In Praise of Essex Beer

The Hoop Beer Festival 2011

The news that Oscar Wilde from the Mighty Oak Brewery had won champion beer of Britain has merely continued a remarkable run for the breweries of Essex. With Crouch Vale Gold having carried off the trophy in 2005 and 2006 it made it 3 wins in 7 years. 

Essex has long been viewed as the poor cousin, in brewing terms, of its neighbours, Suffolk in the North and Kent in the South, but the success of it's breweries is going some way to reddress the balance. Following the closure of Ridleys in 2005, Essex had lost the last of their historical brewers, but there emerged a new breed, led by Crouch Vale who, although only established in the early 80s, are now the oldest brewery in Essex. More recently another new brewery, the Brentwood Brewing Company, have joined the fray supplying my favourite beer at this years Hoop Beer Festival (see picture!).