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How a tiny Rossendale back-street brewery beat 1,200 beers to national final

"This is the first time that a brewery from East Lancashire has got that far in at least 15, if not 20 years."

[Rossendale Brewery Brewer Shane Brown, with Secretary of East Lancs CAMRA Alan Cottam with a glass of Halo Pale and thew certificate for Landlord of The Griffin Alejandro Romero]

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Rossendale Brewery Brewer Shane Brown, with Secretary of East Lancs CAMRA Alan Cottam with a glass of Halo Pale and thew certificate for Landlord of The Griffin Alejandro Romero

An ale brewed in Rossendale was picked from 1,200 as one of the best in Britain.

Just nine ales were selected for the Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, Premium Blond and Gold section of the Champion Beer of Britain competition. Halo Pale has been a staple on the bar at The Griffin in Haslingden, having first being introduced by former owner David Porter in 2007; he founded Rossendale Brewery in the cellars of the Hud Rake pub 32 years ago.

Since 2022, Cuban-born Alejandro Romero has been the landlord and owner of the brewery and he said Halo Pale is always on tap.

Brewer Shane Brown said: It is an honour to be a finalist and great that a little back street brewery came in the top nine in the UK. It is a great achievement.

It was a visit to The Griffin by a CAMRA member from West Craven that turned the spotlight on the brew that was described in the tasting notes as malty and fruity with resiny hops. More than 1,200 ales were put forward to CAMRA and the process of choosing the Best in Britain takes up to 18 months.

At the Cambridge Beer Festival, Alejandro and the team brought two Northern brews to the beer connoisseurs and sold out of the eight barrels of Halo Pale and two of Pitch Porter over the three days. For the first time, the festival also hosted CAMRAs Champion Beer of Britain Competition.

Secretary of East Lancs CAMRA Alan Cottam, attended The Griffin to present Alejandro with a special certificate in recognition of Halo Pales national success; he is also the CAMRA liaison officer for Rossendale Brewery.

Alan said: The 1,200 beers that were put forward came from about 550 breweries. All of those were then sampled and the best ones made it through to the presentation at the Cambridge Beer Festival.

Chairman of East Lancs CAMRA Thomas Fishwick said: No one knew this was happening. This is the first time that a brewery from East Lancashire has got that far in at least 15, if not 20 years. The beer cream has risen to the top. There is always a warm welcome at The Griffin.

Alejandro, who is hoping to buy the building outright, said: It takes us five to six days to brew Halo Pale; the warmer the weather the longer it takes to ferment. Every three weeks we brew another 26 barrels. Our best seller is Floral Dance, a Session Beer, whereas Halo Pale is a Premium Beer, but easy to drink and full of flavour.

I am very happy that we were put forward; it is all thanks to the fantastic team we have at The Griffin and Rossendale Brewery. We are looking forward to welcoming lots of people here to try it.

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