Top award for Alburgh’s Grain Brewery Slate at the Great British Beer Festival Winter

A brewery is celebrating after one of its much-loved dark beers scooped its biggest award yet.

Slate, produced by Grain Brewery, Alburgh, was named the best in the Strong Stouts and Porters category of the Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition, at the Great British Beer Festival Winter.

It was also awarded the overall bronze award in the national Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition.

Slate is descibed as a ruby black porter with liquorice treacle and a little dark fruit.

Its flavour combines black coffee, black cherry, raisins, treacle and liquorice overlaid with a sweet character and the ‘sweetness lingers in the finish with a dry roastiness’

Since Grain started brewing the beer around eight years ago, it has won more that 20 awards.

Brewery owner, Phil Halls, said: “Slate is a little bit different because it uses smoked malts, which makes it stand out against some of the other darker beers. It always pops up for awards - and this is the biggest award, yet.”

Great British Beer Festival Winter 2025, organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), was held at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham!

Awards director, Gary Timmins, said: "Massive congratulations to Grain for their fantastic win plus all the amazing category winners in this year’s competition.

"Slate is a cracking pint, and even in such an incredibly competitive shortlist, it is a worthy winner.

"Everyone should get out to their pub, social club or taproom and look out for one of your local brews – it might be one of our award-winning beers."