Best UK Brewery - Winner // Brewdog

Runners Up: Moor Beer Co, Beavertown

I deliberated over this award more than any of the others but after much reasoning there was only one logical decision. Brewdog’s aggressive marketing might be, at times, irksome and irritating but as a result, this year we haven’t stopped talking about them for longer than a day.

Put that aspect of its business to one side for a moment and take a look at the beer on its own. It is, for me at least, easy to see why they are our best. In Jackhammer they’ve created one of the most solid, go-to US style IPA’s that’s available fresh, pretty much whenever you want it. In Dead Pony Club they’ve done the same for a beer that’s half the strength. In Born to Die they’ve created quite possibly the best beer being brewed in the UK right now. Its barrel program is also one of the most established and beers such as Black Eyed King Imp and Paradox are some of the most accomplished barrel aged beers on the market. Every aspect of its beer making is done with both passion and finesse.

But it’s more than that, Brewdog’s success is down to more than just its beer. Thanks to its astonishing growth Brewdog have managed to not just create, but to develop a market for beer in the UK that didn’t exist before. There’s no doubt this market would have evolved organically anyway but without Brewdog’s influence it would have happened at a significantly slower rate. I’m not just talking about breweries here but bars, bottle shops, distributors – everything that forms a part of the beer world. Brewdog were the biggest factor in creating the market space that they operate within. Whether you like Brewdog or not, we should be thankful for that.

Best Overseas Brewery & Overall Brewery of the Year - Winner // Avery Brewing Co

Runners Up (Overseas): Almanac, Cantillon

When I visited Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado earlier this year I was blown away by not only the size and scale of its new facility but by the unprecedented quality of its product. I was already well aware of Avery and a fan of its beers but since scaling up, the quality of their output seems to have followed suit. I spent over $50 just on four ounce pours that day and every beer I tried, be it a wheat beer, IPA, sour or barrel aged stout was immaculate. I left Boulder thinking that Avery had immediately catapulted themselves into my top ten, maybe even top five breweries. After much consideration, I can’t think of any other brewery making such a wide range of beers so well, and that’s why Avery are my brewery of the year 2015.