A CLEOBURY Mortimer brewery is celebrating after being awarded regional accolades at the recent Campaign for Real Ale West Midlands Beer of the Year competition.

Hobsons’ Old Henry and Town Crier bottles picked up the gold and bronze medals respectively in the Real Ale in a Bottle Light category.

The company first brewed Old Henry in 1994 and later bottled the strong auburn ale in 2002 when it started its own bottling plant.

Old Henry will now go forward to the national Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Champion Beer of Britain competition held in August.

Tim Sant, bottling manager, said: “Both of these beers have been among our best selling beers for more than ten years and still craft brewed with the same care and expertise.

“They are a great representation of what we stands for. Old Henry embodies the Hobsons art of brewing beyond their weight and Town Crier hails our community spirit.”

Both beers are brewed with British hop varieties locally sourced from the Hopshires region together with Maris Otter malting barley grown within 30 miles of the brewery.

No stranger to the Beer of the Year competition, Hobsons picked up the top award in 2007 being crowned Champion Beer of Britain with its cask Mild.