The Brewers Guild of New Zealand has announced the winners of its 2019 Beer Awards.
The Awards received the largest number of entries in the history of the competition, with 955 beer and ciders submitted. Beer entries from New Zealand itself were up 14%.
The 37-strong judging panel was led by Tina Panoutsos, associate director of beer knowledge at CUB, and included seven trainee judges.
Auckland’s Deep Creek Brewing took the Champion Award for New Zealand beer with its Diep Kriek, while Liberty Brewing Co. won Champion New Zealand Exhibitor, Champion Medium New Zealand Brewery and the Packaging Award.
The Brewers Guild of New Zealand Beer Awards not only celebrated great beer, but also included awards for beer tourism and brewing sustainability, two key trends in the craft brewing landscape.
“As the industry association for brewing in New Zealand, we continue to be humbled the efforts of our members to collaborate and seek out collective success for our industry,” comments Sabrina Kunz, executive director of the Brewers Guild of New Zealand. “I would like to congratulate all of the winners from this year’s Awards. The Brewers Guild looks forward to working with you to celebrate your success and showcase your stories.”
Champion Award Winners
Champion Small New Zealand Brewery: Fork Brewcorp
Champion Medium New Zealand Brewery: Liberty Brewing Co.
Champion Large New Zealand Brewery: Lion NZ
Champion New Zealand Manufacturer: Steam Brewing
Champion New Zealand Exhibitor: Liberty Brewing Co
Champion New Zealand Beer: Diep Kriek by Deep Creek Brewing
Industry Award Winners
Brewing Sustainability Award: Sawmill Brewing Co
Beer Tourism Awards: Brewbus NZ
Morton Coutts Award: Froth Technologies
Beer Media Award: Denise Garland
Packaging Award: Liberty Brewing Co.
Trophy Winners
International Lager: Tiger Crystal, DB Breweries Ltd
New Zealand Styles: Halo, Liberty Brewing Co.
Amber/Dark Lager: Octopus Clamp, Shining Peak Brewing
British Ale: Wee Reeky, Wigram Brewing Company
European Ale: East Coast Saison, Sunshine Brewery Limited
Amber/Dark Ale: Game Day, Heyday Beer Co.
International Pale Ale: Yakima Monster, Liberty Brewing Co.
Indian Pale Ale: Me Time – Mosaic, Behemoth Brewing
Stout and Porter: Panhead Blacktop, Panhead Custom Ales
Wheat and Other Grain: Emerson’s Brewery Long Night, Emerson’s Brewing Company
Fruit and Flavoured: Wabi Sabi, Garage Project Brewery
Speciality, Experimental and Aged: Diep Kriek, Deep Creek Brewing
Barrel and Wood-Aged: Hairy Craic Imperial Stout, Lakeman Brewing
Cider and Perry: The Huntress, Paynter’s Cider