A rarely-seen beer style has claimed the WA Beer of the Year crown, with The Seasonal Brewing Co's Mudi finishing in pole position in a diverse top 25 showcasing the breadth of brewing talent in Western Australia.
The beer is a black oat cream IPA released back in midwinter as head brewer Kalle Wevel figured: “Oats go in dark beers and oats go in hazies, so why not put them together?”
It's proven to be a smart move with the Maylands brewpub joining Beerfarm, King Road, Otherside and Cheeky Monkey as winners of the award handed out by the WA Good Food Guide.
After winning the award, Kalle (pictured above) told The Crafty Pint the request to blend two oat-heavy styles as one came from the bar team, and that he was keen to take on the challenge.
“But when it was fermenting, I thought, 'This could be a huge mistake because no one has done this before. And maybe there’s a reason for that!' But it turned out better than we expected.
“I'm proud of Mudi. I know it's different, but I’m proud that we have the opportunity to make this style of beer in a brewpub, and then send a small run of can out for people to explore and enjoy.”
The WA Beer of the Year Awards debuted in 2020, with Crafty Pint contributor Guy Southern in the role of head judge. Today, it's part of the WA Good Food Beer and Spirits Awards.
Guy described this year’s Top 25, judged blind over two days, as “diverse, joyous, assured and wonderfully West Australian”, adding: “Mudi was a strong contender for the top spot from the first pass. And every time we sampled it the beer just offered more, for what is an especially hard style to get right.
“I’ve previously described Mudi as having ‘tropical Milo’ characters, but there’s also chinotto, resin and bitterness at play in the juicy chocolate malt profile. It really shouldn’t work as well as it does!”
Completing the top five are Whitelakes Brewing's Dark Lager, Eagle Bay's 90 Day Pilsner, Area 51's Symbiote hazy pale, and Boston Brewing's non-alc Little Wren Raspberry Sour, which picked up a trophy at the Indies in Perth earlier in the year.
“Lager and hazies fared well this year,” Guy says. “Our first non-alc in the top 25 was outstanding. And seeing beers appear for three or four years running is wonderful. Core range can be cool! But who doesn’t love a Flanders red, or a barrel-aged beast...”
Joining Guy on the judging panel this year were food and beverage quality expert Clare Clouting of Athena Quality, Mane Specialist Bottleshops co-owner Josh Daley, beer industry expert Pia Poynton, and WAGFG bars editor and Crafty Pint man in the South West Jono Outred.
Seasonal's co-founder Nick Southwell, whose Nudi Oat Cream IPA finished in sixth, said of their triumph: “Black IPAs can easily miss the mark. There can be harshness, out of balance roastiness, astringent bitterness; there’re so many contrasting characters but Kalle has made a remarkable beer.”
The Top 25
1. Seasonal Brewing Co - Mudi Black Oat Cream IPA
2. Whitelakes Brewing Co - Dark Lager
3. Eagle Bay Brewing Co - 90 Day Pilsner
4. Area 51 - Symbiote Hazy Pale
5. Boston Brewing Co - Little Wren Non-Alc Raspberry Sour
6. Seasonal Brewing Co - Nudi Oat Cream NEIPA
7. Brewcha Libra - TMDK Pacific Rice Lager
8. Beerfarm - Lager
9. Margaret River Beer Co - In The Pines Hazy IPA
10. Phat Brew Club - Phat-N–Ripe Cherry Ripe Pastry Stout
11. Seasonal Brewing Co - Passionfruit Guava Gose
12. Finlay’s Brewing Co - Coral Coast Mid
13. Rocky Ridge Rocky Candy Fruited Sour
14. Area 51 - Exogenesis NEIPA
15. Eagle Bay Brewing Co - Grapefruit Hazy IIPA
16. Otherside Brewing Co - Cloudburst Hazy IPA
17. Eagle Bay Brewing Co - Cacao Stout
18. King Road Brewing Co - IPA
19. Phat Brew Club - Scrumpdi-dilumptious Pastry Stout
20. Margaret River Beer Co - River Dog South Coast IPA
21. Homestead Brewing - Flanders Red Ale 2023
22. Nail Brewing - Rye Whisky Barrel-Aged Clout Stout 2023
23. Cheeky Monkey - Hazy Pale
24. Feral Brewing - Perth Local Aussie Lager
25. Shelter Brewing - XPA