A BEER brewed in Tortworth has beaten rivals across the West and Wales at a regional awards ceremony being awarded the gold medal.

Nibley Ale, which is produced by Combined Brewers Ltd, was given the top spot in the standard bitters and pale ales at the “Wales and West” beer competition, run by The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

The competition judged beers from 65 independent breweries, which were pitted against each other by 130 judges during the competition, which took place at the Ludlow Spring Festival.

The awards, judged by brewers and beer industry experts, are seen as the pinnacle competition for craft brewers in the region.

Buster Grant, SIBA competition organiser, said: “I would like to congratulate all of the category winners in what was an extremely high standard of competition this year.

“Particular praise must also be given to the overall champions who really are the best of the best in the region.

“I'm sure visitors to the festival are looking forward to getting their hands on these award winning beers.”

The beer festival, which concluded yesterday, allowed members of the public to taste the champion beers, along with around 200 others, in the setting of Ludlow Castle.

For more information visit http://www.ludlowspringfestival.co.uk