Finlay's Brewing, a small brewery based in Kalbarri – almost 600km north of Perth – have won Champion Beer at the 2024 Perth Royal Beer Awards. They were joined as champs by some of the state's more established names, with Rocky Ridge winning Champion Large Brewery again - their third in three years, Otherside taking out the Medium Brewery gong, and Margaret River Beer Co bringing the Small Brewery title back to the South West.
Finlay's head brewer Dave Baker (pictured above) said: "This beer started in a shed seven years ago. It's good, honest beer."
Lagers in all their many shapes and sizes have been enjoying a renaissance in recent years and it was Finlay's Dark Lager that was judged the best of all 529 beers submitted for the 2024 awards. Earlier in the evening, the beer won Best Lager – Packaged, with the Draught equivalent awarded to Gage Roads for their Alby Draught.
And that wasn't the end of it for the Kalbarri brewers either: their Coral Coast Mid made it three pieces of silverware on the night with Best Low Alcohol Beer – Packaged.
For Rocky Ridge, their Champion Large Brewery trophy was one of two they picked up on the night. The other was for Draught, named Best Hybrid & Specialty Beer and continuing a big couple of weeks for the Jindong crew.
On June 1, we revealed they'd acquired the former Thunder Road brewery and venue in Brunswick, a move that will give them a base on the East Coast. They hope to welcome Melbourne's beer lovers through the doors by late July.
Brewery co-founder Mel Holland said: "It's a beautiful industry, and this crowd is a reminder that we're all in this together.
"To win for Draught and Rock Candy [which picked up a trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards last month] is validation for the other crazy stuff we do."
Their near neighbours at Margaret River Beer Co enjoyed a trophy-filled night too. They've been putting out a number of IPAs in recent months and clearly they do it well. They picked up both IPA trophies with different beers: flagship In The Pines won in the packaged category; River Dog – a beer our writer described as "smooth and clean with impeccably-balanced bitterness" upon release – in draught.
Also doubling up were Campus Brewing, whose Knucklepuck Imperial Stout '23 picked up both trophies for Best Porter-Stout – a trophy that at one point seemed to end up in Margaret River's hands for their Panther Cream.
"The aim has always been being for big complex beers, and drinkability," said Campus head brewer Kail Bryce.
Boundary Island proved last year's Best New Exhibitor success was no flash in the pan. They proved their brewing chops by taking out the trophies for both Best Pale Ale – Packaged (Estuary Ale XPA) and Best Low Alcohol Beer – Draught (Island Lager). The 2024 Best New Brewery trophy went to FOUND., who we'll be joining for a member event at their Maylands venue in late July.
One of our WA team's favourite annual releases, Otherside's Redliner, pick up another trophy to go with the Myaree brewer's Medium Brewery win, while Bailey Brewing's Mid claimed Best Pale Ale – Draught in the month they're opening two new venues in the state.
The other trophies awarded on the night went to Shelter Brewing's Red Ale, Old Coast Road Brewing's OCRB Saison, Homestead Brewery's Kaiser's Choice Hefeweizen, and Lucky Bay's The Mountaineer, a barrel-aged barley wine.
Perth Royal Beer Awards 2024 Winners
CHAMPION BEER
- Finlay's Brewing Co
CHAMPION LARGE BREWERY
- Rocky Ridge Brewing Company
CHAMPION MEDIUM BREWERY
- Otherside Brewing Co
CHAMPION SMALL BREWERY
- Margaret River Beer Co
BEST NEW BREWERY
- FOUND.
BEST LAGER PACKAGED
- Finlay's Brewing Co Dark Lager
BEST LAGER DRAUGHT
- Gage Roads Alby Draught
BEST AMBER - DARK ALE PACKAGED
- Otherside Brewing Co Redliner (team pictured above)
BEST AMBER - DARK ALE DRAUGHT
- Shelter Brewing Co Red Ale
BEST PALE ALE PACKAGED
- Boundary Island Brewery Estuary Ale XPA
BEST PALE ALE DRAUGHT
- Bailey Brewing Co Mid
BEST INDIA PALE ALE PACKAGED
- Margaret River Beer Co In The Pines
BEST INDIA PALE ALE DRAUGHT
- Margaret River Beer Co River Dog
BEST PORTER - STOUT PACKAGED & DRAUGHT
- Campus Brewing (pictured above) Knucklepuck Imperial Stout '23
BEST EUROPEAN STYLE BEER PACKAGED
- Old Coast Rd Brewery OCRB Saison
BEST EUROPEAN STYLE BEER DRAUGHT
- Homestead Brewery Kaiser's Choice
BEST HYBRID & SPECIALTY BEER PACKAGED
- Lucky Bay Brewing The Mountaineer
BEST HYBRID & SPECIALTY BEER DRAUGHT
- Rocky Ridge Brewing Company Draught
BEST LOW ALCOHOL BEER PACKAGED
- Finlay's Brewing Co Coral Coast Mid
BEST LOW ALCOHOL BEER DRAUGHT
- Boundary Island Brewing Island Lager
About the author: Guy drinks and writes about beer, goes for a run most mornings and makes his own chilli hot sauce. Find out more on Goodtimes Craft Beer via Facebook and Instagram.
For me, beer writing is about sharing experience with others, most of which is as much about what happens around the glass as what’s in it. It’s why I started a blog in 2014 after years of drinking beer and through quite literally bumping into founder James Smith at Good Beer Week began writing for The Crafty Pint. Many amazing friendships have developed from the love of water, malt, hops, yeast, adjuncts and hype!
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer
Early 90s experience with Dogbolter and bottles of Delirium Tremens at the Sail and Anchor proved that there was more to beer than the cheap stuff I was drinking. A few years later, Chimay Blue once again teased before Little Creatures Pale Ale and Feral Hop Hog set the course for beer with flavour and nuance.
Favourite beer styles
Balance and drinking context are key but a short list includes Brett saisons, super fresh West Coast IPAs, well constructed BA sours, BA imperial stouts and fresh India pale lagers.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
Depending on the beer and circumstance, bitterness and acidity are the hurdles to overcome.
- Right now, Eagle Bay’s IPL is a great modern expression of technique and approachability. The hop presence arrives in soft mango and lime with enough bitterness but it’s the tight carbonation and refreshingly super dry finish that seals the deal.
- Boston Brewing’s Afterglose: Raspberry gose brings a near-perfect fruit / salt / acidity balance to a vibrantly coloured beer. It’s a real talking point which can lead to conversation about the history of beer styles, acidity on the palate or just: "Do you want another one?"
- Any fresh Czech-style pilsner. This has to be fresh in order to pick up the grassy noble hop characters and zippy bitterness on the slightly more biscuity malt body. While familiar to many, a really fresh expression is great starting point for a massive world of beer.
Tell us about a standout beer moment
A favourite beer memory involves spending an afternoon sitting under the dripping eaves of a café in the 5th Arrondissement watching Parisians run in and out of a bakery with fresh baguettes while I drank large goblets of Duvel as the winter rain soaked the tiny cobblestoned square. So much about beer is context!
