South Australian breweries have stolen the show at this year’s Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider awards, winning six of the 12 awards on offer.
The awards are run by Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia to identify achievement in quality, consistency, and innovation.
Chair of beer judges Stephen Nelsen said there were 299 entries from breweries of all sizes from across Australia, with all entries judged blind by panels of industry experts.
“Pilsners were well represented, and I foresee a return to lager styles in the near future, led by the darker and European variants. The number of ales also forged ahead, especially American-style pale ales and all manner of things called IPA,” said Nelsen.
Vale Brewing, from McLaren Vale in South Australia took out two of the three major awards: Champion Large Brewery and Most Outstanding Beer in Show.
Vale Brewing brand manager Simon Habib told Food & Drink Business: “We’re extremely proud to have picked up the Champion Large Brewer. Being the second year running it is a testament to our brew team and the quality of beers they continue to put out.”
Another South Australian brewery, Barossa Valley Brewing, took out the Champion Small Brewery trophy, while Port Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewing won the Champion Lager trophy for its Dark Lager.
Big Shed Brewing Concern won the Champion Alternative Grain Beer/Speciality class with its Mega Bare Bones Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, while McLaren Vale’s Swell Brewing won the Champion Reduced Alcohol Beer title with Small Swell.
Interstate breweries were represented, Melbourne’s Stomping Ground Brewing Co won Best New Exhibit trophy with its Bunker Porter, and Otherside Brewing Co’s Anthem IPA was named Champion Ale.
In the Cider class, Barossa Valley Cider Company won the Best Cider in Show and Best South Australian Cider Exhibit trophies with its Squashed Apple Cider, while Hills Cider Company won Best Perry in Show for its Hills Cider Pear.
Chief cider judge Warwick Billings commented that ciders have become more popular and diverse over the years and the cider awards have changed to keep up with the pace of the market.
“This was particularly shown by the significant increase in flavoured ciders that the judges had to consider this year,” said Billings.
The full list of winners can be found here.: http://www.theshow.com.au
