Southwold-brewed Adnams Old Ale has been named Champion Beer of East Anglia by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
The contest involves 'blind' judging of cask-conditioned beers at CAMRA festivals around the region, with entries being nominated by the organisation's local branches and tasting panels.
Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded for 10 different styles of beer, with the gold winners then being judged for the overall title.
Adnams Old Ale, which is brewed to a recipe dating from 1890 and is only available from October to January, won the category for Old Ales/Strong Milds for the third year in a row before going on to claim the top honour, with Adnams also picking up gold in the Bitters category, with its flagship Southwold Bitter.
Runner-up overall was Night Porter from Cambridge Brew House, which won gold in the Porters category, with third place going to Oakham Citra, which claimed gold in the Golden Ales category.
The other category gold awards included: Milds, Winter's Mild; Best Bitters, Brentwood Best; Strong Bitters, 3 Brewers of St Albans Special English Ale; Speciality Beers, Moonshine Chocolate Orange Stout; Stouts, Milton Marcus Aurelius; and Barley Wines/Strong Old Ales, Green Jack Ripper Tripel.
The awards were organised by CAMRA volunteers Paul Moorhouse and Kathy Hadfield-Moorhouse and announced following final judging at the Colchester Winter Ales Festival.
Mr Moorhouse said: 'I am delighted that Adnams has won the overall gold medal with its Old Ale. Old Ales are not widely available these days, but this beer is a delight and is very popular every year when it is produced for the winter months.'
Southwold-based Adnams is also celebrating another honour after receiving the Edie Sustainability Leaders Award for Water Management, recognising its industry-leading and innovative work in sustainable water stewardship.
Adnams has become the first UK brewer to complete a full lifecycle assessment of its products, examining the consumption and quality of water at all stages of making its beer, from grain to glass.
This build on a previous initiative which saw it become the first UK brewer to complete a carbon assessment of its beers.
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