LCBF Golden Pints

We’ve been asking for your thoughts on social media for your highlights of the festival. At long last, here’s a round-up of the year, LCBF style, with your thoughts alongside ours!

Best UK Brewery

We said: Burning Sky. The Sussex-based brewery produced banger after banger this year, with beers such as Saison Anniversaire and Coolship Release No. 1 solidifying their place at the top.

You said: Verdant. Possibly the most popular brewery at the festival, the demand for their beers was huge, and they were amongst the first breweries to run out of beer. It’s no surprise, either—they simply keep brewing belters!

Best International Brewery

We said: Mahr’s Brau. Given the tropical heat, we immediately turned to lager to quench our thirst. Mahr’s Helles was light and refreshing, and the slightly stronger ‘aU’ beer was perfect for the evenings.

You said: Lervig. There’s no doubt that Norway’s finest have been knocking it out of the park this year! With their stunning Vault at the festival, to the incredible beers they’re pouring, we can’t wait to see what they’ll do in 2019.

Best UK Beer

We said: The Kernel’s Biere de Saison Crab Apple. A lip-smackingly tart iteration of The Kernel’s staple Saison, some have even said it’s the best beer ever made. Is it? Probably.

You said: Wild Beer Co’s Sleeping Limes. Wild Beer’s Vault proved incredibly popular, from the pouring of one-off specials to the ceremonial Westcombe Cheddar. Their Gose-lager hybrid was the star of the show, however, perhaps due to its zesty citrus punch, and refreshing sessionability.

Best International Beer

We said: Garage’s Hero Image. Garage Brewing’s beers keep getting better, and in a time when some juice becomes indistinguishable from the rest, this DIPA really stood out.

You said: KCBC’s This Is Your Brain On Hops. It was an honour to have one of New York’s most exciting breweries pour with us for the first time, and you clearly thought so too! This Amarillo and Galaxy doubly dry hopped IPA won hearts and palates with its big, bold tropical flavours, and hefty ABV punch!

Best Collab

We said: Space Time Stout Ed. 02. Not that we’re biased (…we are), but how often do you see three of the UK’s best breweries team up with a Scandinavian giant? We LOVE this beer.

You said: Buxton x Omnipollo. The minds behind some of the… weirder.. beers we’ve seen recently teamed up once again to bring their SoftServe to LCBF. It might be December, but we could really go for a pour of the Rasbperry Ice Cream…

Best Festival Shenanigans

We said: BrewDog Overworks. Who’d have thought that Rich Kilcullen, Overworks’ head brewer, could spit such fire for Hip Hop Karaoke?

You said: Hip Hop Karaoke! Who’d have thought that unlimited beer, classic tunes, and karaoke would turn out to be so great? Well, us! It’s certainly something we won’t forget in a hurry.

Best Raise The Bar Brewery

We said: Burnt Mill. This young brewery have grown quite the following, especially in our fair city. They poured some absolute treats at the festival, including their Northern Monk collab, Denali Fog.

You said: Boxcar. Sam’s Table Beer was the perfect beer in the summer heat, and his IPAs were well-balanced and delicious. Although only a small outfit, Boxcar are really making a name for themselves, and it’s easy to see why.

 

Best Food

We said: Pitt Cue. One of London’s barbecue institutions, the festival saw them resurrect an old favourite, and served up some of the best barbecue we’ve had in a good while! Honourable mention goes to Hoppers and Big Apple Hotdogs!

You said: Hoppers. The Sri Lanka- and Tamil Nadu-inspired Soho restaurant-turned-street food bonanza was one of the culinary highlights of LCBF. The Kothu Roti, paired with a tropical pale ale, was heavenly.

2018 was our biggest and best LCBF yet, and we’d like to thank everyone involved for helping us throw such a special party. Here’s to 2019. 🎉🏆🍺