Winners and photos from the 2012 Beer and Pie Challenge

Kate salutes her own victory in emphatic style
as Ham minesweeps the dregs

We knew it was a potentially explosive mix: the union of beer and pie in a single, festive competition, but sometimes you just have to roll the dice. In the ensuing mushroom cloud of shortcrust pastry and ale suds, all record of the event was strangely lost. Only now has it been reconstructed from old photos, graphic flashbacks and through a series of secret meetings with a shady insider known only as 'Deep Throat'.

Despite losing a fair few of the regular brewers to Christmas engagements, we still racked up a cracking 11 beers in two categories and a wildly impressive array of 12 pies fit to make a Frenchman choke on his petit fours. You are all a credit to the sterling traditions of Beer & Pie and towering examples of can-do spirit.

In addition we raised £50 for the RNLI. Every year we're one step closer to that crucial Chertsey lifeboat. You never know when the big one's coming.

Belated but heartfelt thanks go to our inestimable and often halfway sober beer judge Hugo Anderson; to the happiest man in Chertsey whose cherubic grin said all that needs to be said about the relationship between earthly bliss and a decent slice of pie, our pie judge, Rob Betteridge; and to Tony, the landlord of the Crown, who has apparently spent most of the year in renovations entirely based on the fallout from the Challenge. We salute you.

Pics will shortly be on Flickr and the full results are listed below!

From left: Rt Hon Hugo 'Pamela' Anderson (Beer Judge); Richard 'Ale Whale' Cable (Best Vintage - award assistant Jessame); Jaego 'Thor's Hammer' Cable (Best Label); Kate 'Arse, Drink, Feck, Cake' Smyth-Davys (Best Beer - award held by Hamilton); Richard 'Special Projects' Jones (Best Name), Rod 'Six To Win' Hardcastle (Best Pie); Rob ' Paul Hollywood' Betteridge (Pie Judge)

(If you have any pics to share, send them to me and I'll add them to the gallery)

Best beer (grand prix)
Blind tasting letter included as key to the accompanying image.

Click on the image to enlarge. Couldn't sort
the orientation - bloody Blogspot.

1. The Happy Beer (Kate Smyth-Davys) S
2. Hoppy Christmas (Big Gay Al) R
3. Santa Booze (Emma Willingale) M
= 4. Bunga Bunga Beer (Pippo Ajroldi) J
= 4. John Barleycorn's Blood (Paul Joyce) E
5. The Grinch (Richard Cable) G
6. Ruck Over (Myles Willingale) P
= 7. Fishpond Ale (Richard Jones) K
= 7. Beer-trude and Gris-ale-da (Rod Hardcastle) Q
= 7. Furback (Ewan Forrest) O

Best pie

1. Rod Hardcastle

Best vintage

1. Second Coming (Richard Cable)
Also placed equal 4th in the main compeition. Also only entrant in the Vintage category.

Best name

1. Fishpond Ale (Richard Jones)

Best label

1. The Grinch (Jaego Cable)


Prize winners and photos from the 2011 Beer Challenge [LINK]
Prize winners and photos from the 2010 Beer Challenge [LINK]
Prize winners and photos from the 2009 Beer Challenge [LINK]