Sainsbury’s unveils Great British Beer Hunt winner

Batemans has been named as the winner of the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt for the second year running.

Following a six month search across the UK, last week’s final saw 12 brewers battle for the top spot, with B Bock from Batemens taking the crown ahead of Crafty Dan from Thwaites Brewery in Blackburn.

B Bock will now be rewarded with a six-month listing in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.

After being told of the win Jaclyn Bateman of Batemans said: “We think the Great British Beer Hunt competition is fantastic. It encourages breweries across the UK to be innovative and introduces people to new tastes and styles. We want to celebrate our national drink and, following the results of last year’s competition when Mocha won first place, we have been able to broaden our entire range, creating a new market for all of our beers.

“The Great British Beer Hunt has effectively been the catalyst for that and we’re completely overwhelmed to have won it again.”

The competition saw over 150 beers fighting it out in a series of regional heats around the country. . In September, the top twenty beers, chosen by regional panels of beer experts and Sainsbury’s customers, went head to head in stores for a three week sales period. The 12 finalists were then chosen based on sales volumes.

The malty and dark B Bock proved to be a popular choice throughout the competition for both customers and judges.

Following the final Jack Rutherford, Sainsbury’s beer buyer said: “2013 has been a record year for the Great British Beer Hunt with over 150 beers entering the competition and more Sainsbury’s customers than ever before buying premium bottled beers in-store.

“The past six months have been incredibly exciting with customers and beer experts alike playing a huge part in the search for some of Britain’s finest beers. We’re delighted to congratulate Batemans and Thwaites for taking the winner and runner up prizes respectively. We can’t wait to see their beers in stores later this year.”

B Bock will be available at 300 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide from 3 November and Crafty Dan will be available in 150 stores from the same date.