Kiwis are pretty darn good at a lot of things: staying inside when we’re told to, supporting our fellow Kiwis, and kicking the butt of a global pandemic to name just a few. Nudging those achievements down the list, however, is, of course, our fantastic ability to create a cracking brew.
From the Gisborne brewery that kick-started the country’s craft beer revolution in the 1980s to one founded in a Hastings shed just a few years ago, New Zealand owned and locally made brands were the big winners in this year’s New World Beer & Cider Awards.
“These awards are open to entries from all over the world, but New Zealand brewers proved their might once again. Almost all the Top 30 winners are New Zealand made and owned, being crafted in all corners of the country by some of our best brewing talents,” noted Chair of Judges, beer writer and author Michael Donaldson.
Of the Top 30, 29 are made right here in New Zealand, with the Swinkels Family Brewers from The Netherlands contributing the only true import with their 0% alcohol beer – the first non-alcohol beer to make the podium in the awards’ history.
“The winners list brings together the country’s best – from our oldest and most-celebrated brands, to the new brewers worth taking notice of,” said Donaldson.
“Sunshine Brewing from sunny Gisborne has been a much-loved craft beer powerhouse for more than 30 years, and we are delighted to see them in the Top 30 with two fantastic modern beers.”
Newer breweries to the Top 30 included Brave Brewing – now a local Hawke’s Bay favourite, and Lakeman Brewing – run by a husband and wife team who brew with bore water from their idyllic farm overlooking Lake Taupo.
Wellington showed why it is the undisputed craft beer capital of New Zealand, with Garage Project, Parrotdog and Panhead, as well as fellow Brewtown businesses Kererū and Boneface, all making the Top 30 with everything from a funky sour to a big barrel-aged Imperial Stout.
Auckland delivered too of course, with breweries based in the big smoke and beyond featuring in the top-30 including Epic, with two pale ales, Bach Brewing and Behemoth, Sawmill from Matakana, 8-Wired from Warkworth, and Northland’s own McLeod’s based in Waipu, who also had two beers in the top-30.
The cider crowns went to repeat winners Good George from the Waikato, Zeffer from the Hawke’s Bay, and Peckham’s – a family-owned business that farms cider apples in Nelson.
An independent judging panel, comprising of 25 experts from across the industry, and eight associate judges-in-training, put their palates to the test over two days of intense judging in Wellington in early March. Each entry was judged blind and assessed on its merits using a collaborative approach based on technical excellence, balance and, most importantly, drinkability.
Check out the full Top 30 list:
iStout, 8 Wired Brewery
JUICY AF, Bach Brewing Co.
Bavaria 0.0% Wit, Swinkels Family Brewers
Me Time Mosaic Hazy IPA, Behemoth Brewing Company
Outlaw IPL, Boneface Brewing Company
The People’s Pils, Brave Brewing Co.
Drop, Cover, Hold Tropical Sour, Emporium Brewing Company
Hopshine Pale Ale, Epic Brewing Company
Shotgun XPA, Epic Brewing Company
Electric Dry Hop Acid Test, Garage Project Brewery
Fresh IPA 2020, Garage Project Brewery
APA, Good George Brewing
Passionfruit Cider, Good George Brewing
Heineken Light, DB Group
Night Spirit Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, Kererū Brewing Company
Hopadelic IPA, Lakeman Brewing Co.
Great Migration IPA, McLeod’s Brewery
Longboarder Lager, McLeod’s Brewery
Port Rd Pilsner, Panhead Custom Ales
The Vandal NZIPA, Panhead Custom Ales
Falcon, Parrotdog
Farmhouse Cider, Peckham’s Cider
Elemental Porter, Renaissance Brewing
Pilsner, Sawmill Brewery
Scotch Ale, Sprig & Fern Brewery
Stout, Sunshine Brewing
Summer Ale, Sunshine Brewing
Wheat, Three Boys Brewery
Black Monk, Zeelandt Brewery
Rosé Cider, Zeffer Cider Co.
