8 Wired won two top gongs at the 2023 New Zealand Beer Awards: Overall Champion NZ Brewing Company and Champion New Zealand Beer for Wild Feijoa 2022. Garage Project claimed a hat-trick on the night too, with a third straight Champion Large Brewery trophy.
The other Champion Brewery titles went to Behemoth (Medium), Shining Peak (Small), Workshop Brewing (Micro), and Ballast Point from the US (International), with Champion NZ Manufacturer going to bStudio.
Garage Project, whose story we featured on the site earlier this year, also claimed the European Ale award for their Chance, Luck & Magic 2020 on an evening at which the individual beer trophies were spread evenly. Only Behemoth, with wins for Clayton F#$%ing Hops NZ IPA and Music City Hazy IPA, doubled up on the night.
The awards, run by the NZ Brewers Guild, also recognise a number of other facets of the beer industry. This saw trophies go to Rhyme & Reason in Wanaka for Beer Tourism, Waitoa Beer for Packaging, Sawmill Brewing Co for Sustainability, and Simon Ross of Microbrew Tech for Innovation.
There were 825 entries from 80 companies, with 82 gold, 230 silver, and 252 bronze medals awarded. The awards ceremony was held last night (August 5) at the Wigram Airforce Museum in Christchurch.
Full List Of Winners
Champion New Zealand Beer
8 Wired Wild Feijoa 2022
Champion Large New Zealand Brewery
Garage Project
Champion Medium New Zealand Brewery
Behemoth
Champion Small New Zealand Brewery
Shining Peak
Champion Micro New Zealand Brewery
Workshop Brewing
Champion New Zealand Manufacturer
bStudio
Champion International Brewery
Ballast Point
International Lager
Longboarder Lager – McLeod’s Brewery
New Zealand Styles
Clayton F#$%ing Hops NZ IPA – Behemoth
Amber / Dark Lager
Lock Bock Barrel – Sprig + Fern
British Ale
Emerson’s Old 95 – The Emerson Brewing Company
European Ale
Chance, Luck & Magic 2020 – Garage Project
Amber / Dark Ale
Red IPA – Parrotdog
International Pale Ale
Sawmill XPA – Sawmill Brewing Co
India Pale Ale
Terrible Lizards – Brave Brewing Co
Juicy / Hazy
Music City Hazy IPA – Behemoth
Stout & Porter
Unforgiven Porter – Burkes Brewing Co
Wheat & Other Grain
Good George Hefe Mulligan – Good George Brewing
Fruit & Flavoured
Wild Feijoa 2022 – 8 Wired Brewing
Specialty & Experimental
Solera – Deep Creek Brewing
No & Reduced Alcohol
Little Mighty – Beer Baroness Brewing Company
Barrel & Wood-Aged
Russet – Wilderness Brewing
Beer Tourism
Rhyme & Reason
Packaging
Waitoa Beer
Brewing Sustainability
Sawmill Brewing Co
Innovation
Simon Ross – Microbrew Tech
For the full list of medalists, head here. Photo at top of article from 8 Wired's Facebook page.
