8 Sail Brewery won two golds and a silver medal at the recent SIBA East (Society of Independent Brewers) Beer Competition 2014 held at Elgoods Brewery, Wisbech on 25th September 2014. Old Colony won Gold in the Strong Bitters category and Victorian Porter took the top prize in the Bottled Porter, Milds, Old Ales and Stouts category. Millwright Mild picked up the silver medal in the Standard Mild Ales category. These beers were nominated by sixty-nine judges and selected from over 150 cask ales and 90 bottles beers entered into the competition. The SIBA East Region covers an area from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in the west and across to the east coast from the Thames to the Humber.

This recent success follows on from the award of a Silver Medal for the Victorian Porter in the CAMRA East Midlands Region ‘Real Ale In A Bottle’ category and its subsequent representation at the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia, London earlier this year.

At the official opening of the windmill's New Sails Celebration, held on Lincolnshire Day, 8 Sail had a barrel of Rolling Stone available for the all guests. This red ale looked and tasted remarkably like the Kibbled 4.6% ale that was on offer the following week-end when 8 Sail held their Wild 'n' Green Beer Festival.

The beer fest had a good range of the brewery's beers including their Green Man at 4.2% green hopped with Golding fresh from the bine at Pridewood Farm, Herefordshire (see Fenman report for details of the trip). Other ales included the now famous Millwright Mild, Bournville- a chocolate flavoured mild, Windmill Special, Golden Hop (with local grown wild hops), Millstone, and Imperial Oat Meal Stout (6.8%). In addition were Animal Brewing Co. Mole (4.6%) and Bacchus Hotel Brewery best bitter, as well as Stickford Cyder- Just Desserts. To accompany the beer was the Threshing Week-end with steam engines and equipment at the rear of the mill. A grand week-end indeed for all.