Adnams Ghost Ship Declared Nation’s Best Independent Beer in a Can at Indie Beer Can Festival

16 Sep 2014 --- Adnams Ghost Ship by Adnams was awarded the title ‘best independent beer in a can’ at the Indie Beer Can Festival. Second and third place in the world first competition, sponsored by the Can Makers in partnership with the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), went to 13 Guns from Thwaites and Breakfast Stout from Arbor Ales respectively.

The winning beer is a citrusy Pale Ale brewed using Citra hops. The judging team praised its luscious notes of tropical fruit, beautifully balanced malts, and sparkling amber appearance.

Emma Hibbert, Marketing Director at Adnams, comments: “We are overjoyed to have been recognised by such a prestigious panel of judges. Ghost Ship has been a real success story for Adnams. Times are good for canned beer, with more and more premium beer brands choosing the format.”

Chiara Nesbitt, one of the five independent judges and Beer Buyer for Tesco, comments: “The competition was very tight but Adnam’s Ghost Ship clearly stood out from the others. We felt this beer had the widest appeal of the finalists and all agreed it was a joy to drink and suited the canned format perfectly. All twelve finalists are great examples of how independent beers look and taste great in cans.”

Coming in second place, 13 Guns was described by the judges as having aromas and flavours of orange and grapefruit, and a more-ish finish. Breakfast Stout, meanwhile, has highly aromatic notes of black coffee and vanilla and was called ‘a real bomb of a beer’.

Graham Fenton, Chairman of the Can Makers, says: “It has been a privilege to sample such a great range of beers and to select our fantastic winner. It’s also been gratifying to see how successfully Indie Beer Can Festival has tapped into the rapidly growing trend for independent beers in cans. Cans are convenient, light, quickly chilled and they look great. In America canned independent beers are the height of cool, it won’t be long before the same can be said in the UK.”

Nick Stafford, SIBA commercial director, adds: “We’d like to extend our congratulations to the deserved winner, Adnams. There are many superb independent beers in the market which pay tribute to the craft, quality and innovation of the industry. We’re pleased to have been involved in this competition, which has generated huge interest in cans and encouraged SIBA members to explore it as another way of bringing their beers to the growing number of craft beer drinkers.”

Launched in April 2014, the Indie Beer Can Festival invited independent brewers in the UK and Eire to submit their beers, regardless of original pack format, for judging in cans. From over 100 entrants 12 were chosen as finalists and those not already in can also won the opportunity to trial in can for the Festival final.

The full judging panel included industry experts Adrian Tierney-Jones and Jane Peyton; Chiara Nesbitt, Beer Buyer for Tesco; President of Cask Brewing Systems Inc, Peter Love; and Graham Fenton, Chairman of the Can Makers. The winners were announced at the Indie Beer Can Festival on September 11th.