Last year it was the turn of Americans Moylan’s and Brooklyn Brewery to take out the major trophies and for WA to claim domestic dominance with the state’s breweries picking up five gongs. Now, with little over three months to go until the winners of the 2012 Australian International Beer Awards are announced, the clock is ticking for any breweries wanting to enter their beers. The deadline for submissions was recently extended to February 24, leaving just two weeks to complete your entries.
Now in its 20th year, the awards are presented by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) in conjunction with the University of Ballarat. This year, following the appointment of an Advisory Group drawn from across the industry, there have been changes to some of the categories. The result is that there are now 24 trophies up for grabs – up from 17 in 2011. The Champion Exhibitor categories, both small and large, have been split into International and Australian, while the ale and lager categories have been subdivided in recognition of the changing beer world.
To find out more, or to enter your beers, head to the AIBA website. Judging will take place next month, with a number of international guests to be announced soon. If you would like to take part in assisting with the awards – with an eye to becoming a judge in the future – head here for info on the new Steward to Associate Program.
Run the Beer Awards
A position has become available at RASV for an events manager to join the Epicure Events team. Their role will include helping to run this year’s awards, which culminate in a Gala Dinner on May 17, 2012, during Good Beer Week. Full details can be found here.
