Three Beers Win Great Taste Awards

Soundwave

Soundwave has been with us since day one. For some of us in the beer scene, it was the first craft beer we tried, and for many of us the first beer we loved. Over the years, it’s gone on a bit of a journey of tweaks and improvements; something we continue to do so to the day. In fact, every Friday, we have a company wide Soundwave tasting so that we make sure it’s the best possible representation of our go-to IPA it can be.

All this work means that we’re absolutely delighted for Soundwave to pick up a Great Taste award. Even at nearly 10 years old, our flagship IPA continues to please and we are humbled by the continued reaction to a beer that means so much to us. 

Judges Comments - Vibrant colour and activity, with an equally vibrant aroma, with all the tropical fruitiness anticipated. The subtlety is quite refined with a perfect level of citrus, well balanced with the sweeter fruit and great zesty bitterness. There is great equilibrium here, this is a well crafted beer that we thoroughly enjoyed.

We really liked the bright appearance of this IPA and were intrigued by the massive punchy tropical aromas. The flavours were of tangerine but with a hint of vegetal notes. The fruit packs a punch which leads to a rather pleasant mouth feel, a well-balanced ale.

Note - if you like Soundwave, why not try our new Double Dry-Hopped version, which you can find by clicking here.

Pompelmocello

Our most mis-pronounced beer, “Pomp” as it’s more-easily referred to here has also been on quite the journey. A beer that’s been exported worldwide, barrel aged, made into a radler and even had the nitro treatment, continues to impress in its original guise. 

Pomp has now been regularly available in Morrisons supermarkets for a couple of years. This move was a risk for us. During a time when many were discovering new beers in supermarkets, turning to pale ales and hazy IPAs, we decided to put a 6% sour beer on the shelf. We’ve never done things quite as expected! 

To our surprise, and once again humble joy, Pompelmocello has become not only ours, but one of the supermarket’s best selling beers in its category.

We’re delighted it’s picked up a Great Taste Award.

Judges Comments - An intriguing IPA that certainly packs a citrus punch.  The balance of sweet and sour is a particular highlight. The appearance is appealing with its hazy lemon colour and  the palate is floral and thirst quenching. The grapefruit is subtle on the finish.

Pastel Pils

During the covid lockdowns, we found ourselves in an interesting position.  It was the first time in forever that tank space wasn’t a struggle, and the opportunity for lagers opened up.

Around this time, you may have noticed a bit of a lager boom for UK breweries. Whilst breweries were never quite sure of if and when pubs and bars would open back up, or if they’d have to shut down production indefinitely, the threat of beers wasting away in tank was real. . One answer to this was lager. As “lagering” is the process of time, it’s a style that allows beers to sit for longer if necessary, withoudocut a detrimental effect. In simple terms, a genuine get out of jail card during a tumultuous time. 

Enter Pastel Pils - our take on a classic Italian Lager. Another beer that’s been through a few changes, from an initial ABV reduction, and now Gluten Free. Pastel Pils has become one of our most popular beers. What started out as an experimental solution during tough times has become a popular, and now award winning staple part of our output. It’s also one of our favourite label designs!

Judges Comments - Visually striking with superb clarity and a dark gold colour. The palate delivered a lovely dryness with a good interplay of bready malt and lemon citrus, leading to a satisfying bitter finish and good mouthfeel. A well made pilsner, crystal clear with interesting floral notes on the nose. 

What is the Great Taste Awards

“Recognised as a reliable stamp of excellence among consumers, retailers and major food buyers alike, Great Taste success can be the gateway to exciting opportunities for food and drink producers”

The Great Taste Awards are promoted by the Guild of Fine Food and support food & drink producers from the UK and overseas.

The awards are an independently judged benchmark for product evaluation, which gives end consumers confidence in a product. Since 1994, more than 150,000 products have been through the judging process, which includes blind tasting by selected chefs, buyers, retailers, restaurateurs, food critics and writers - people you can trust!

As the judging is blind, packaging, hype and reputation are irrelevant. The only thing they’re looking for is the overall flavour, aroma, appearance and quality of a product - in our case, beer. The name says it all. It’s all about great taste!

Where to find these beers

We’re delighted to have these awards on these beers, and we hope that you get to try them soon. Here’s where you can buy these beers. 

Soundwave - Online, Tap Yard, Waitrose and all good craft beer bars - including all Craft Beer Co’s

Pompelmocello - Online, Tap Yard, Morrisons 

Pastel Pils - Online, Tap Yard, George & Dragon