New Zealand Beer Awards 2024: Celebrating Excellence in Brewing

The winners of the prestigious New Zealand Beer Awards 2024 were revealed during a glittering gala dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Auckland on Saturday night. The event brought together over 300 industry professionals to honour the best in New Zealand’s vibrant brewing scene.

This year’s competition saw a remarkable 700+ entries from across the country, all meticulously judged in Christchurch earlier in July. The quality and quantity of the entries exceeded expectations, marking a significant milestone for the awards.

“We’re over the moon with both the number of entries and their quality in the 2024 competition,” said Melanie Kees, Executive Director of the Brewers Guild of New Zealand. “One of the key drivers behind the New Zealand Beer Awards, apart from celebrating our exceptional local beers, is to recognize and uphold high standards. This year, we saw a 14% increase in the success rate for medals, with 77% of all entries receiving a medal. This is a testament to the outstanding quality of New Zealand beer, which is fantastic news for both brewers and consumers.”

The judging panel, comprising 24 stewards, 26 judges, and 6 support staff, worked tirelessly over 2.5 days pouring, serving and judging the entries. The Specialty & Experimental category emerged as the largest, highlighting the innovative spirit thriving within the NZ brewing industry. This was followed closely by the Stout & Porter and NZ Lager & NZ Pilsner categories.

The evening’s celebration was a tribute to the industry’s achievements, with the prestigious Overall Champion Brewing Company award going to Three Boys Brewery from Christchurch, a title they also held in 2022. McLeod’s Brewery from Waipu was honored with the Champion New Zealand Beer trophy for their India Pale Ale, Tropical Cyclone, and the Champion Medium Brewery title.

The Awards also recognized contributions to the broader brewing industry, including:

• Beer Tourism Award: Altitude Brewing
• Sustainability in Brewing Award: Sawmill Brewery
• Packaging Award: Hop Federation
• Morton Coutts Award for Innovation: Clayton Hops

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