Along with celebrating 15 years of brewing in 2024, Ilkley Brewery is now celebrating winning two awards.
Its lager, Slake, picked up the 2024 Best Premium Packaged Lager in the UK award from The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), and the brewery’s Alcohol-Free Milk Stout, Nowt Mary, scooped the Gold medal in the World Alcohol-Free Drinks Awards as the best dark alc-free beer in the world!
SIBA holds regional competitions followed by a blind tasted national competition with industry expert judges, while the World Alcohol Free Drinks Awards is the world’s largest alcohol-free drinks competition.
Luke Raven, the brewery’s co-owner, said this of winning the awards: “It’s always nice to receive recognition, but to be awarded as the UK’s Best Lager and the World’s Best AF Dark Beer, by such esteemed judges as SIBA and WAFA is truly overwhelming.
“I’m so incredibly proud of the team here, who have put in so much work developing the recipes, fine-tuning and perfecting their craft, and then getting it out there into the hands of thirsty drinkers.”
Set against an increasingly challenging industry backdrop, in 2024 Ilkley Brewery has already seen further expansion with two new fermenters installed ready for new beer development, including no less than three new Low & No beers launching in the summer.