First & Last Brewery’s latest award proves some of the most exciting flavours in the UK independent beer scene can be found in the flora of Northumberland.
The family-led team took home the Silver Overall Champion of Bottle/Can Beer prize for it foraged Spruce saison at the SIBA National Indie Beer Awards 2026.
The small, independent craft brewery – located in Bellingham in Northumberland – was honoured as Spruce was selected from hundreds of entries from across the UK in the overall category, having won Gold in the Bottle/Can Continental Style category.
Brewed using hand-picked spruce tips foraged in Northumberland, the award win marks a significant milestone for the brewery as it celebrates its 10th year in business.
“These foraged beers are something that I get great pleasure from creating,” says Red Kellie, head brewer and co-owner at First & Last. “I love being outdoors, soaking up the wildness of the Northumberland landscape. It’s about being close to nature and taking the time to select the freshest ingredients, then finding the beer style that best communicates those flavours.”
The brewery has made foraging a cornerstone of its identity – a shift inspired by the slower pace of the 2020 lockdowns. Reconnecting with their homebrewing and country wine-making roots, the team began experimenting with the fruits and flowers of the local countryside.
“I love that these beers are made with Northumberland,” added co-owner Sam Kellie. “They encourage creativity and demand patience as we wait for the seasons to change. They offer a true taste of our region and link our brewery directly into the wider landscape.”
As the ingredients are sourced locally, the flavour profiles of these beers evolve annually, dictated by the sunlight and rainfall of the growing season. This approach reduces environmental impact and celebrates the unpredictability of the natural world – a philosophy that resonated with the national SIBA judging panel.
Spruce is a dry, crisp and gently spicy 4.6% wheat saison, designed to be highly refreshing. Bright lemon zest aromas and subtle pine notes offer a distinctive bite to this thirst-quenching beer, which is brewed using only the freshest, hand-foraged spruce tips.
As part of the brewery’s Made with Northumberland range, Spruce celebrates the beautiful, untamed land where the First & Last team lives and works. Like all the beers in the speciality series, it is vegan-friendly and brewed exclusively with locally sourced and foraged ingredients. It will be brewed again in May, when the spruce tips are next in season.
Meanwhile, four more of the region’s top breweries celebrated success at the SIBA Indie Beer Awards, including:
Cask
Almasty Brewing Company – Believe (Gold – Overall Champion of Cask Beer)
Almasty Brewing Company – Believe (Gold – Cask IPA)
North Pier Brew Co – Midas (Gold – Cask Session Pale Ale)
Twice Brewed – Main Offender (Gold – Cask Imperial & Strong Beer)
Twice Brewed – Number of the Yeast (Bronze – Cask Speciality Light Beer)
Keg
Twice Brewed – Main Offender (Gold – Keg Imperial & Strong Ale)
Firebrick Brewery – Toon Broon (Silver – Keg Amber, Brown & Red Ale)
Twice Brewed – Dandelion & Burdock (Silver – Keg Sour & Wild Ale)
