Head First - Three Gold Stars for Bottled Otter Head

What a great journey.  Early on in the year, a few samples of beer were packed off to the Guild of Fine Food HQ in Wincanton as our entry into the 2008 Great Taste Awards.  Then they asked for a few more bottles for the next round of judging and then more!  "Where is it all going?" we asked.  Still, they wanted a few more.  "What a great scam" we thought as we wrapped the final pack!

What we didn't realise was that the beer was being judged by a panel of judges as esteemed as some of the food and drink they were judging!  We had Charles Campion, Tom Parker-Bowles, Mark Hix and Nigel Barden to name but a few.

Click here for a clip of the Awards Ceremony which will give you a good flavour of what it was all about.

With hearts pounding in nervous anticipation we awaited the results and, amazingly, we took Best Speciality for the South West - sponsored by Taste of the West.  Not only that, we went on to take reserve Best Speciality for England and also Reserve Supreme Champion, sponsored by Fortnum and Mason.

Otter Head was among 72 products to have its taste and quality recognised by being awarded 3 Gold Stars by the Guild of Fine Food.  But it was only during the ceremony that we realised that the beer had made it from one of 4,700 products to the top 3 - well done the Guild, well voted the panel and well brewed ‘David'.