In a remarkable reversal of fortunes for one of Britain's best loved beers, Royal Oak Pale Ale—saved from the brink of extinction by Phoenix Imports, Ltd. and now brewed by O'Hanlon's Brewing Co. Ltd.—has won the prestigious Brewing Industry International Gold Award for its class on its return to competition. Juries of professional brewers from all over the world judged it the premier bottled beer in the hotly-contested class of Bottled Ales from 4.4% to 5.1% abv—a fiercely competitive sector which includes most of the premium bottled ales on sale in England.

Royal Oak is a 5% abv ale, deep amber in color, with a rich malt and fragrant hop aroma. It's memorably rounded, balanced and beautifully soft, with a lasting finish. Like all of O'Hanlon's range, it is bottle conditioned—live in the bottle with the natural yeast sediment which is the hallmark of live, naturally sparkling, non-pasteurised beers.

That Royal Oak has received such an accolade immediately on its return is a tribute both to the original concept and to the application and talent of the O'Hanlon's brewing team. A Gold Medal from the most highly-rated judging panel in British brewing is an outstanding reward for O'Hanlon's ability to faithfully recreate one of the great classics of English country brewing.Once a flagship beer of Britain's South West, Royal Oak was nearly lost forever with the closure of Eldridge Pope's brewing division. Phoenix purchased the brand, and chose O'Hanlon's for the task of recreating this classic beer—which had to live up to the memories of its army of devoted fans around the world. From all reports, O'Hanlon's has not only met those expectations, but exceeded them.

John O'Hanlon notes that "This was very much a team effort. All kinds of people popped up with help and advice. We owe them all our thanks, especially Dan Thomasson, the former Head Brewer at Eldridge Pope whose expert knowledge and enthusiastic collaboration was invaluable. We are delighted with the result and look forward to putting a smile back on the lips of loyal followers of Royal Oak everywhere."

For additional information: royaloakale.com; ohanlons.co.uk; brewingawards.org.