Kiwi breweries rolling in gold at Aussie awards
Yeastie Boys founder steps away from brewing business. Are hazies killing the beer industry? Harley-Davidson fans get their own brew. Camel dung beer anyone?
Friday Night Beers is tonight a celebration of Kiwi success at the Australian International Beer Awards … and a heads-up, this is not a cut-and-paste of last year’s results despite 2024 being almost a mirror-image of 2023!
That’s because, for the second year in a row the champion large, medium and small international breweries, respectively, are exactly the same:
Garage Project.
Behemoth.
Three Sisters.
The AIBAs, organised by Melbourne Royal, featured nearly 3,000 entries from 400 exhibitors across 21 countries. The competition was judged by a panel of 75 experts from Australia and overseas, making it one of the most-respected and competitive events in the industry.
It was a huge night for Garage Project (as it so often is when it comes to competitions these days). In winning the champion large international brewery they didn’t just see off any old craft brewery but left in their wake some of the biggest names in the world including: Pilsner Urquell, S.A. Damm and Kirin.
They took out the Champion International Beer with Chance, Luck & Magic 2021, which also won a trophy in the Belgian & French Ale category. And they won the trophy in the British and European Ale class with Pickle Beer.
It’s a curious thing, that while Chance, Luck & Magic 2020 has twice won silver medals at the World Beer Cup (2023 and 2024), it’s the younger version that has triumphed here, although the 2020 version still got a gold while the baby of the family, CL&M 2022 picked up bronze.
The night was also a vindication of the Taranaki hop growing programme, previously featured here, with Three Sisters winning two golds with fresh hop beers representing the two local hop farms, Wayward Hops and Quarter Acre Hops.
And Behemoth managed to score a medal every beer they entered, which is an outstanding effort.
Outside the three champion brewery titles, it was a great competition for Queenstown’s Altitude Brewing, who won three gold medals.
On a self-interest note, I take great pleasure when personal favourites of mine pop up in these awards, and in this case, hurray for Duncan’s for getting a gold with Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Sour! And also, hat-tip to what I think is an unsung class act, Urbanaut’s Brixton Pale Ale, which won gold in the British Pale Ale class.
And it’s quite cool to see first-year brewery Thief, whom we profiled recently, getting a gold medal for their Nectaronicon IPA. (For some reason in the catalogue the beer was credited to another brewery… but I checked with Thief and it’s definitely their gold medal!)
Here’s a list of gold medals for NZ breweries:
Garage Project
Chance, Luck & Magic 2021
Chance, Luck & Magic 2020
Pickle Beer (can)
Pickle Beer (keg)
White Mischief Peach Gose
Pernicious Weed IPA
Three Sisters
Wayward Son Fresh Hop Pale Ale
Quarter Acre Hazy IPA
Soggy Biscuit Dessert Stout
Liquid Cake #3 Dessert Stout
Behemoth
Cheech & Chong Fresh Hop Hazy IPA
Raging Raisin Quadruple
Saturation of Citra IPA
Altitude
Powder Day Lager
Blood Moon Schwarzbier
Symbiosis Hybrid Saison
Liberty
Juice Bro Hazy Pale Ale
Prohibition Porter
Urbanaut
Detroit IPA
Brixton Pale Ale
Thief Brewing Nectaronicon IPA
Duncan’s Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Sour
Eddyline Eddylite Low Carb Pale Ale
Fortune Favours The Mystic Hazy IPA
Mount Brewing Flora Incognita Mint & Hibiscus Sour
Sawmill Baltic Porter
Yeastie Boys founder steps aside
Yeastie Boys founder Stu McKinlay announced yesterday that he is stepping away from the business, although he will remain a major shareholder and non-executive director.
McKinlay, who has been based in England for a few years, posted to social media:
“I'm leaving the day-to-day running of Yeastie Boys, soon. I'll be sticking around as a significant shareholder and non-executive director … I'll reflect on the last decade when the time is right but for those of you who worked with me in my past life as a business, systems, and data analyst... I'll be looking for some work in that space. Give me a shout if you have any opportunities either in the UK (or via remote work if you're in New Zealand). Most people won't believe it but I've always missed what I did and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it again.”
Beer of the Week No 1
I was intrigued to try this beer after having a great chat to Verdant founder James Heffron last year about his love affair with Kiwi hops.
Heffron basically built his Cornwall brewery around Kiwi hops, after travelling here 25 years ago and enjoying the beer before returning in 2010 and discovering our hops. “It was on that trip that I have these memories of great locally-made beers, and there were so many good breweries,” he told me.
“There was one day when we visited a brewery and bought some beers to take away. We drove through to the Nelson Lakes region and there were hop fields on either side of the road and it blew my mind that here were these amazing ingredients that were going into the beer I was drinking at the end of the day.
“It was after that trip that I went home and started home brewing.”
Heffron returned to New Zealand this year and has done a few collab brews while here including with Sawmill and Garage Project as part of their Hāpi series (I have the Garage Project one in the fridge waiting for me …)
What struck me about this collab with Hop Federation — Fresh Hop Rakau IPA — was how perfumed it was on the nose. Possibly this is from the Verdant yeast used. There’s a peaches and cream, over-ripe apricots and honey blossom that together trump the hop aroma, which only kicks in on the palate, delivering lots of citrus, a tobacco-like dankness and more peaches and cream.
What’s interesting about this is the mouthfeel and finish. It’s so thick and creamy, but not sweet and lush like so many NZ-style hazy IPAs. In fact, it goes from creamy to gripping green bitterness and chalkiness quite quickly making it a beer of three distinct parts: the sweet aroma, thick mouthfeel and bitter-dry finish. There’s lots of tension in this beer and to me that’s quite a cool drinking experience.
NZ Hazy IPAs assessed
This seems like a perfect segue to another NZ tasting video from Tree House founder Nate Lanier on his recent trip here.
It’s a great lesson in style differences between here and the US, where I expect you’d see many more beers like the Verdant x Hop Fed Fresh Hop Rakau IPA.
Because according to Lanier, these Kiwi hazies — from Garage Project, Good George, Sawmill, Bach (gloriously mispronounced as you’d imagine) and Tuatara — are elegant, soft and light, traits he seems to like a lot even though he constantly notes how different they are to US versions.
But what has the haze craze done to the industry …
Since we’re on a roll with hazies, I thought I’d share this excellent piece from Canadian beer writer Stephen Beaumont which assesses the impact of hazies and their commodification and what that means for the wider industry.
“Simply, if folks walked in and did not see at least a number of hazy IPAs on tap, they wouldn’t even bother trying anything else. In this way, it has generated a generation of new and, dare I say, lazy craft beer drinkers who are not willing to explore any other styles beyond [hazies].”
Lost in a haze: North American craft beer searches for mojo - Just Drinks (just-drinks.com)
Beer of the Week No 2
And just like that, the haze clears and delivers the prettiest, sparkling-est beer I’ve seen in a while: Shining Peak’s Oapui Road Fresh Hop Pilsner. Like the Three Sisters gold medal-winning Wayward Son Pale Ale (above) this is brewed with fresh hops also sourced from Wayward Hops in Tarata — in this case Riwaka.
The expression of Taranaki Riwaka is more subtle than the Tasman-grown version, but everything you want is there and balanced to perfection. It’s resinous-oily, grassy, citrussy, aromatic (passionfruit, floral) and with a great depth of flavour that keeps giving until the last drop. A must for all pilsner and Riwaka fans.
Hogs hit the road with their own beer
Harley-Davidson is rolling into the non-alcoholic (NA) beer segment — with Road King American Pils being brewed for them by Wisconsin Brewing Company.
Wisconsin Brewing president Paul Verdu noted that Road King won’t be the biggest NA beer brand in the country due to the targeted approach his company is taking to appeal to Harley-Davidson riders and fans, who number in the millions.
“But for a company our size, it can be transformational and become the biggest thing we do. We partnered with one of the most powerful brands in the world, and that alone is gonna give us a lot of time and attention. But it's why we're spending so much time on the beer, and the quality, and how amazing it tastes. Because it's not just about the brand. It's about the beer that we're delivering.”
The beer grew out of a conversation between Verdu and Harley-Davidson chief commercial officer Luke Mansfield about the growth of the NA beer segment and how that might crossover into a motorcycling community where responsible riding is being taken seriously.
“You're now offering them something that's relevant, something that they're proud to hold in their hands, something that fits in a beer occasion, something that tastes amazing, looks amazing, but there's also a responsible choice like this. That's the Holy Grail.”
The beer will be released initially in Wisconsin, including the 18 Harley-Davidson dealerships across the state, more than 100 biker-friendly bars within distributor Frank Beer Madison’s footprint, and independent liquor stores and statewide chains, Verdu said.
And now I’m thinking, why hasn’t Panhead done exactly this??!
Dusty’s Beer of the Week
I was done with fresh hop for 24 until I spied Eddyline’s Midnight Harvest —my fave style of beer, Black IPA. This 6.6% brewty is hopped with NZH-101 and Green Bullet, the result being plenty of fresh lime, mandarin meets roasty espresso with hints of spice on a subtle malty backbone, the mouthfeel is citric, crispy, vibrant with a drying finish. This is glorious! Hats off to Eddyline for 1) doin’ the most underrated style in beer; and 2) making it a freshy! Outstanding!
As with so many of the great beers mentioned here, fresh hops and the rest, look for them at your local home for craft beer, New World.
One for your calendar in July
The Brew of Islands Festival in Kerikeri is back for another year, this time on July 26 & 27.
The festival started last year thanks to two local legends, Gerry Paul & Tyler Bamber, who decided to champion the best of Northland.
They have curated a festival that celebrates not only exceptional craft beer but also a unique Northland experience.
The lineup of breweries includes Parrotdog, Garage Project, Panhead and Urbanaut alongside five Far North breweries — Kainui Brew Co, Phat House, McLeod’s, 8 Wired, and Pacific Coast.
On the food side, if you watched Cooks On Fire last year you might remember Ash Matuschka, who will be at the festival barbecuing up a storm.
The music is headlined by Lost Tribe Aotearoa.
Brew of Islands - Beer Festival 26 & 27 July 2024
Tim’s Beer of the Week
You thought you were safe. You thought fresh hop season was over, but it just keeps on going… This one is special though, I promise. Garstonstein is a joint release from Wanaka Beerworks and Christchurch’s Beers and it’s unique in that the fresh Nelson Sauvin hops are not from Nelson, but from down in Southland, grown by the up-and-coming Garston Hops.
Immediately there’s a noticeable difference in aroma from the many Nelson-grown fresh hop Sauvins this year. The characteristic sharpness and pungency take on a gentler form, with juicy lemon/lime citrus and ripe estery apples. On the palate you’ll find a delightfully old-school take on IPA, as the fresh hop flavours dance over a beautifully characterful malt base and thumping bitter finish. Could this be the beginning of the concept of terroir for hops? — Tim Newman
Another week, another Aussie closure
Temple Brewing have announced they will shut the doors to their Melbourne brewpub for good after May 19 and appoint a liquidator to manage the closure of their operations.
The brewery team said the decision was due to the impacts of Covid-19, post-Covid trading conditions, and a “severely” impacted downturn of their wholesale business and brewpub sales.
“Continued trading in this environment is no longer possible,” they said in a statement.
Temple opened the doors to their Brunswick East home in late 2011 after first making a name brewing elsewhere, becoming one of inner north Melbourne's first brewpubs. The original business ran into financial difficulties in 2013 and was taken over by new owners.
On the upside, Black Hops, which was on the verge of closing (as reported last week), has been saved after being bought by a consortium made up of existing shareholders and “other supporters of craft beer and independent breweries”.
The business had been in administration since late March and the administrators had recommended winding up the company and appointing a liquidator.
Black Hops had debts of more than $7 million. And the administrators revealed the brewery could have been trading while insolvent for 18 months and — according to the administrators’ preliminary analysis — authorities could potentially take action against current and former directors for reckless trading.
In a statement provided to The Crafty Pint, Darren Hill, representing the Black Hops Craft Pty Ltd, said of the new ownership consortium: “We are passionate supporters of craft beer and independent breweries. Most importantly, we believe in the team and the quality of the product, that’s why we’re taking on the Black Hops brand.
“Independent breweries are an important part of the beer landscape and we genuinely feel Black Hops is a jewel in the crown of the craft beer industry.”
Wine, but what the heck
A slight diversion away from beer, only because I stumbled across this and filed it under “must share”.
You may remember the great film Sideways in which struggling writer and wine fan Miles Raymond (played by Paul Giamatti) and his friend, Jack (played by Thomas Haden Church) take a road trip to Santa Barbara wine country in California.
The film was based on Rex Pickett’s book of the same name and actually came out before the book was published.
What I didn’t realise was that Pickett has created a series of Sideways novels featuring his alter-ego Miles travelling across the world on various adventures to other wine regions, including Oregon, Chile and New Zealand, before his latest novel brings him back to California.
All the books have been re-released in hardback to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sideways’ original release.
Naturally, I was curious about Sideways: New Zealand.
“I quickly discovered Central Otago on the south of the South Island,” Pickett said in a recent interview with Drinks Business.
And if you remember Sideways, Miles was in love with Pinot Noir, so Central Otago pleased Pickett no end.
“Yeah, it was 80% Pinot Noir grown in these soils, that have 3% organic matter and schist soils that are very, very hard scrabble. You barely even grow weeds in them. So that interests me, wine at the edge of the world.”
As for the plot, set 10 years after the original: “… what’s Miles doing there? It’s 10 years later, and so I started to think, maybe he’s kind of left the known world.
“And he’s, as I have, been living a peripatetic life. It’s not all autobiography, obviously there’s fiction in there, but I put a lot of myself into the work, and I think it’s what lends it verisimilitude.
“He’s written a book, he’s gonna go on a book tour, and he’s found a publisher. But the publisher kind of does a bait and switch on him. Instead of it being a real proper book tour it’s ‘put him in a camper van with Jack’. And that’s what I did: a camper van and book clubs.
“It was quite an experience. New Zealand is the book that New Zealand gave me.”
Sideways New Zealand: The Road Back (The Sideways Series): Rex Pickett Amazon.com
Beer of the Week No 3
Speaking of wine, direct from a vineyard in Marlborough comes DNA Brewing.
DNA stands for Dave ’n’ Ant, being David Nicholls — formerly Moa — and winemaker Ant Moore.
The vineyard-brewery project is home to the Fancy Cow, an Italian-style restaurant that in turn plays host to the DNA taproom and Ant Moore Wines cellar door.
Dave’s one of New Zealand’s respected and long-serving brewers and this new project promises to deliver some pretty special beers.
The previous beers I’ve tried from DNA have been superbly drinkable and well-balanced and it’s the same with this fresh hop pale (5%) brewed with Holmdale Farm-grown Nelson Sauvin.
I loved the contained intensity of this beer, it doesn’t slap you around with lots of dank pungency, which I know many of you love. It’s rather more elegant than that, with the Nelson Sauvin oils adding richness and palate weight to the texture and delivering what feels like a quite dense grape juice flavour. Superb autumn relaxed drinking.
Tastes like camel dung? It’s supposed to
All of us, surely, have at least once uttered the phrase: “Tastes like shit” in relation to beer.
Well, now there’s a beer you can say that about and the brewer will be happy to hear it.
In the never-ending search for new and different, South Australia's Robe Town Brewery is using camel dung for a beer.
Owner and head brewer Maris Biezaitis said the beer – Holy Smokes! – was inspired by a neighbouring camel farm.
“When I befriended the people that run the local camel dairy, I wanted to make a beer from something with the camels,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“I was wracking my brain for quite a few weeks and eventually realised just about the only thing I could use from the camel to make a beer is the dung.”
And I know, like me, you’re wondering how … and of course there’s a catch.
It’s a smoked beer, and the camel dung is the fuel for the fire.
“There might be people out there that smoke their brisket with some birch wood chips or cherry wood chips, but we smoke malt with camel dung,” Biezaitis said.
“People have been cooking with dung for thousands of years … it is a natural fuel source for cooking.”
The end product does not contain the dung and does not taste like poo either, he swears.
“I think the flavour is something akin to a peat-smoked malt,” he said.
And with that, I’ll push off and catch you next week with another awards-based dispatch as the New World Beer & Cider Awards are announced on Monday.
Michael