Awards & Achievements
Celebrating success in its many forms, from trophy-winners to those marking major milestones.
Beerfarm Claim The 2024 WA Beer Of The Year Crown
Beerfarm's IPL, a WA craft beer icon, has been named Beer of the Year at the 2024 WA Good Food Guide Awards. It finished ahead of Phat Brew Club's Culture of Good Times and Rocky Ridge's Rock Juice V12 in this year's top 25.
La Sirène's Reservoir Renaissance
Just 371 days on from opening Bar La Sirène in Alphington, Costa and Eva Nikias opened Bar La Sirène in Reservoir after a wild year of sudden closures, existential crises and, ultimately, a desire to keep the dream alive.
Alice Springs Brewing Co: Five Years In Five Beers
As he and his team prepare to embark on a multi-day fifth birthday celebration, we chatted to Alice Springs Brewing Co founder Kyle Pearson about a half decade in which "a bit of a hobby" has become an NT destination.
Temple Top GABS 2023 Can Design Awards
The winners of the GABS Craft Beer Can Design Awards have been revealed, with Temple Brewing's Hello, My Name Is Amber taking out top spot and joined on the podium by Brick Lane and Aether Brewing.
Dollar Bill Bling It At The Indies With Their Gold Teeth
Tiny Ballarat-based brewery Dollar Bill completed a remarkable double, claiming Champion Australian Independent Beer at the Indies just months after winning Champion Australian Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards.
4 Pines & Mountain Culture Star At Sydney's Beer Awards
Hometown brewery 4 Pines starred at the 2023 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show, claiming both Champion Packaged Beer and Champion Draught Beer as well as Champion NSW Beer. The other beer trophy went to Mountain Culture.
8 Wired On Top At NZ Beer Awards
8 Wired won two top gongs at the 2023 New Zealand Beer Awards: Overall Champion NZ Brewing Company and Champion New Zealand Beer. Garage Project claimed a hat-trick, with a third straight Champion Large Brewery trophy.
The Writer Behind The Beer Drinker's Toolkit
Mick Wüst is one of the most recognisable names on The Crafty Pint; now the award-winning writer is launching his first book. Here he tells us about the Beer Drinker's Toolkit and his longstanding love for the written word.
Ale Stars: 15 Years & Still Going Strong
It's an achievement to keep anything going for 15 years, let alone a midweek event at a pub, so hats off to all involved in Ale Stars, the beer appreciation night at The Local Taphouse. Take a trip down Memory Lane with some of them.
Barossa Valley Brewing Clean Up At SA's Beer Awards
Barossa Valley Brewing picked up four trophies at the 2023 Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards, although the Best Beer In Show trophy is heading interstate to WA after Nowhereman's Rhapsody XPA was judged the top drop.
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Rocky Ridge Go Back-To-Back At The Perth Royal Beer Awards
For the second year running, Rocky Ridge have claimed the Champion Beer trophy at the Perth Royal Beer Awards. And, again, they've done it with a rarely-seen style: their barrel-aged barleywine Jindong Balling.
Dollar Bill Triumph At The Australian International Beer Awards Again
Tiny Ballarat operation Dollar Bill, who specialise in barrel-aged and wild ales, have claimed Champion Australian Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards just two years on from their first triumph.
The Australian International Beer Awards At 30 – Part II
In part two of our mini-series marking 30 years of the Australian International Beer Awards, we invite some of those with long and significant involvement to share their memories and photos, and trace just how much it's changed.
The Australian International Beer Awards at 30
The country's biggest beer competition, the Australian International Beer Awards, takes place for the 30th time this May. Here, we take a stroll down Memory Lane with some of the key figures from the past three decades.
Bucketty's Claim Another Medal At The World Beer Cup
Northern Beaches-based Bucketty's are one of the smaller operations in Australia but continue to punch above their weight. For the second year running, they've claimed a medal at the world's biggest beer comp, the World Beer Cup.
Six String: Ten Lessons From Ten Years
It wasn't easy for Six String to open the doors of their Central Coast brewery but, ten years on, their local community seems lucky to have them. Here, we invite founders Chris and Sharon Benson to reflect on their first decade of beers.
Blasta: Five Years In Five Beers
As Blasta turn five this weekend, it's a chance to reflect on a trophy-filled start to life driven by relentlessly high standards. Yet, with huge plans for the year ahead, founder Steve Russell is just as keen to look to the future.
Moffat Beach's Serial Winner Claims More Trophies
The serial trophy-winners at Moffat Beach Brewing Co have continued where they left off in 2022 with another haul of trophies at the Royal Queensland Beer Awards.
Founder Jayne Lewis To Leave Two Birds
Jayne Lewis, who founded Two Birds Brewing with long-time mate Danielle Allen in 2011, is set to leave the game-changing operation in the coming weeks.
Clare Burnett's Award-Winning Journey
Clare Burnett spent years covering the beer industry for Brews News so her name and voice will be familiar to many. As entries open for the 2023 AIBAs, she tells us about her journey from the UK to winning last year's Best Media trophy.
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Hottest 100 Craft Beers Of 2022: Analysis
Mountain Culture have scored an incredible top spot with their Status Quo in the 2022 GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers poll. Here, we dig deeper into the top 100 to see what it can tell us.
Mountain Culture Storm The GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers Of 2022
We have a new winner in the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers poll for 2022, with Mountain Culture achieving a staggering result and blasting straight into top spot. Balter XPA finished second ahead of BentSpoke's Crankshaft.
The Making Of A Champion Hazy
There's a lot of beer available and a lot of it's good but what separates a good beer from a great one? And what exactly goes on at beer judging? To find out, we spent three days tracing the judging of the Juicy-Hazy category and spoke to the brewer behind the overall winner to find out what makes a Champion Hazy Beer.
Capital Brewing: Five Years In Five Beers
It's been an impressive 2022 for Capital. Their green credentials have shone brightly and it also marks five years since their Fyshwick brewery opened. To mark the milestone, we invited them to head down Memory Lane.
Sobremesa Scoop Top Beer At Drink Easy Awards 2022
The small, family-run Sobremesa scored the top beer at the 2022 Drink Easy Awards, finishing third overall in the competition that features all forms of drinks. Brick Lane, Mismatch and Molly Rose all made the best beer list too.
King Road IPA Scoops WA Beer Of The Year
King Road Brewing have scooped another major trophy for their IPA, with the much-loved beer from the farm-based brewery 35 minutes of Perth claimed the WA Good Food Guide Beer Of The Year for 2022 last night.
Pink Boots Australia: Ten Years, Ten Beers & Hundreds Of Careers
Over the last ten years, Pink Boots Australia has been an essential community and support network for women and non-binary members of the beer industry. As the local chapter turns ten, we chatted to the not-for-profit's past presidents about its important role, what they're proud of and what they hope to see change.
17 Years Of The Brisbanest Beers
You'll find breweries in most parts of Brisbane these days, but long before the city's craft beer scene exploded a young couple decided to open a brewpub in the CBD. Seventeen years on, we joined them for a trip down Memory Lane.
From Cask Ale To The Beerfarm: Young Gun Emma Locke
Emma Locke's first brush with beer came while pulling pints of cask ale to help fund a uni degree in the heart of England. Now, having switched British pubs for WA's Beerfarm, she's been named Indies Young Gun of the Year for 2022.
The Indies 2022 Winners
White Bay claimed Champion Beer for their Lager at the 2022 Indies, a night on which Moffat Beach continued their remarkable run of form, and Jade Flavell of The Wheaty won a Champion Brewery trophy and the Services To Industry award.
A Day In The Life Of: A Beer Steward
Ahead of the 2022 Indies awards, we went behind the scenes at judging. While there, Will Ziebell spent time with Joslyn Erickson, the Indies Coordinator, to find out who and what goes into becoming a beer awards steward.
Steph Howard's New Heights
She started out in the beer industry as a 20-year-old that didn't drink beer but has become one of the best-known individuals both here and in NZ. We sat down with Steph Howard as she steps into an even bigger role at Cryer Malt.
Sydney Brewery & Wayward Triumph At Sydney Royal Beer Awards
A trio of past winners enjoyed more trophy success at the 2022 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Awards. The champion beer trophies were claimed by Sydney Brewery, Wayward Brewing and the Australian Brewery.
Nowhereman: Five Years In Five Beers
Five years ago to the day, Nowhereman opened the doors to their West Leederville brewpub for the first time. Here, the team reflects on five years of meaningful fun via five of their favourite beers.
Left Barrel On Top At SA's Beer Awards
The punnily-titled Bob's Ya Dunkel from Left Barrel was named Most Outstanding Beer in Show at the 2022 Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards. Champion brewery titles were claimed by Vale Brewing and Nowhereman.
David Cryer – 30 and Out
One of the most influential figures of the past three decades in the Australian and NZ beer industries has today announced his retirement. We chatted to David Cryer (and friends) about a stellar life in beer.
A Grodziskie Wins The Perth Royal Beer Awards
The rarely-seen historical Polish beer style, grodziskie – a low-alcohol smoked wheat ale – was named best beer at the Perth Royal Beer Awards tonight. It's from Rocky Ridge, who also claimed Champion Large Brewery.
IBA Unveils New Look Indies Awards
Last year, an audit of recent Indies awards saw a number of state trophies change hands. It led to a review of the entire judging process, which has now concluded with significant changes including new categories and a mentoring program.
Australian International Beer Awards 2022 – The Winners
There was plenty of home state glory at the 2022 AIBAs as Hawkers, Stomping Ground and Dollar Bill took out three of the four Champion Australian Brewery titles. Moffat Beach completed the set, with a pastry sour winning Champion Beer.
Philter: Five Years In Five Beers
Philter may only just turned five but somehow it feels like the brewing company has been part of the craft beer industry for longer. We caught up with two of the Sydney outfit's founders to walk us through their first five years in five beers.
Aussies Win Big At US Awards
It's been a big week for Australian brewers and designers, with many claiming awards at the World Beer Cup and the Craft Beer Marketing Awards. We spoke to some of those celebrating adding to their trophy cabinets.
Young Henrys: Ten Lessons From Ten Years
Young Henrys have brewed so many collaborations, sponsored so many events, and sold beer at so many gigs you'd be forgiven for thinking they're older than ten. As they mark that milestone, they share some of the lessons learned.
Jan Bruckner: A Life In Brewing
For three decades, Last Drop Brewery has been serving traditional beers to WA's beer lovers and for the vast majority of that time, Jan Bruckner has been at the helm. As he marks 30 years in Australia, we reflect on a life in beer.
Stomping Ground Enjoy More Awards Success In Queensland
Stomping Ground enjoyed another fine beer awards today, claiming Grand Champion Beer in Queensland. There were big wins for Ballistic, Black Hops, Felons and Moffat Beach, with the last of these claiming another swag of trophies.
Voyager Craft Malt Win Gold In The US
Voyager Craft Malt enjoyed major awards success at the weekend, with the craft maltsters picking up gold at the Malt Cup – the first time a gold medal has gone to any malthouse outside the US.
Aussie Exports: Australia's First Master Cicerone
Late last year, Shane McNamara joined a very small group of beer experts with the title Master Cicerone. As the first Australian to take on the title, he's also in a minority of one. We got in touch to find out more for our Aussie Export series.
BentSpoke Top The GABS H100 Again
BentSpoke have gone back-to-back in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll, with their Crankshaft IPA holding onto top spot. The Canberra brewery's flagship beer finished ahead of the former winner Balter XPA.
Indies Trophies To Change Hands Following Audit
Four state champion trophies from the Indies awards in 2020 and 2021 are changing hands following an independent audit of results. Wildflower, Future Mountain and Mismatch are the new recipients as the audit continues.
Blasta, Moffat Beach, Stomping Ground & Future Mountain Triumph At Indies 2021
WA's Blasta are once again toasting their awards success, with the brewery's wheat beer named Champion Beer at The Indies. The perennial award winners at Moffat Beach also had a huge night, as did Stomping Ground and Future Mountain.
Slow Lane Triumph At Sydney Beer Awards
Slow Lane continue to rise through the ranks of top Aussie brewers at quite a rate. The Botany brewery added more trophies to their collection at the Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Awards, with Belgian tripel Threefold leading the way.
