Press Release
Issued: Thursday 6 August 2009
CAMRA releases new edition of Good Bottled Beer Guide
Over 1,300 beers listed in pocket beer bible!
'Britain's Brewers have gone bottling crazy. In short, there are more bottled beers than ever now on sale, and real ale in a bottle is playing a major role in this expansion.'
(Jeff Evans, Good Bottled Beer Guide author)
- Review and a limited number of competition copies of this new book are available by contacting CAMRA at jon.howard@camra.org.uk
- A jacket cover of the Good Bottled Beer Guide can be downloaded here.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has today announced the release of a new edition of its best-selling pocket 'beer bible', the Good Bottled Beer Guide.
The Guide, now in its 7th edition, is an exhaustively researched compilation on everything to do with the thriving world of the bottled beer market, completely revised and updated by internationally acclaimed beer author, Jeff Evans.
With over 1,300 different bottle-conditioned* beers listed in this new edition, CAMRA is pleased to report that UK and international brewers have lost none of their bottle, and are in fact producing more beers than ever for drinkers to enjoy as a supplement to the pub-going experience.
After all, when CAMRA was founded in 1971, there were only 5 bottle-conditioned beers in regular production!
Jeff Evans, Good Bottled Beer Guide author, said:
'The growth in premium bottled ales shows no sign of ending. In fact, it seems to be picking up speed. Three years ago when we published the last edition of the Good Bottled Beer Guide, there were around 800 'real ales in a bottle' on the market.
'For this new edition, I was staggered to discover more than 1,300! Many of them come from Britain's small, craft breweries but big companies such as Fuller's, Greene King, Marston's, Shepherd Neame and Wells & Young's all have real ales in a bottle, too. The choice for the drinker in the off-trade has never been better, especially as you can find real ale in a bottle in a wide variety of outlets from giant supermarkets to country farm shops.'
In the latest edition of the Guide, Evans provides a definitive list of UK brewers currently producing bottle-conditioned beers, as well as an exclusive compilation of individual recommendations, taste-tested to ensure quality and categorised by beer style for greater usability.
Outstanding brews and recommended brewers are also highlighted in the reference book by a star and rosette system to give the reader further advice on quality bottled beer. With the aid of tasting notes, ingredients, brewery details, and a beer glossary, the Guide is the most comprehensive bottled beer guide to date, and a perfect point of reference for curious beer drinkers.
As well as an additional list of some recommended international beers available in UK retailers, the Guide offers the reader the chance to locate their nearest beer outlet, whether it be a small retailer, specialist beer shop, or internet mail order company.
The Good Bottled Beer Guide is back bigger and more informative than ever, and all thanks to the continuing innovation and craft of the UK and international Brewing industry!
Evans concluded:
'Brewers seem to be as imaginative as ever. We've seen some truly novel creations, with unusual ingredients including brandy, rum, port, vanilla pods, chocolate, coffee, fruit, fennel, ginger, coriander, lemongrass, and black pepper. All these and more are featured in the book.'
CAMRA's Good Bottled Beer Guide by Jeff Evans is now available from all good retailers, and the CAMRA shop (www.camra.org.uk/shop), priced £10.99 for CAMRA members, and £12.99 for non-members. The book will be on sale throughout the Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, August 4th-8th 2009.
END
Notes to editors:
* 'Bottle-conditioned beer' is also classified as 'real ale in a bottle'. These terms are used to describe beers which continue to ferment and mature in the bottle, just as real ale in a cask (cask-conditioned beer) matures in the pub cellar.
- In 2004, CAMRA launched the 'Real Ale in a Bottle' accreditation scheme, a simple system whereby breweries acquire special logos to display on their bottle-conditioned beers. For more information on CAMRA's Real Ale in a Bottle scheme, please visit www.camra.org.uk/raib
- CAMRA's Real Ale in a Bottle Retailer Awards is a biennial competition launched to raise awareness amongst retailers about bottle-conditioned beer. The Awards will next commend small, large and online retailers in 2010.
- Jeff Evans is an internationally-known beer writer. He has now written seven editions of CAMRA's best-selling Good Bottled Beer Guide and edited eight editions of its sister publication the Good Beer Guide. Jeff won the Coors Brewers National Journalism Award in 2008 for his book A Beer A Day. Among his other books are The Book of Beer Knowledge, a miscellany of beer facts and fun. Jeff is resident beer taster for both Beers of the World and All About Beer (US) magazines. He has been judged 'Beer Writer of the Year' by his colleagues in the British Guild of Beer Writers.
For further information:
CAMRA Press Office (3-8 August 2009) - 020 7244 3925
Jon Howard, Press Officer - 07939 425471
Tony Jerome, Press and Marketing Manager - 07736 948186
Louise Ashworth, Head of Marketing - 07740 844733
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