ST AUSTELL Brewery's authentic Proper Job ale will be competing for the title of Champion Beer of Britain 2013 this summer after being judged the best in the South West region.
Cornwall's premier independent brewery is celebrating winning a haul of awards in the CAMRA South West beer competition, which included a gold medal for Proper Job, judged Champion Golden Ale of the South West for both cask and bottled ales.
The recipe for Proper Job IPA (India Pale Ale) was inspired by the nineteenth century British beers which were brewed with extra hops to keep them fresh on the long journey to India and other outreaches of the British Empire.
Head brewer Roger Ryman said: "Proper Job's ingredients of Cornish spring water, Cornish grown Maris Otter barley, Willamette, Chinook and Cascade hops, make it a truly authentic IPA from Cornwall, hence the name Proper Job."
It will go forward to compete for the title of Champion Beer of Britain 2013 in the Great British Beer Festival held in London this August. It is the first time that CAMRA has chosen the finalist for its national awards from its regional winners.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, also awarded St Austell Brewery a host of other prestigious prizes at its regional awards ceremony for the South West region, covering a large area stretching from Cornwall to Gloucestershire.
The brewery's multi-award winning Tribute Cornish Pale Ale, HSD cask and Black Prince Mild Ale each came an honourable third in their respective categories, winning bronze awards after beating off major competition from other beers.
Rod Davis, area co-coordinator for the CAMRA South West region, visited the brewery in St Austell to hand over the awards to head brewer Roger Ryman and his team.
CAMRA's Rod Davis said: "I am delighted at the success Roger Ryman and his team have achieved in bringing these beers so far in the national competition, in which around 1,000 cask ale brewers are eligible to be entered.
"And as Cornwall is in my home CAMRA branch, I'm of course doubly delighted that a Cornish beer will be in competition on the national stage in August for the title of Champion beer of Britain 2013."
Roger Ryman added: "We are absolutely delighted to see Proper Job honoured in these awards and going forward to compete nationally at the Great British Beer Festival, as well as to receive these other awards from CAMRA.
"This is a real endorsement of the investment the brewery has made in recent years in its facilities, staff and developing products."
CAMRA, which has campaigned for real ale since 1971, has 140,000 members who vote for their favourite beer every year in a nationwide survey. In the South West region, more than 700 beers were eligible for prizes, including 100 golden ales.
The top six in each section as voted for by members were then judged at CAMRA beer festivals, including the recent Plymouth Beer Festival, through a blind 'taste-off' event.
Proper Job cask was judged the best golden ale in the South West, while the bottled version also achieved the same top gold award.
Tribute cask won bronze in the best bitters category; HSD cask a bronze in strong bitters, and Black Prince a bronze in the milds.
St Austell Brewery has been brewing beer and real ale in Cornwall since 1851, and also operates 168 historic and picturesque pubs, hotels and inns across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
The Great British Beer Festival takes place at London's Olympia from August 13 to 17 where St Austell Brewery will be running a Cornish bar for the capital's beer lovers.
