Independent Gold Coast brewery Burleigh Brewing scooped some impressive scores at the World Beer Championships, being the only Australian brewery to appear in the results.
Burleigh Brewing’s Japan Black was graded “exceptional” by judges, scoring 92 points, while Bighead scored 91 points, translating to two gold medals on the Beverage Testing Institute’s 100-point scale.
Additionally, Burleigh Brewing’s Duke Premium Lager, Black Giraffe, Cerveza and Slow Brewed Lager all claimed a place in the ranking, scoring 89, 88, 87 and 87 points respectively.
Sharing her excitement about the results, Burleigh Brewing Co-founder and CEO Peta Fielding said: “Six medals, two of them gold, I’m ecstatic. We started Burleigh Brewing 18 years ago, and are still independent today, so it’s a real thrill to not just mix it with some of the biggest brands in the world, but actually win.
“Bighead has been part of our core range for over 15 years, and we know the Gold Coast loves it – now it’s a gold medallist. The beers are brewed right here at Burleigh Heads, so it goes to show, southeast Queensland is a standout as an alcohol producing region. It’s a wonderful recognition for our hard working team.”
Now hoping to land a position on the top 10 podium in the GABS Hottest 100, Fielding says: “We’ll be hosting a countdown party at the taphouse on the day, so this is an open invite to everyone to get down there and enjoy the festivities.
“We’d love to see a lager take it out this year, rather than the ales that have dominated recently, and hopefully that’s one of ours. Top 10 would be an amazing result. It makes a huge difference for small, family-run businesses like ours to get that support.”
The World Beer Championships were first introduced by the Beverage Testing Institute in 1994, and this year’s top award winners from around the world included:
- Best Gluten Free Lager: Damm Brewery Daura Damm Gluten-Free Lager (Spain)
- Best Flavoured Imperial Stout: Toppling Goliath 2024 Mornin’ Delight Stout Brewed with Maple Syrup and Coffee (USA)
- Best New England-style IPA: Fremont Brewing Head Full of Dynomite Hazy IPA (USA)
- Best Flavoured Barrel Aged Ale: Jackalope Brewing Mice & Men Blueberry Baltic Porter Aged in Brandy Barrels (USA)
- Best Reduced Calorie Lager: Cape May Brewing Co Cape May Light (USA)
- Best Flavoured Beer: Chang Espresso Lager (Thailand)
- Best Barrel Aged Imperial Stout: Fremont Brewing 2024 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout (USA)
- Best Winter Ale: Narragansett Bing Crosby White Christmas Winter Warmer (USA)
- Best American-style Lager: Chang Classic Beer (Thailand)
- Best Pale Lager: Damm Brewery Keler 18 Pale Lager (Spain)
- Best Märzen/Oktoberfest: Harbor Brewing Oktoberfest (Spain)
- Best Pilsner: Toppling Goliath TG Pils Bavarian Style Pilsner (USA)
- Best Hefeweizen: Damm Brewery Free Damm Non-Alcoholic Beer (Spain)
- Best Munich Helles: Federbrau German Single Malt (Thailand)
- Best Scottish-style Ale: Salt Flats Brewing Co. Kilted Harley Scottish Ale (USA)
- Best Imperial New England (hazy) IPA: Tighthead Brewing Company Chilly Water Pale Ale (USA)
- Best Mexican-style Lager: Tighthead Brewing Company Tres Izquierdas Three Lefts Mexican Lager (USA)
- Best American-style IPA: Toppling Goliath Cyber Sue American Style IPA (USA)