Melbourne Royal awarded 36 trophies in the 2023 Australian International Beer Awards to breweries across Australia and the globe, with Dollar Bill Brewing taking out the grand prize for Champion Australian Beer.
Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the awards in 2023, the Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards is the largest annual beer competition in the world assessing both draught and packaged beer. This year, the Awards saw 75 judges from around Australia and abroad critique 2826 entries from over 400 exhibitors from 21 countries.
Victoria’s Dollar Bill Brewing was crowned with the prestigious title of Champion Australian Beer for their Candy Paint 2023 Barrel Aged Sour Ale, which also took out the Best Fruit Beer award.
The Candy Paint 2023 Barrel Aged Sour Ale uses Victorian grown sour cherries that add subtle cherry flavours and vanilla notes from pits and new oak. With hints of Brettanomyces and deep lactic acidity intertwine with vinous notes from the pinot and chardonnay barrels, it is aged for two years and is claimed to be their best vintage yet.
It was Dollar Bill Brewing’s second Champion Australian Beer win after claiming the title in 2021 for their ‘Gold Teeth’ Barrel-Aged Peach Sour Ale. The Ballarat-based brewery also took out the Australian Gypsy Brewer Award on the night, claiming back-to-back wins for the award following their success in 2022.
Dollar Bill Brewing brews using fresh pressed fruit, honey and wort from local producers, which is then fermented and aged in French oak barrels. These barrels are then blended to create Belgian inspired ales, Ciders, Mead and barrel aged beers.
Champion Medium Australian Brewery and Champion Victorian Brewery were awarded to Deeds Brewing, which also won Best Specialty Beer for Ruminations and Best Specialty Flavoured Beer for BBA Peanut Butter Imperial Stout.
The design packaging winners included Endeavour, whose Pinnacle Drinks won Best Design – Label/Surface Graphic for their Golden Pipes Brewing Auguste's Underground Hazy Pale Ale.
Victoria
Also among Victorian winners were Mountain Goat Beer which won Champion Large Australian Brewery as well as Best Wood And Barrel Aged Beer for their Hightail XXV; Aunty Jacks took home Best European Style Lager for their Mair St Märzen; Co-Conspirators Brewing which won Best Amber/Dark Lager for The Nightcrawler, Hop Nation won Best Amber / Dark Ale for The Buzz, Blackman’s Brewery won Best Porter/Stout for their Arthur Smoked Porter, Holgate Brewhouse won Best Belgian/French Ale for their Sour Brett Ale.
New South Wales
Reckless Brewing Co. won Best Australian Style Pale Ale for their XPA, and Esker/Australian Brewery took out Best Modern Pale Ale for their Esker Hazy Pale; Seven Mile Brewing Co. won Best Traditional India Pale Ale for their West Coast IPA; and Philter Brewing won Best Modern India Pale Ale for their Haze.
Queensland
Moffat Beach Brewing Co. took out Champion Small Australian Brewery as well as taking home the Best International Style Pale Ale for their Shadow of the Moon Eclipse Strong Pale Ale; Hemingway’s Brewing Company won Best Pilsner for The Prospector; and Revel Brewing Company which won Best Reduced/Low Alcohol Beer for The Reveller.
Western Australia
Boundary Island Brewery was awarded the Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy for the Best New Exhibitor; King Road Brewing Co. won Best Australian Style Lager for their King Road Lager; Margaret River Brewhouse took home Best British or European Style Ale (excluding India Pale Ale & Pale Ale) for their Margaret River Kölsch.
New Zealand
Wellington’s Garage Project Brewery won Champion Large International Brewery; Auckland’s Behemoth Brewing Company, which won Champion Medium International Brewery; and Taranaki’s Three Sisters Brewery, took out Champion Small International Brewery.
Melbourne Royal CEO Brad Jenkins said the growth of the Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards has been ‘extraordinary’.
“Since the award’s inception in 1993, to grow from 128 entries to now receiving a record number of entrants in our 30th year, from brewers from every continent other than Antarctica, illustrates the prestige the awards are now held in,” said Jenkins.
