The Grainstore Brewery in Oakham and Baker’s Dozen in Ketton win Midlands regional awards from Camera
Champion brewers have raised a glass after picking up regional awards for their beers.
Campaign for Real Ale members celebrated the achievements of Peter Atkinson from The Grainstore Brewery in Oakham and Jill and Dean Baker from Baker’s Dozen Brewing Company in Ketton.
The Grainstore won Gold in the milds category for its Rutland Panther beer, and Gold for its barley wine, Nip.
The Oakham-based brewers also won Silver for Rutland Beast in the brown ales, red ales, old ales and strong milds category.
Meanwhile, Electric Ladyland by Baker’s Dozen won Gold in the pale, blond and golden ales category.
Delighted with The Grainstore’s hat-trick, Peter said the three awards would be on display in their public bar at Station Approach in Oakham.
“I’m very pleased with the awards,” he said. “It’s nice to receive a Camra award because they’re not industry-led, they’re awarded by drinkers and it’s good to get people’s recognition for what we do.”
He added that The Grainstore Brewery produces about 17,000 pints a week with Ten Fifty their top-selling beer, although his own favourite is Rutland Panther, which they have been brewing since 1997.
The Grainstore’s first beer, Cooking, was brewed in 1994, and they are releasing a beer for the coronation, called King Charles III.
Jill said the Baker’s Dozen award had left her and Dean ‘over the moon’, especially since they had been chosen from brewers in counties across the Midlands area.
She added that, since they left The Jolly Brewer pub in Foundry Road, Stamford, where they were landlords, they had been busy brewing and now produced about 11,000 pints each month.
“My favourite is Electric Ladyland, and Acoustic Ladyland, which has a similar flavour but is less strong,” said Jill, adding that they have some exciting events planned for the brewery that they would be unveiling this summer.
King Charles III visited the Grainstore Brewery in February 2003, when he pulled a pint of Rutland Welcome, a beer brewed especially for his visit.
