Coniston Brewing Company

Why it matters

The clearest case that a British champion beer need not come from a brewery of any size. It is also a useful corrective to the assumption that a golden, hop-forward bitter is a modern idea — the beer that won is squarely in the traditional idiom and predates the golden-ale boom it is often filed under.

Details

Reference beers

• Coniston Bluebird Bitter3.6–4.2% ABV

  A pale, hop-forward Lake District bitter that won the national championship from a brewery behind a pub.

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Styles it is associated with

• Best bitter — A step up from ordinary bitter in strength and depth, with more malt body while staying firmly sessionable.

Traditions

• British cask ale — Beer that completes its fermentation in the container it is served from and is dispensed without added gas, at cellar rather than fridge temperature.