A Western Australian brewery has produced the top beer in the country for the second time in three years, with Gage Roads Brewing Company taking home the top prize at the Australian International Beer Awards overnight.
A Western Australian brewery has produced the top beer in the country for the second time in three years, with Gage Roads Brewing Company taking home the top prize at the Australian International Beer Awards overnight.
Gage Roads won the Champion Australian Beer prize for its Little Dove, joining the Swan Valley’s Mash Brewing as WA brewers that have produced a beer considered to be the nation’s best at the AIBA.
The Little Dove brew also won the Best New World Style Pale Ale category.
Gage Roads chief operating officer Aaron Heary said the Little Dove beer was first produced six weeks ago, with the AIBA its first big tasting.
“Little Dove is a beer that involved all our brewers coming together over three days and trying a number of approaches and recipes in the search for a beer that had something special and, importantly, was something we all liked,” he said.
“We are extremely proud of the recognition this beer has achieved and look forward to sharing its success with the growing number of craft beer enthusiasts in Australia that demand something unique and high in quality.”
Gage Roads managing director John Hoedemaker said the prize vindicated the brewery’s recently announced strategy shift to focus on brewing its own beers, rather than grow its third-party brewing capacity.
Racing and Gaming Minister Colin Holt congratulated Gage Roads on its success.
“Named after the famous sea channel between Fremantle and Rottnest Island, Gage Roads is a quintessential Western Australian business built on the foundation of an idea and a tonne of hard work," Mr Holt said.
"From humble beginnings as an independent brewery, Gage Roads has grown to become one of the largest independent brewers in Australia - and now a national champion.”
This year’s AIBA received 1,793 entries from 326 Australian and international breweries, making it the world’s largest annual beer competition.
Along with Gage Roads and Mash, Feral Brewing Company has also tasted strong success at the AIBA, having been named Australia’s best large brewery in 2012.
Other WA-based medallists for 2016 are listed below:
Best European-style Lager
Silver - Export Lager by Indian Ocean Brewing Company
Commendation - Eagle Bay Vienna by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Best pilsner
Bronze – Hatseller Kiwi Pilsner by Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery
Bronze – Beerland Lager by Northbridge Brewing Company
Commendation – Billabong Pilsner by Billabong Brewing
Commendation – Cowaramup Pilsner by Cowaramup Brewing Company
Best Australian-style pale ale
Silver – 2 Cannons Pale Ale by Blue Mile Brewery
Bronze – Monk Common Ale by The Monk Brewery & Kitchen
Silver – Breakwater Pale Ale by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Commendation – Nail Ale by Nail Brewing
Commendation – Beerland Pale Ale by Northbridge Brewing Company
Best new world-style pale ale
Gold – Little Dove by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Silver – Single Fin Summer Ale by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Bronze - Atomic Pale Ale by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Commendation – Blackwood All Australian Pale Ale by Blackwood Valley Brewing Company
Commendation – Sun Chaser Summer Ale by Blue Mile Brewery
Best international pale ale
Gold – Mash Brewing XPA by Mash Brewing
Gold – Eagle Bay ESB by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Silver – Eagle Bay Pale Ale by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Silver – Hop Hog by Feral Brewing Company
Silver – Indian Ocean Pale Ale by Indian Ocean Brewing Company
Commendation – Old Reliable Pale Ale by Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery
Commendation – Thorny Devil Pale Ale by Cape Bouvard Brewing Company
Best American strong style
Commendation - Monk Extra by The Monk Brewery & Kitchen
Best British-style ale
Silver – Back Yard Brew ESB by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Silver – Blonde Capuchin Blonde Ale by Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery
Silver – New World Kolsch by Indian Ocean Brewing Company
Silver – Nail Golden by Nail Brewing Australia
Bronze – Cowaramup Lightsign Summer Ale by Cowaramup Brewing Company
Bronze – Sly Fox by Feral Brewing Company
Bronze – GrassCutter by Mash Brewing
Bronze – Monk Vintage by The Monk Brewery & Kitchen
Commendation – Crawley Bitter by The Old Brewery
Best European ale
Silver – Eagle Bay Kolsch by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Silver – Freo Doctor by Mash Brewing
Silver – Beerland Kolsch by Northbridge Brewing Company
Bronze – Thorny Devil Blonde Ale by Cape Bouvard Brewing Company
Bronze – Colonial Draught by Colonial Brewing Company
Best IPA
Gold – WarHog by Feral Brewing Company
Gold – CopyCat AIPA by Mash Brewing
Silver – Sleeping Giant IPA by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Silver – Sarcasm by Mash Brewing
Silver – Nail Red by Nail Brewing
Silver – Fantapants by Feral Brewing Company
Silver – Hagenbeck Belgian IPA by Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery
Silver – Eagle Bay Black IPA by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Silver – Narrow Neck Session Ale – Gage Roads Brewing Company
Bronze – Cowaramup India Pale Ale by Cowaramup Brewing Company
Commendation – Tomahawk IPA by The Old Brewery
Best amber/dark ale
Silver – Nice Guy Dud R**t by Feral Brewing Company
Silver – Mounts Bay Brown Ale by The Old Brewery
Silver – Cowaramup Porter by Cowaramup Brewing Company
Silver – Nail Imperial Brown by Nail Brewing
Bronze – Red Belly Red Ale – Blue Mile Brewery
Commendation – Monk Autumn Red by The Monk Brewery & Kitchen
Commendation – Beerland Red Ale by Northbridge Brewing Company
Commendation – Beerland Mild by Northbridge Brewing Company
Commendation – Blackwood Irish Red Ale by Blackwood Valley Brewing Company
Commendation – Imperial Red Ale by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Commendation – Nail Imperial Red by Nail Brewing
Commendation – Porter by Billabong Brewing
Best stout
Gold – Blackwood Stout Porter – Blackwood Valley Brewing Company
Silver – Nail Clayden Brew by Nail Brewing
Bronze – Clout Stout by Nail Brewing
Bronze – Nail Stout by Nail Brewing
Best reduced or low alcohol
Silver – Narrows Lager by The Old Brewery
Bronze – Thorny Devil Vienna Lager by Cape Bouvard Brewing Company
Bronze – Pils 3.5 by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Commendation – Monk Reserved by The Monk Brewery & Kitchen
Commendation – Eagle Bay Mild by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Commendation – Runt by Feral Brewing Company
Commendation – Small Ale by Colonial Brewing Company
Best wheat beer
Silver – Billabong Wheat by Billabong Brewing
Silver – Heritage Wheat Beer by The Old Brewery
Bronze – Thorny Devil Wheat Beer by Cape Bouvard Brewing Company
Bronze – Street Beer by Indian Ocean Brewing Company
Commendation – Colonial Wheat by Colonial Brewing Company
Commendation – Watermelon Warhead by Feral Brewing Company
Commendation – Feral White by Feral Brewing Company
Commendation – Beerland Wheat Beer by Northbridge Brewing Company
Best Belgian/French-style ale
Bronze – Saison Ethereal by Indian Ocean Brewing Company
Commendation – Back Yard Brew Saison by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Best speciality beer
Gold – Eagle Bay Black and Tannin by Eagle Bay Brewing Company
Gold – BFH by Feral Brewing Company
Bronze – Babooshka by Feral Brewing Company
Bronze – Travelling Monk Session Red Ale by Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery
Bronze – Blackwood Wet Hop Ale by Gage Roads Brewing Company
Commendation – Australia’s Pale Ale by Billabong Brewing
Commendation – Blonde by Billabong Brewing
Commendation – Blackwood Truffle Ale by Blackwood Valley Brewing Company
Commendation – Ace of Base by Feral Brewing Company
Commendation – Ol Brett Bitter by Gage Roads Brewing Company
