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Campaigning for good beer in good pubs in north Lancashire and the Ingleborough area

CAMRA Lunesdale

Local ale’s festival triumph

Cross Bay brewing team

A local brew defeated fifty other contenders to become Best Beer at a festival held recently in Morecambe.

Drinkers at the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) first ever Morecambe Beer Festival voted Cross Bay brewery’s Zenith Beer of the Festival, and this week a formal presentation was made at a prominent Morecambe pub. And the brewery team were on hand to chat to customers about their beers and the brewing process.

Regulars and guests packed the York Hotel to see Cross Bay’s Head Brewer Nick Taylor receive the framed certificate from festival organiser George Palmer. The evening also saw the presentation of cheques to local charities made up of contributions from visitors to the August festival and Lancaster firm Potts Pies, who donated 10% of their takings at the event.

“It’s great that, against keen competition, this award was won by a local firm,” George Palmer said. Nick Taylor said it was a “singular honour” for a Cross Bay beer to get the award and wished the festival every success in future years.

Receiving a cheque on behalf of the RNLI, Lifeboat Operations Manager Michael Guy expressed his gratitude to festival goers, as did Evelyn Archer who accepted a cheque on behalf of the Friends of the Winter Gardens.

CAMRA rep Julian Holt said, “To see the potential of localism look no further than this event. The festival was organised and run by local people, a local brewer won top award, the presentation is in a great little local and the beneficiaries are two local charities. That’s the community in action.”

This is not the first win for Cross Bay’s Zenith, a 5% pale ale described as “light and zesty.” Earlier this year it won the Lancashire Cup Champion Strong award at Lancaster Beer Festival.