An IPA from a brewery located in the heart of South Australian wine country has taken out the top beer prize at this week’s Royal Adelaide Beer Awards. The Canis Majoris from Barossa Valley Brewing, named after one of the largest stars in the known universe, won the Most Outstanding Beer in Show trophy. The Tanunda brewery (pictured above) also picked up the trophies for Champion India Pale Ale and Champion South Australian Exhibit.
Other trophy winners included WA’s award hoarding masters of malt Nail Brewing, which took out the Champion Small Brewery title as well as Best Porter for its HUGhE Dunn Imperial Brown Ale and the Publican’s Choice for its Imperial Porter. The latter has been out for a few weeks now, while a fresh batch of the epic HUGhE Dunn, which also won Best Porter at this year’s Australian International Beer Awards, is out this week.
Brewer John Stallwood said: âIt’s a great honour winning gold and even a greater honour to get Hugh Dunn’s name on the trophy. Hugh has been a mentor for myself for many years as he has for most of Western Australia’s young brewers.â
Past winner Goodieson Brewery, a family brewery based in McLaren Vale, picked up a trophy for its Brown Ale, while perennial SA favourite Coopers collected the Champion Large Brewery title, Champion Other Ale for its Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale and Champion Stout for its Coopers Best Extra Stout.
The Chief Judges Award – awarded to the beer exhibit which achieves the most improved score on the previous year – was awarded to West End Brewery for its Hahn Superdry. The remaining two awards went to newcomers Prancing Pony from the Adelaide Hills, which won the Champion Amber/Dark Ale class with its Prancing Pony Amber Ale, and Matilda Bay Brewing Company, whose Redback Pale won the Champion Wheat Beer medal.
The awards are an initiative of the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia and were presented on Friday (July 19) at The Gallery on Waymouth in Adelaide. For the first time in 2014 cider was included, with the Champion Perry (pear cider) trophy going to Flying Brick Cider Co, from Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula and the Champion South Australian exhibit going to the Adelaide Hills’ Sidewood Estate for their Sidewood Apple Cider.
Chief beer judge Simon Fahey said the number of entries had increased substantially on the previous year, with 152 entries judged over two days.
âOf the total number of entries, seven percent received gold medals, 28 percent were awarded silver and 41 percent received a bronze medal,â he said.
TROPHY AND MEDAL WINNERS
THE CRYERMALT MEDALLION for CHAMPION INDIA PALE ALE
Barossa Valley Brewing – Canis Majoris
THE CELLARBRATIONS MEDALLION for CHAMPION AMBER/DARK ALE
Prancing Pony Brewery – Prancing Pony Amber Ale
THE BINTANI AUSTRALIA MEDALLION for CHAMPION OTHER ALE
Coopers Brewery Ltd – Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale
THE ECOLAB MEDALLION for CHAMPION WHEAT BEER
Matilda Bay Brewing Company – Redback Pale
THE AIR LIQUIDE MEDALLION for CHAMPION PORTER BEER
Equal first medals awarded
Goodieson Brewery – Goodieson Brown Ale
Nail Brewing – Nail Hughe Dunn Brown
THE ANDALE MEDALLION for CHAMPION STOUT BEER
Coopers Brewery Ltd – Coopers Best Extra Stout
THE LANCER BEVERAGE SYSTEMS TROPHY for CHAMPION SMALL BREWERY
Nail Brewing Australia
THE CELLARBRATIONS TROPHY for CHAMPION LARGE BREWERY
Coopers Brewery Ltd
THE KINGS TROPHY for CHAMPION SOUTH AUSTRALIAN EXHIBIT
Barossa Valley Brewing – Canis Majoris
THE ORORA GROUP TROPHY for MOST OUTSTANDING BEER IN SHOW
Barossa Valley Brewing – Canis Majoris
CHIEF JUDGES AWARD
West End Brewery – Hahn Superdry
PUBLICAN’S CHOICE AWARD
Nail Brewing Australia – Nail Imperial Porter
THE ASHTON VALLEY FRESH TROPHY for CHAMPION PERRY
Flying Brick Cider Co – Flying Brick Pear Cider
THE WINEQUIP TROPHY for CHAMPION SOUTH AUSTRALIAN EXHIBIT
Sidewood Estate – Sidewood Apple Cider