Yorkshire Wolds brewery strikes gold at independent beer awards

The team at a Yorkshire coast brewery is celebrating after winning three awards in an industry-wide beer competition.

Andrew Shield, Alex Balchin and Henry Culpepper

Wold Newton-based Wold Top Brewery’s Landmark Lager and Headland Red won gold awards and new beer Sun Drench won a silver award at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) North East Regional Keg Awards held in Sheffield last week.

Landmark Lager won the Session Lager Category, Headland Red won the Amber, Brown, and Red Ale Category, and Sun Drench was the runner-up in the Pale Ale Category. In a result described by judges as ‘an incredible and rare achievement to receive two overall awards in one competition,’ Headland Red was awarded a second gold medal for being the overall winner, and Landmark Lager was the runner-up. As North East category winners, Headland Red and Landmark Lager will now go forward to the national SIBA competition at BeerX in March 2025.

Wold Top’s brewery director, Alex Balchin, was delighted to receive the awards: “Our team are committed to developing and brewing great beers using Yorkshire-grown cereals and water from our farm’s borehole, so it’s really rewarding when brewers and industry experts judge our beer as award-winning.

“In changing economic times, it’s more important than ever to support our region’s independent manufacturers and retailers, and we’re grateful to SIBA for helping to facilitate this.”

Landmark Lager, 4.2% ABV, is a British lager with notes of honey, herbs and lemon, Headland Red is a red beer with a mellow, malty flavour and an ABV of 4.3%, and Sun Drench is a New Zealand Pale Ale full of fruity flavours.

The SIBA Independent Beer Awards, run across SIBA’s eight geographical regions, represent the very best beer from the UK’s independent brewers. They are judged by fellow brewers and industry experts, making these awards the “Brewers’ Choice” awards in the UK.

Wold Top Brewery was founded in 2003 and is located on the Mellor family farm at Hunmanby Grange near Filey. The team uses home-grown barley and water from the farm’s borehole to produce a range of cask, keg, and bottled beers that are available throughout Yorkshire and nationwide.