Australian International Beer Awards 2010
UPDATE: Full results are now up at http://www.beerawards.com/pdfs/2010_AIBA_COR.pdf. I will post a summary of the South Australian Breweries results by tomorrow afternnon.
The judging is done and the presentation was last night. I would have loved to have been there for it but alas my day job kept me away from Melbourne. I haven’t seen all the results yet as AIBA have not published them at the time of writing but found the trophy results on The Crafty Pint. Haved also seen a story on ninemsn, nice to see the mainstream media giving some coverage.
Most of the big gongs have gone overseas which is a shame but seem to have gone to worthy winners for the most part. I’m not familiar with all the winners. I have no issue with the best beers being from overseas but I believe that the beer should at least be available in this country to qualify for the awards. It’s kind of crappy that you see all these great beers winning awards and it’s next to impossible to get them in this country. Maybe I’m just jealous I wasn’t able to be there though. Actually there is no doubt that I am jealous that I couldn’t be there.
I can’t wait to see the full results to see how our local brewers have done. They have had a good showing in the past and hopefully this year will be no different.
List of award winners courtesey of The Crafty Pint.
Champion Lager – Hoss Rye Lager, Great Divide Brewing Company, Colorado, USA
Champion Ale – The Runt, Feral Brewing Company, Western Australia, Australia
Champion Porter – Hunter Chocolate Porter, Hunter Beer Company, New South Wales, Australia
Champion Stout – Beer Geek Brunch Weasel, Mikkeller, Copenhagen, Denmark
Champion Reduced & Low Alcohol Beer – Redoak Bitter, Redoak Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia
Champion Wheat Beer – Emerson’s Weizenbock, Emerson’s, Dunedin, New Zealand
Champion Belgian & French Ale – The Sixth Glass, Boulevard Brewing Company, Missouri, USA
Champion Scotch & Barley Wines – Samual Adams Longshot Barley Wine, The Boston Beer Company, Massachusetts, USA
Champion Hybrid Beer – Black Butte XXI, Deschutes Brewing, Oregan USA
Champion Packaging Award – Scotts Pale Ale – 6 Pack Holder, Scotts Brewing Co, Auckland, New Zealand
Premier’s Trophy – Voodoo, 2 Brothers Brewery, Victoria, Australia
Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy – Big Sky Brewing Company, Montana, USA
Champion Large Brewery – Weihenstephan Brewery, Friesing, Germany
Champion Small Brewery – Nøgne Ø – Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri, Grimstad, Norway
The prestigious Grand Champion Exhibitor Trophy (awarded to the most successful exhibitor) – Nøgne Ø – Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri, Grimstad, Norway
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Beer Tasting Event in Adelaide?
I have been thinking about trying to get a regular beer tasting event going in Adelaide. Ideally and event that would run every two months or so with one of the local venues hosting. Something like what the Wheaty does with a the guided whiskey tastings is my idea. You could keep it going for a long time working through different beer styles and other ideas.
Other ideas I have had would be to perhaps include some home brewed beers with this where we can find one that is a good example of the style. Also to be able to have a tasting of home made beers after the main session would be good. This may be a little difficult in a bar but I can only ask. I’m not sure how the licensing would work for this either so it may not be a real option.
It could also be expanded further by doing blind tastings where people can win a prize for guessing what it is they are tasting etc. We could try running a bit of a quiz like the guys at the Local Taphouse do with their AleStars sessions.
I think this could be popular. Kept at around the $30 mark and running once every two months I believe it could work. I think there are enough passionate beer people and other inquisitive types out there that this could catch on in the right venue with the right people running it. They are the two questions I can’t answer.
My immediate thought would this would be great at the WHeaty but as of writing I have no idea if they would be interested. I think the bigger problem is the right person to run the event. I could do a lot of the technical stuff and source beers etc but I’m not certain I would be the best person to run the event. Need to find someone who is knowledgeable, well spoken and really enthusiastic about great beer.
If you have any ideas or thoughts let me know. I have started working on getting something together so fingers crossed something will happen.
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Quick Trip Report McLaren Vale
The day started at Foggo Wines, a small winery a friend had told us about. Great wine and a super friendly wine maker at the cellar door. These guys actually do open ferments in barrels which is enough to scare any brewer but the wine is great. From there we made a quick stop into Shottesbrooke. A very nice place with some good wine. We picked up a couple of bottles but didn’t have a lot of time here. Staff were very friendly but not as knowledgeable as those we spoke to at other wineries.
Then it was time for the lunch. I had been looking forward to lunch at The Salopian Inn with some McLaren Vale Ale and it didn’t disappoint. The service was great, food and wine were great and the beer was really top notch. Everyone was really friendly and helpful and one of the waiters spent some time talking to me about the beer and brewing including the new brewery they have coming. I got a message from the @mvbeer guys on Twitter to ask for someone when I was there but I didn’t want to come across as some tool with a blog so I just enjoyed the long lunch we had there. I will go into more detail about the The Salopian Inn and McLaren Vale Ale in another post soon. In brief, everything was great and you should go.
After lunch, at about 1600, we thought we would try and sneak in one more winery for the day. I had seen a sign on a winery called Ekhidna that sad they made beer so I thought I would check it out. I have to say I was a bit dubious with the incorrectly spelt name but you you never know if you don’t give it a try. All fears were allayed as soon as we walked in. The wine maker and one other staff member were there and they were the most friendly, outgoing and enthusiastic people without being over the top. You just get a real enthusiasm for what they do from them. The beer is an extract beer being brewed on a very small scale. A fairly standard English Pale Ale. Well made but nothing to write home about. They want to ramp up the brewing in future but have only just opened the cellar door and they have a restaurant coming so it’s not the priority at the moment. The wines were great and the wine maker took a lot of time to talk to us and explain different parts of their wine making process. They have a Shiraz/Riesling which, while not my cup of tea, was very interesting. The many different Shiraz we tried were fantastic. These guys may be really small but they are doing great things. You really should go out of your way to check them out when you are in the area.
That was the end of the tasting and, fortunately for me, the end of the driving. We headed out from our accommodation to find some drinks and dinner. We thought we would have a drink at a couple of places then find somewhere to eat. That plan went out of the window when the first place we walked into was The Barn. It has a great lounge area to have a few drinks before dinner with this huge open fire style methylated spirits powered heater. They have around sixty beers in the bottle and an extensive wine collection. The restaurant is down stairs in two flights including the basement where we ate. The menu looked good and the drink selection was great so we decided we didn’t need to go any further. I tried the Goodieson pilsener and pale ale there. Both well made and very drinkable beers. I will write more about these later. Dinner was fantastic. I had a fantastic piece of steak cooked perfectly. I can highly recommend the sirloin if you make a visit.
By the time we finished dinner we were quite drunk and very tired. We stumbled back to our room with intention of opening a bottle we had picked up during the day. We both fell asleep within a minute of being in the room. Sunday was uneventful as we had breakfast then hit the road. Whilst not terribly hungover we weren’t really in peak wine tasting shape either. We had a great time and can’t see how you wouldn’t if you head down for a trip. Get There!
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Two New Beers at The Wheaty this Friday
This Friday, May 21st, will see two new Australian beers go on tap. The beers are from White Rabbit and Malt Shovel. Both are being tapped at 1700. See the Calendar for more.
From White Rabbit we have a Belgian Style Wit Beer. This is not a style I’m a huge fan of but I’m always willing to give a new beer a try. A good friend of mine is the brewer there so I probably can’t be objective about this beer either. Still I’m looking forward to trying it and will report back once I have.
From Malt Shovel we have the Malt Runner. This is a dark lager that has had cherry juice added in the kettle. Not something that immediately appeals to me but once again I am willing o give it a go. If it as malt driven and rich as the brewers are telling us it could be a good beer. I know it is available at other places at the moment bu I think I will just wait until Friday and try it at The Wheaty.
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So, you want to be a brewer?
Want to brew and don’t like straying too far from Adelaide? Well here is your chance. McLaren Vale Beer Company is putting in a new brewery and are looking for a head brewer. Sounds like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor to me. They are looking for someone with experience from the sounds of it. Great chance to get in at the start up phase for a brewer.
What a lifestyle. Live at McLaren Vale and make beer. If you have been to the area and have been a pro brewer I think this would be very attractive. I have a friend working for one of the larger brewers that I will be passing this onto. If I was a brewer I would have a go.
I hope they find someone good. The more good beer around the better.
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Flying Dog on Tap
Dropped into the Wheaty last night to try the Flying Dog Beers off tap. All I can say is wow. They had the Double Dog and the Gonzo Imperial Porter on tap and both were amazing. I have had them from the bottle and enjoyed them both, particularly the Gonzo. The Double Dog was ok from the bottle but from the tap it was amazing. It really came to life and didn’t have the same heavy mouthfeel syrupy character I preceived from the bottled version. The hops tasted fresh and fantastic.
The Gonzo was also spectacular. This is a beer that is great out of the bottle and even better from the tap. It’s hard to describe the difference but let’s just say I really enjoyed it. You really are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try it while it is on tap. I’m not sure what they see as their marquee beer but the Gonzo is it for my taste.
The only down side is that if you are driving you can’t have many. The Gonzo is about 8% ABV and the Double Dog around 11.5%. So if you want to have a couple don’t drive. I drove last night and had to hang around for a while drinking water before I could drive home. It’s tough drinking water when everyone else is drinking great beers too.
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