A British company’s lager has been named the best in the world

Beer can normally be divided on a country-by-country basis. Us Brits are great at ales, while our European cousins are the masters when it comes to lagers.

But now it’s time to forget everything you thought you knew, because the best lager in the world is – wait for it – British. Perhaps those expensive pints of everything were worth it after all.

The 2017 Beer Awards, put on by the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) Group, has been handing out a bunch of different awards for different varieties of beer.

So, how has a British company taken top honours in the unlikeliest of categories? Well, the answer is obvious.

It’s a brand with German roots which has made a German-style beer in the heart of beer country, Bavaria.

Hofmeister Helles took home the award, and if you think the name doesn’t remind you of high-end beers you’d be right.

The brewery recently reinvented itself, after being thought of as something of a lads’ lager back in the 80s.

You might even remember their ‘Follow the bear’ ads, starring what can only really be described as a ‘furry geezer’.

However now they’re as far removed from that as you can get, pushing out craft lager like their Helles brand, after its new British owners revived the brand two years ago after a 12-year hiatus.

“It’s light, bright and very drinkable. Very well balanced. It is hard to cut corners when brewing a beer of this style,” judge Tim Hampson is quoted as saying by The Independent.

While Hofmeister Helles was recognised as a five-star beer, a number of other British brewing companies received four-star honours for their beers.

These include Marstons’ ’61 Deep’ (in the Pale Ale category), Purple Moose Brewery Ltd’s ‘Chocolate Moose’ (Sweet Stout) and Yeastie Boys’ ‘Digital IPA’ (India Pale Ale).

A full list of winners can be found here.

(Main Image: Hofmeister/Twitter)