Success in World Beer Awards for Dorset brewer

Independent Dorset brewer Badger Brewery has won a slew of medals in the recent World Beer Awards, taking a total of eight accolades for both its established Premium Bottled Ales (PBAs) and its craft beer brand Outland, launched last year.
Outland Ginger Pale Ale won both a Gold medal and a Country Winner award in the Flavoured Beer category, with Badger's Blandford Fly and Cranborne Poacher both taking Silver medals in the same class. Outland Milk Stout and Outland West Coast IPA won Silver and Bronze medals respectively, while Badger's Fursty Ferret and Master Stoat Coffee Stout both took Bronze medals.

The World Beer Awards are held annually. A panel of expert judges tastes beers from across the world, choosing the best in different beer categories and awarding Bronze, Silver, Gold and Country Winner medals as well as a World's Best Award in each.
The WBA medals follow success for Badger in the Great Taste Awards earlier this year, where Fursty Ferret won a 2-star award, and a 1-star medal went to Cranborne Poacher. Great Taste is the world's largest food and drink accreditation scheme. Food and drink is tasted by more than 500 chefs, buyers, food writers and retailers, who award 1-, 2- or 3-star accolades.

Toby Heasman Head Brewer of Badger Brewery said: 'We pride ourselves on the quality of our beers and winning awards is always a cause for celebration at Badger. We're delighted with this wonderful endorsement of our beers, which is reflective of our commitment to always brew the best beers we can, using the finest ingredients.
'It was especially pleasing to win a Country Winner accolade for our Outland Ginger Pale Ale, as we only launched the range 18 months ago. Award wins like this validate our decision to move into the craft beer sector, to complement our traditional Premium Bottled and Cask Ales.

'These awards recognise the outstanding taste of our beers, which are created by our brewing team. We are grateful to them for their hard work to ensure that our Premium Bottled Ales and innovative Outland beers consistently deliver the great taste that our loyal drinkers expect. Watch this space as we are regularly launching new variants to appeal to craft beer consumers.'
The winning beers:

Outland, available in 440ml cans and on draught in Hall & Woodhouse pubs

• Ginger Pale Ale: a 5% spicy and sweet, naturally hazy pale ale with the ginger taking centre stage. Brewed with WGV and Goldings hops, offering refreshing, balanced yet punchy flavours.

• Milk Stout: a 5.2% rich, dark and smooth stout with indulgent flavours of cocoa, coconut and vanilla, along with dark, roasted malt and subtle hop notes.

• West Coast IPA: a 5% bold, citrussy IPA, made from a tasty trio of Amarillo, Cascade and Mosaic hops to give it a deep bronze colour, punchy citrus flavours, and a powerful hop character.

Badger PBAs, available in 500ml bottles and on draught in Hall & Woodhouse pubs
• Master Stoat: a 5% coffee stout launched in 2023, as part of Badger's relaunched PBA range. Dark, caramelised biscuity notes and a smooth, lasting coffee finish.

• Blandford Fly: a 5.2% sweet and spicy golden ale with a refreshingly different ginger taste, offset with hints of sweet toffee.

• Fursty Ferret: a 4.1% amber ale, malty and full-bodied with moreish hoppy notes.

• Cranborne Poacher: a 5.7% rich, fruity ruby ale with notes of damson and liquorice.