oakham site, a former dole office which Mr Douglas and his partners Paul Hook and John Bryan expanded into from the nearby village of Oakham in 1998.
The site incorporates a 700-capacity pub and its distinctive beers have since achieved a strong following and are being distributed nationally.
According to Mr Douglas, if the brewery is forced to close, the partners will brew elsewhere, "but we will lose the pub, and that will be a great shame for Peterborough as well as ourselves".
Meanwhile, Oakham is preparing for a soar in demand for JHB following its win. Hop Back Summer Lightning, a former supreme champion, won the silver award and Brains Dark the bronze.
Full list of winners:
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Great British Beer Festival awards brewers (31 July 2001)