Saltaire Brewery’s Cascade Pale Ale wins ‘Gold’ at SIBA Awards 2007

Saltaire Brewery won the Gold award for its premium bitter, Cascade Pale Ale, at the Society of Independent Brewers’ Northern Region Beer Competition on Saturday, 12th January– less than a year since brewing its first pint.

Over 140 beers battled it out for the awards on offer at the event which was held in Southport, Lancashire. Cascade Pale Ale, a recent addition to the Saltaire Brewery range, won the premium bitter category.

Head Brewer, Tony Gartland, who created the winning recipe, said, “Cascade Pale Ale is an American style pale ale named after the intensely flavoured Cascade hop from California.  It is no secret that American brewers copied the design of great English pale ales (including Timothy Taylors ‘Landlord’) and added locally grown floral and spicy hop varieties to produce a distinctive taste.  I tried to make a beer that recaptured the pale ale style for the English real ale drinker to enjoy. This award tells me I got it right!”

Managing Director, Paul Simpson added, “It’s a fantastic success for a brewery which hasn’t yet celebrated its 1st birthday to be awarded this accolade by a jury comprised of other brewers. We respect the heritage of craft brewing, but will always try to look beyond traditional recipes if it means producing a better beer for our customers.  Cascade Pale Ale is a light flavoursome brew which appeals to the traditional real ale fan but the American hops give it a contemporary twist which will hopefully appeal to a wider audience.  We hope it will become a classic!”

Simpson continued, “Drinkers will be able to try Cascade Pale Ale in most good real ale pubs across the region.  We are also planning to bottle Cascade in the next few weeks. Look out for the unique fresh floral flavour of this beer which the Cascade hop helps to create.”

Saltaire Brewery was formally opened in June 2005 and has produced over 5,000 casks of handcrafted real ale for the drinking public, serving over 300 pubs in the North of England. Its Visitor Centre is a popular venue for those keen to learn more about the science and process of brewing or looking for an unusual location for a special celebration. Watch out for other special events coming soon to mark the brewery’s 1st birthday.

Tony Gartland (Head Brewer) accepts the award from Adele Bates from the award sponsor Flying Firkin.