Butcombe Brewery takes top prize at SIBA Business Awards

The brewer, who operates 18 pubs, has been named Brewery Business of the Year in the SIBA Business Awards. The Somerset-based brewer also won the Best Marketing and Communications Award for a campaign to raise the profile of its bottled beers to supermarket buyers. A highly commended in this category went to Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham who operate 12 pubs.

The awards were presented at SIBA’s BeerX in Sheffield.

Sonnet 43 Brew House won the Best Customer Support Award and were also highly commended in the Best Business Development Award, which was won by six site pub operator and brewer Moorhouse’s Brewery in Burnley, Lancashire. Truman’s Brewery in London was also highly commended in this category.

Corvedale Brewery, Shropshire, which owns the Sun Inn, Corfton, Shropshire, was awarded the Best Community Support award, with a highly commended in the category for Lymestone Brewery.

Bays Brewery in Torbay won the Best Green Business.

Optimistic​

SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock said: “With talented and dedicated individuals like these at the forefront of local brewing, we should be optimistic about the prospects for the sector.”

A Lifetime Achievement Award went to the late Peter Austin, one of SIBA’s founders and its first chairman, who died in January, and to Derek Prentice, who retired last year from Fuller’s after a distinguished career in the brewing industry.

The awards were announced by new SIBA chairman Guy Sheppard. He said: “We are delighted to recognise the enormous contribution made by both Peter and Derek to British beer and brewing. Their passion, skill and dedication have influenced generations of brewers and helped to create the buoyant local brewing industry that we are all part of today.”