Blue Label Original Amber Ale, brewed by Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, has just been awarded a gold medal in the Pale & Amber Ale: Best Bitter category at this year’s Brussels Beer Challenge. This prestigious award follows the silver medal awarded to Blue Label Ale last year.

Blue Label, relaunched just last year as part of the Farsons Classic Brews range, is an amber coloured, top-fermented ale, hopped and mixed with a special type of mild malt that gives the richly coloured ale a unique, smooth and mild taste.

“Receiving such an impressive accolade from one of the leading international beer competitions in Europe is no small feat for a small independent brewery as is Farsons Brewery. We are extremely proud to add this award to our beers’ long list of international recognitions and applaud our brewing team who work very hard to ensure quality and consistency in all our beers,” said Martin Polidano, head brewer at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.

The Brussels Beer Challenge, the first professional beer competition in Belgium, was created by Becomev (Beer Communications & Events) under the leadership of Luc De Raedemaeker and Thomas Costenoble in 2012 in response to the growing interest in beer culture. The competition offers a unique opportunity for brewers from across the globe to compete with the finest Belgian beers.

The first edition of the challenge took place in 2012 at La Bourse in Brussels with the aim of offering consumers a quality seal awarded by industry members, to promote quality beers and encourage healthy competition within the industry.

The sixth edition of the Brussels Beer Challenge was held in Namur, capital of Wallonia, Belgium. Throughout three days, a tasting panel of 85 professional and international renowned judges tasted 1,512 beers from 40 countries. The participating beers are grouped based on their origin, typicity and style and are judged according to strict, objective criteria. At the end of the three tasting days, the finest beers in each category are awarded a gold, silver or bronze award.

Blue Label Ale is available in 330ml glass bottles, as well as on draught and in 440ml cans, in the hugely popular Smooth & Creamy version.