Beer judges savour task of choosing a champion

THE BEST beer in Britain, after four recounts, and for the next 12 months, is a ruby-coloured Old Ale called Norfolk Nog from the tiny Woodforde brewery in the village of Woodbastwick.

This smooth and warming wintery noggin was chosen by an eclectic panel at the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia, London, yesterday. One of its members, Lady Catherine Maxwell-Stuart, who brews commercially at her castle at Traquair in the Scottish borders, liked the maltiness of the Nog. 'I'd drink that,' she commented decisively.

Bill Tidy, the beer-loving cartoonist, was more concerned with Ridley's India Pale Ale, from Chelmsford, Essex. It won the category for bitter, but Mr Tidy thought it was 'full of nails'.

'Metallic,' explained a brewing scientist, Keith Thomas, who runs classes on good and bad flavours in beer at a London polytechnic.

Fritz Maytag, who brews Anchor Steam Beer in San Francisco, was taken with the hoppiness of a Yorkshire nectar, Timothy Taylor's Landlord, which won the category for special bitter. The same brewery won a prize for its Golden Best mild.

Colin Dexter, the author and creator of Inspector Morse, was fond of Hop Back Summer Lightning, from Salisbury, which was chosen as the best strong ale. 'My only qualification for judging is that I drink a lot of beer,' he sighed. 'I can't think of a better qualification,' suggested Mr Tidy, who conceded that he was getting confused by the time the barley wine arrived. That category was won by another Salisbury brew, Gibbs Mew Bishop's Tipple.

By the time the panel had settled upon its favourite porter, from the Bateman's brewery, in Lincolnshire, the thirsty hordes of the public were beating at the door for the 5.30pm opening. The hall holds 10,000, and by the time the festival finishes on Saturday, around 50,000 people are expected to have sampled more than 300 real ales from 134 breweries. First to the Norfolk Nog was Andrea Oldfield, a primary school teacher from Ealing, west London. 'It smells lovely,' she said, 'and it tastes gorgeous.'

(Photograph omitted)