New Zealand Beers in Winning Form

[Stu McKinlay]

New Zealand Results from Australian International Beer Awards (the world's second biggest commercial brewing comp, by entry numbers).

Champion Beers
Champion Lager - Mac's Hop Rocker
Champion Ale - Sassy Red and Monk's Habit (tied)

Best in class
Mac's Hop Rocker
Mac's great White
Mac's Sassy Red
Cock and Bull Monk's Habit
Emerson's Weiss Bier
Emerson's Taieri George

Medals
Mac Hop Rocker - Gold
Mac's Sassy Red - Gold
Mac's Great White - Gold
Mac's Black - Silver
Mac's Sundance - Silver
Emerson's Taieri George - Gold
Emerson's Weiss Bier - Gold
Emerson's Porter - Silver
Emerson's Oatmeal Stout - Silver
Emerson's Old 95 - Bronze
Emerson's APA - Bronze
Limburg Czechmate - Bronze
Nelson Bays Brewery Exclamator - Silver
Nelson Bays Brewery Bengal Bitter - Bronze
Speight's Old Dark - Bronze
Cock and Bull Monk's Habit - Gold

An indication that we certainly are getting some of the best beers in the world brewed and served up right here. I hope a few of these guys have entered this months World Beer Cup.

Full results attached. More info at www.beerawards.com.

[nzbrewer]

World Beer Cup 2008

2008 Participating Brewery Statistics

58 Countries
645 Total Breweries
1851 Domestic (US) Beers
1080 International (Outside of US) Beers
2931 Total Beers
37% International (Outside of US) Beers
43% International (Outside of US) Breweries

List of New Zealand breweries entering World Beer Cup (full list here)

NEW ZEALAND
Renaissance Brewing LTD.

Yes that is right just one brewery from New Zealand.

(Epic isn't entering because at the World Beer Cup 2006, the feedback from the judges was Epic Pale Ale was too hoppy for an American Pale Ale style. Problem with that entering it in the Strong Pale Ale style where the hops would be appropriate the alcohol is too low.)

The reality of entering is there will be 60 to 80 beers entered per class, for popular styles, and only the top three get medals, and these beers that get medals are very much the best beers of the style in the world. If your beer is slightly out of still you don't win a medal. But the beers that win you should hunt them down and drink them.

[Tony]

You still brew an excellent beer Luke. Check out my thoughts on the thread- Styles the chains that bind.

You still get my medal mate, for what it's worth, and there are many out there that agree. I would hope that your sales reflect this?

[Stu McKinlay]

The reality of entering is there will be 60 to 80 beers entered per class, for popular styles, and only the top three get medals

For this reason I prefer the BrewNZ style of awarding a medal to each beer that deserves it. We're not judging the beers against each other but, rather, each beer against a guide. If every beer is of gold medal winning standard, let it be known. Let's celebrate that success. And if no beers are worthy of a medal, such as the "low alcohol and experimental beer" section at BrewNZ last year, then no medals are awarded.

[Martin Bridges]

I agree Stu. This is the wine show judging model, and I think it works well. I do object to the number of wines out there trumpeting how many medals they've won, but that's a fault with the number of shows out there, not the style of the judging.

I think the last sentence above is the key - if nothing entered is worthy of a medal, award no medals, otherwise you devalue the whole judging process.

Martin