Elland brewery's 1872 Porter beer named Best in Britain

Jan 22 2010 By Neil Atkinson

IT’S rich and it’s dark and it’s made in Elland.

Oh, and it’s official – it’s the best beer in the country.

Proud staff at a small backstreet brewery are celebrating the honour of being judged Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain.

The award to the Elland Brewery’s 1872 Porter came at the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester, organised by the Campaign For Real Ale, literally the cream of Britain’s beer-drinkers.

The beer clinched the porters category and was then named as overall winner out of hundreds of brews from across the country.

Porter is a traditional English ale, which is first thought to have been brewed in London in 1730.

By the end of the 18th century it was the most popular beer in the country, although its popularity has waned since then.

But the drinkers flocking to the festival were won over by the Elland brew, which is fairly strong at 6.5% abv.

Graham Donning, organiser of the festival, said: “It is a timeless classic, well worthy of this accolade.

“It has won many awards at CAMRA beer festivals in the past and it’s great to see this small brewer achieving such success.

“Porter is a traditional, winter ale and it is popular in many pubs which offer a range of beers.”