We are absolutely over the moon here at The Driftwood Spars Brewery and Pub! We are celebrating a massive win this week after one of our beers was awarded Gold in the Barley Wines and Strong Ales category, and the Bronze medal overall at the CAMRA Champions Beer Festival held in Cambridge.
Our very own Alfie’s Revenge, brewed right here in St Agnes, reached the prestigious Festival—which celebrates the absolute best beers in the UK—by winning a Gold Medal at the CAMRA Winter Beer Festival back in February. Our Head Brewer, Tim Lawrence, and I were lucky enough to be up in Cambridge in person to celebrate this incredible success.
Honouring a Legacy
This beer holds a very special place in our hearts. It was originally created by our fformer Head Brewer, Pete Martin, who sadly passed away in 2020. Pete's legacy has been lovingly continued by Tim, who has brought the beer to its current, award-winning form.
If you've never tried it, here are the official CAMRA tasting notes for Alfie’s Revenge:
A very smooth and rich strong red ale with a deep malt aroma. It features a nutty and earthy malt flavour with sweetness and a kaleidoscope of dried and stone fruit flavours. Expect a gentle bitterness with spicy and red berry notes, leading into a long malty, fruity, and slightly dry finish.
Tim and I are just delighted that Alfie’s Revenge won Bronze at the Champion Beer of Great Britain competition. We feel like we are truly keeping Pete Martin’s legacy alive—especially since he originally won gold for Alfie’s at the Champion Winter Beer Competition back in 2012. Tim still uses the exact same recipe that Pete developed when it was first brewed around 2009. It’s fantastic that this much-loved beer is still recognised as a quality brew, and it really validates our ongoing drive to continue producing high-quality cask beer.
Praise from Cornwall CAMRA
We were also thrilled to get a shoutout from Vince Curtis, Vice Chair of Cornwall CAMRA, the organisation that originally nominated the beer for the Winter Beer Festival. He said:
"Cornwall CAMRA are delighted to hear that Driftwood Spars - Alfie's Revenge was awarded Bronze in the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2026 competition held at Cambridge Beer Festival. Judging for the competition takes place over two years and starts with nominations from CAMRA members and CAMRA Tasting Panels, regional competitions then take place culminating in the Champion Beer of Britain final. All judging is done by blind tasting which means judges are not aware of which beer they are drinking. Heartiest congratulations on this fantastic achievement to Driftwood Spars Brewery, it shows how vibrant and successful Cornish breweries are."
The Legend of Alfie
For those who don't know the story, Alfie’s Revenge is named after a stuffed squirrel that used to be displayed right here in our pub. Alfie would often "go off on travels" around the Parish, but he was always returned. Then, some time in 2009, he left for good and never came back. These days, he gets the blame for absolutely anything that goes wrong in the pub!
A Winning Streak
This success at the CAMRA Festivals continues an incredible winning streak for our brewery lately. On top of the Gold and Bronze for Alfie's Revenge, we also recently took home:
2 Gold Awards at the Taste of the West Awards 2026 for Midnight Skinny Dipper and Stippy Stappy.
4 Silver Medals at The SIBA Tucker’s Maltings Festival at Newton Abbott in April.
We couldn't be prouder of our team. If you want to try our award-winning brews for yourself, they are available to buy at our brewery shop or via mail order on our website at www.driftwoodsparsbrewery.com.
Cheers to Pete, to Tim, and to everyone who keeps supporting Cornish independent beer!
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