Northern Irish Hercules Brewing wins in Global Beer Masters

Hercules Brewing Company, the leading Northern Irish craft brewery, has won two medals for quality and taste in the inaugural Global Beer Masters.

The craft brewery, based in Belfast, gained a silver medal in the Medium Ale category for its Yardsman Pale Ale (ABV 4.80%) and a bronze in Lager Light for its Yardsman Irish Craft Lager (ABC5.60%).

Hercules was the only Northern Ireland company to achieve success in the prestigious awards. It was up against international brands such as San Miguel and Tuborg, also bronze winners in Light Lager.

Niall McMullan, founder and managing director of Hercules Brewing Company, says the medals are "a fabulous boost for our brewing business at the end of 2016". This important endorsement positions us for even faster growth in the year ahead. It's immensely encouraging."

Hercules Brewing Company was the first craft brewery to open in Belfast in over 100 years and builds on a tradition of brewing in Belfast, which dates back to 1855. It uses traditional Irish linen to filter the beers.

Mr McMullan, who has vast experience in the drinks industry, adds: "Hercules Brewing Company puts craft and local at the heart of everything we do. We now have a successful range of lagers, ales and stout." It employs around seven people in Belfast.

The Global Beer masters is a competition from the drinks business and an extension of its successful Masters series for wines and spirits. The world's best beers were recognised and judged by an experienced team of experts.

The awards recognise the growth of the industry which now includes more than 1,700 brewers when there were just 250 in the 1990s.

The objective of the competition is to help to identify the best craft beers within the established framework of the global awards scheme for wines and spirits. The inaugural Global Beer Masters was launched in London in August.

Shane McNamara, who is the technical officer at the Institute of Brewing & Distilling, adds: "Overall, the quality of the lager category remained high, and I presume that this is because the majority of lager produced around the world is still brewed by larger and/or long-standing breweries with the technical competence and knowhow to produce a difficult beer to brew; a lager will hide no mistakes by the brewer due to its often delicate nature."