Bank Top and Big Trip take home top awards at the Indie Beer Awards 2025
The two top awards in cask and keg at the Indie Beer Awards North West have been awarded to Bank Top Brewery in Bolton and Big Trip Brewery in Manchester, in what was a hard-fought competition of the region’s best beers.
Bank Top brewery took home the Overall Champion Gold in cask for the second year running, this time with their strong brown ale ‘Hercules’ which impressed judges with nutty caramel notes and an aromatic, spicy hop aroma. Collecting the award on behalf of the team was Ben Sweeney from Bank Top;
“It’s been a phenomnenal year for us, we picked up national Gold from SIBA earlier this year so to have an even better performance at the North West Awards than last year honestly means the world to me and the team. We were in this same room last week picking up the Bolton business award for hopsitaltiy so to perform like this in the Indie Beer Awards today is abolsutely unbelievable.”
Big Trip were named the best in keg, taking home the Overall Champion Gold for their ‘WTAF’ New England style IPA, a big hazy IPA with flavours of pineapple, mango and peach from the combination modern American hops. Simon Chantler had this to say about Big Trip’s big win;
“Very, very, very pleased to win, just great to be recognised amongst all of these great brewers in the room today, and thankyou to SIBA for organising and all the hard work you guys have put in with these awards – absolutely fantastic.”
The Indie Beer Awards are run by and for independent brewers and are judged by fellow brewers from elsewhere in the UK, as well other representatives from the industry and expert beer judges – making these the much coveted ‘brewers’ choice’ awards in the North West.
Hosting the awards on behalf of SIBA was Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive, “Massive congratulations to all of this year’s winners and in particular Big Trip who beat the best of the best in the hard-fought keg competition, and Bank Top – who managed to take home the Overall Cask Gold for the second consecutive year. The Indie Beer Awards are meticulously organised and judged by experts, with the region’s very best beers fighting it out for medals.”
The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) represents independent craft brewers across the UK, and all the winners of the North West Indie Beer Awards will now go on to the National Finals at the BeerX UK event in Liverpool, March 2025.
Bolton Beer Festival continues today and over the weekend, where all of the award-winning beers will be on sale.
To view the judging and awards presentation photos: click here
Full Winners List: Indie Beer Awards North West
Judged at Bolton Beer Festival, 2nd October 2025
| Brewery | Product | ABV | Award | |||
| Overall Champion of the Cask Beer Competition | Bank Top Brewery | Hercules | 6.5 | GOLD | Champion | |
| Sponsored by Harrison Drury & Co Ltd | Keswick Brewing Co | Dark Horse | 6.0 | SILVER | ||
| Bank Top Brewery | Port O’Call | 5.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask British Bitter (up to 4.4%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | TJ Morris Brewing Ltd | Higson’s Bitter | 3.8 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Cumbrian Ales | Loweswater Gold | 4.3 | SILVER | |||
| Keswick Brewing Co | Keswick Bitter | 3.7 | BRONZE | |||
| Southport Brewery | Eagles Dare | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Moorhouse’s Brewery | Pride of Pendle | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask Session Pale Ale (up to 4.4%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Bowness Bay Brewing | Swan Blonde | 4.0 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Spitting Feathers Brewery | Thirst Quencher | 3.9 | SILVER | |||
| Bank Top Brewery | Harlequin | 4.2 | SILVER | |||
| Big Trip | First Crush | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| Lancaster | Junction 34 | 3.4 | BRONZE | |||
| Great Corby Brewhouse | Tizzie Whizie | 3.4 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask Pale Ales (4.4 to 5.5%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by GEA | Bank Top Brewery | Palomino Rising | 5.0 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Weetwood Ales Ltd | Jester | 4.8 | SILVER | |||
| Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | Blonde | 4.5 | BRONZE | |||
| TJ Morris Brewing Ltd | Love Lane NEIPA | 5.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Spitting Feathers Brewery | Mouth.Pans.Hops | 5.0 | BRONZE | |||
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Wreckless | 4.8 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask Session Dark Beers (up to 4.4%) | ||||||
| Bowness Bay Brewing | Raven Red | 4.2 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Bowland Brewery | Bowland Black | 4.1 | SILVER | |||
| Fuzzy Duck Brewery | Mucky Duck | 4.0 | SILVER | |||
| Great Corby Brewhouse | Fox | 3.4 | SILVER | |||
| Jennings Brewery | Derwent Mild | 3.4 | SILVER | |||
| Keswick Brewing Co | Graphite | 4.4 | SILVER | |||
| Southport Brewery | Dark Night | 3.9 | SILVER | |||
| Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery | Dark Side of the Lune | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| Bank Top Brewery | Dark Mild | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask British Dark Beers (4.5 to 6.4%) | ||||||
| Keswick Brewing Co | Dark Horse | 6.0 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Neptune Brewery | Abyss | 5.0 | SILVER | |||
| Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery | Jubilee Stout | 5.5 | SILVER | |||
| Lancaster | Black | 4.5 | SILVER | |||
| Fuzzy Duck Brewery | Ruby Duck | 5.3 | SILVER | |||
| Spitting Feathers Brewery | Rested.When.Expectant | 4.9 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask British Best Bitter (4.5 to 6.4%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Bank Top Brewery | Pavilion Pale Ale | 4.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Cask IPA (5.6 and over) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Rankin Brothers & Sons | Big Trip | Booyaka | 6.4 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Tatton Brewery | Massive Knut | 6.0 | SILVER | |||
| Cask Speciality Light Beers | ||||||
| Sponsored by UB Plastics | Tatton Brewery | Lazy Haze | 3.7 | BRONZE | ||
| Cask Speciality Amber to Dark Beer | ||||||
| Sponsored by UB Plastics | Bank Top Brewery | Port O’Call | 5.0 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Breakfast Stout | 5.6 | SILVER | |||
| Spitting Feathers Brewery | Honey Trap | 4.1 | BRONZE | |||
| Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | Black Port | 4.9 | BRONZE | |||
| Great Corby Brewhouse | Coffee Milk Stout | 4.5 | BRONZE | |||
| Cask Imperial and Strong (6.5% and over) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Bulk Systems | Bank Top Brewery | Hercules | 6.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Overall Champion of the Keg Beer Competition | Big Trip | WTAF | 6.4 | GOLD | Champion | |
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Less is More Mosaic | 0.5 | SILVER | |||
| Vocation Brewery | Crush Hour | 4.6 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg Session Pale Ale (up to 4.4%) | ||||||
| Weetwood Ales Ltd | Turncoat | 4.0 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Neighbourhood Brew Co | High Dive | 4.0 | SILVER | |||
| Big Trip | Love Struck | 4.2 | SILVER | |||
| Lune Brew Co | Gluten Free Pale Ale | 4.1 | BRONZE | |||
| Okell’s Brewery | Nectar | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Wily Fox Brewery | Prohibition APA | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | Good Vibrations | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Weightless | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| Spitting Feathers Brewery | Think Tank | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV | ||||||
| Sponsored by Murphy & Son | RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Less is More Mosaic | 0.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| Keg Session Lager (up to 4.4%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Sponsored by UB Plastics | TJ Morris Brewing Ltd | Love Lane Lager | 4.0 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Divisionless | 4.0 | SILVER | |||
| Keswick Brewing Co | Glacial Lager | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| Neighbourhood Brew Co | Damn Good Lager | 4.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg Pale Ale (4.5% – 5.5%) | ||||||
| Vocation Brewery | Crush Hour | 4.6 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Moorhouse’s Brewery TA Squawk | MALLARD | 4.5 | SILVER | |||
| Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | Cool The Engines | 5.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Lakes Brew Co | Call of the wild | 5.3 | BRONZE | |||
| Neptune Brewery | Mosaic | 4.5 | BRONZE | |||
| Lancaster | Requiem | 5.4 | BRONZE | |||
| Lune Brew Co | Session IPA | 4.6 | BRONZE | |||
| TJ Morris Brewing Ltd | Love Lane NEIPA | 5.0 | BRONZE | |||
| Neighbourhood Brew Co | Circles | 4.5 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg Premium Lager (4.5% to 6.4%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Sponsored by UB Plastics | Jennings Brewery | Helles | 4.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| SIlent Mill Brew Co | Last Ninja | 5.1 | SILVER | |||
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Godless | 5.4 | SILVER | |||
| Keg Amber, Brown & Red Ale (up to 6.4%) | ||||||
| Neptune Brewery | Hells Canyon | 5.3 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Keg Stout & Porter (6.4% and under) | ||||||
| Wily Fox Brewery | Dublin Up | 4.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Heartless | 4.6 | BRONZE | |||
| Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery | Dark of Side of the Lune | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg IPA (5.6% to 7.4%) | ||||||
| Sponsored by Charles Faram | Big Trip | WTAF | 6.4 | GOLD | Category Champion | |
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Cloudless | 6.4 | SILVER | |||
| Keg Sour & Wild Ale | ||||||
| Lancaster | Androids | 4.5 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd | Behind Blue Eyes | 4.2 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg Speciality & Flavoured Beer | ||||||
| Lakes Brew Co | Don’t Make Me Run | 8.4 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
| Vocation Brewery | Naughty & Nice White Chocolate & Raspberry | 6.6 | SILVER | |||
| RedWillow Brewery Ltd | Restless | 8.4 | BRONZE | |||
| Keg Speciality IPA | ||||||
| Colbier Brew Co. | Arpeggio | 4.9 | GOLD | Category Champion | ||
