Kerry Hollyoak from Redoak celebrating the win
Redoak’ssour beer Chateau Sour was named Supreme Champion at the International Beer Challenge held in London this week.
Triumphing over 550 beers from 30 countries, the beer was praised for its complexity, with one judge commenting that they were “amazed by the complexity of the beer and how it complemented the food perfectly.”
It was the second win in a row for Redoak, after taking the top gong in 2013 for its Special Reserve.
The Redoak Chateau Sour is a Flanders Red Ale, brewed to the Flemish regional beer style within Germany. David Hollyoak, Redoak’s Master Brewer, has been tinkering with the ‘magical’ process of brewing sour beers for years, and was “stoked that such a complex and old style beer had won the award”.
“Winning Supreme Champion for our sour beer (Chateau Sour) has really blown our socks off. I am very humbled to win this award as anyone who brews beer knows, a sour beer can be a very challenging beer style to brew. Using wild yeast adds a unique dimension and unpredictability to the brewing process and is often described as the real art of brewing. I find it challenging and exciting trying to tame the wild yeast,” Hollyoak said.
Hollyoak loves the complexities that sour beers offer, and believes that his is a “whole world experience in a glass”, masterful enough to convert even the most loyal wine drinkers.
“I am really proud of winning this award as I have felt that this beer has been under-appreciated (if there is such a term) for quite some time. It’s a relatively new beer style in Australia and is perfect to match with food. The low bitterness and sourness can have you puckering but the sweet smooth finish lingers. Our Chateau Sour is like discovering a new world of beer in a glass but it is not for the timid,” hesaid.
The win follows a highly successful 12 months for the civil engineer turned brewer, fondly nicknamed the ‘Willy Wonka of Beer’.
Written by Laura Barry