Australia’s best beer has been revealed – and it’s a triumph for Western Australia!
August 24, 2020
Judges at the Perth Royal Beer Awards have lifted the lid on their Champion brew for 2020 and it’s good news for Perth and WA.
Blasta Brewing Company – based in Burswood – took home six medals and four trophies in total, including the coveted Trophy for Champion Beer, won by their ‘Chainbreaker IPA’. The prize is the highest award available to commercial brewers at the annual event, in which a panel of experts scrutinize hundreds of beers from across Australia.
CRYER MALT TROPHY for CHAMPION BEER
Blasta Brewing Company
Chainbreaker
CLASS 34 IPA Draught – American Style
Other wins for the metro-based microbrewery included the Trophy for Champion Small Brewery and an award for their sour-style‘The Rampant Raspberry’ (Trophy for Best Hybrid & Speciality Beer).
This year’s judging team, led by Will Irving – formerly of Feral Brewing Co. – worked through 395 entries across 104 separate classes. Each beer, identified only by a catalogue number and served in its own standard, non-descript tasting glass, was judged according to international judging criteria, considering appearance, aroma, flavour, technical quality and style.
Sydney-based Lion Beer Australia grabbed the prize for Champion Large Brewery while the Trophy for Best New Exhibitor went to King Road Brewing Co. In Oldbury, WA.
The ever-popular ‘Best Draught Lager’ category was hotly contested, with Lucky Bay Brewing Co. (Esperence) taking home the trophy for their aptly named ‘Lockdown Dark Lager’, launched earlier this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was also a successful year for Great Southern’s Boston Brewing Co. (Denmark WA.) who walked away with seven gold medals. Margaret River Brewhouse were awarded five golds.
Speaking ahead of the competition’s awards evening on Friday 21 August, Chief Judge Will Irving said that the competition across all categories had been incredibly strong.
The annual beer competition – an initiative of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA (RASWA) – is part of the Perth Royal Food Awards programme, celebrating exceptional produce and producers from across Australia.
RASWA President, David Thomas, said: “Australian brewing continues to go from strength to strength and the quality of the entries just keeps getting better every year.
“Aside from being an excellent opportunity for entrants to measure themselves against the competition, the Perth Royal Food Awards gives winners a tool by which they can promote their product to the general public – the Perth Royal Food Awards medals.
“Winners earn the right to use their gold; silver; bronze and champion/trophy medals on their award-winning product, thereby demonstrating to the buying public that it is among the best products available in Australia.”
For more information about the Perth Royal Food Awards and a full list of winners from the 2020 beer category, visit perthroyalfoodawards.raswa.org.au.