Hooky beer is the ‘best in the world’

The Hook Norton Brewery, which operates from traditional Victorian premises in the west Oxfordshire village of Hook Norton, has had two brews named in The Independent newspaper’s top 10 beers on the planet and picked up more accolades at the International Beer Challenge 2009.

The competition, for bottled beers, gave more gold medals to Hook Norton than any other brewer in the world – for its Double Stout, Twelve Days, Haymaker and Old Hooky tipples – and handed bronze awards to Hooky Bitter and Hooky Gold.

Chairman of judges Jeff Evans, who presided over the event at London’s Royal Society of Arts, said: “This year, there were entries from more than 20 countries including India, New Zealand, Canada, Nigeria, USA, Japan and Namibia.

“Our judges are similarly international, and each recognised as an expert in their own right as a brewer, taster, retailer or writer.

“These experts come not just from the UK but also Belgium, Czech Republic, USA, Germany, Norway, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

“The threshold for winning gold is set very high – only 30-odd gold medals were awarded out of the hundreds of entries and six different classes of styles of beer – ales, stouts and porters, lagers, wheat beers, fruit beers and speciality.

“We do not hand out medals, particularly gold, willy nilly.”

Hook Norton managing director James Clarke said: “I’m delighted our bottled beers have been honoured by this prestigious competition.

“The IBC is the largest and most important competition for packaged beers in the world and for Hook Norton to win more golds and more medals than any UK brewer, is a fantastic achievement.

The Independent’s top 50 beers in the world, which was judged by beer writers Roger Protz, Pete Brown, Jeff Evans and Zak Avery, placed Old Hooky in pole position and Double Stout at number eight.

Mr Avery said of Old Hooky: “This often-overlooked beer is a classic example of an English bitter.

“Copper-brown in colour, with lots of toasted biscuity malt, dried fruit and a hoppy spiciness in the finish, Old Hooky is complex and drinkable in equal measures.”

Of Double Stout, Mr Evans said: “Brewed to a 19th-Century recipe, this beer has milk chocolate and bitter coffee notes before a dry, roasted finish.

“It comes from a Victorian tower brewery in Oxfordshire.”

Mr Clarke said: “For Hook Norton beers to be recognised by four of the country’s best beer experts is fantastic. We are a local brewer, which now has an international reputation for quality.”