2011 New Zealand Champion Brewery Announced
The Sutton Group Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards have been judged, with 8 Wired Brewing taking out the top honors to become The Champion Brewery in New Zealand.
With 465 entries in 2011, the Awards drew the biggest entry tally since their inception in 2001, up from 446 in 2010 and 348 in 2009.
In its tenth year, the Awards are run by the Brewers Guild of New Zealand who represent the majority of breweries in New Zealand.
Full Details of the other Trophy Winners are below:
New Zealand Champion Brewery
8 Wired Brewing
Champion International Brewery
Boston Beer Co
European Lager Styles
Steam Brewing Company
Cock & Bull German Pilsner
International Lager Styles
McCashins Brewery
Stoke Amber
British Ale Styles
Harrington’s Brewery
Pig & Whistle
Other European Ale Styles
Tuatara Brewing Co Ltd
Tuatara Ardennes
US Ale Styles
Epic Brewing Company
Epic Armageddon IPA
New Zealand & International Ale Styles
Emerson’s Brewery
Emerson’s Oreti Red
Stout & Porter Styles
Three Boys Brewery
Three Boys Oyster Stout
Wheat & Other Grain Styles
Tuatara Brewing Co Ltd
Tuatara Hefe
Flavoured & Aged Styles (incl. Fruit/Spice/Herb/ Honey/Smoke)
8 Wired Brewing
The Big Smoke
New Zealand Draught
DB Breweries Ltd
Tui East India Pale Ale
New Zealand Lager & Premium Lager Styles
Lion Breweries
Speights Summit Lager
Specialty, Experimental, Aged, Barrel & Wood-Aged, Reduced Alc./Carbohydrate & Gluten-Free Styles
8 Wired Brewing
Barrel Aged Big Smoke
Cider & Perry Styles
Camla Farm
Camla Farm Cider
Cask Conditioned
Cassels & Sons Brewing Co. Ltd
Milk Stout
Packaging
Moa Brewing Company
Moa St Josephs Magnums
Festive Brew
Emerson’s Brewery
Emerson’s Black Op
Morton Coutts Trophy For Innovation
The Yeastie Boys
Full details of all the Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards can be downloaded here.
For all media enquiries please email media@brewnz.co.nz
www.brewersguild.org.nz
8 Wired Brewing Crowned New Zealand Champion Brewery for 2011
The country’s top beer honours, the Sutton Group Brewer’s Guild of New Zealand Awards, were the perfect stage for Blenheim-based 8 Wired Brewing to collect eight medals and take out Champion Brewery of New Zealand this week.
Last year New Zealand’s second largest brewing company, DB Breweries, won the supreme award. This year it was one of the smallest, with 8 Wired’s Søren Eriksen contract-brewing through Renaissance Brewing Company, where he also works as an Assistant Brewer.
In its tenth year, the Awards are run by the Brewers Guild of New Zealand, who represent the majority of breweries in New Zealand. With 465 entries in 2011, the Awards drew the biggest entry tally since their inception in 2001, up from 446 in 2010 and 348 in 2009.
With a consistently high level of competition the 2011 result was extremely close. The quality of entries meant that 37% received a medal, the highest percentage ever, with Dunedin’s Emerson’s Brewery just missing out. Tuatara, Three Boys and Lion Nathan also competed strongly for the coveted title.
“We have been embraced by the consumers and beer community for a while now, and to get the same recognition from this year’s high calibre of judges is a great honor”, says Eriksen who, along with wife Monique, is the sum total of 8 Wired’s labour force.
“Our first beer, ReWired, was brewed in October 2009. So it’s been less than two years to climb to the top of the country’s brewing scene”, says Eriksen. “I’m obviously more than a little humbled, but also proud that our passion and attention to crafting our beers has been rewarded”.
The latest triumph follows earlier success this year at the RateBeer “Best Awards” where three 8 Wired beers won Gold and the brewery’s HopWired was voted best beer in New Zealand and Australia.
As two-time New Zealand poker champion Eriksen’s brewing successes are often mentioned in the same breath as his card-playing career. Asked which honor felt better to receive he replies, “both are a mix of skill and luck… but there is no doubt that luck is more important in poker than brewing… so, as an achievement, winning Champion Brewery is the pinnacle for me so far”.
8 Wired exports to America, Australia and Søren’s homeland Denmark. His beers can be found on the taps and shelves of New Zealand’s best craft beer bars and discerning retailers.
8 Wired Brewing’s full results were:
Champion Brewery of New Zealand
Best in Class: Specialty, Experimental, Aged, Barrel & Wood-Aged, Reduced Alc./Carbohydrate & Gluten-Free Styles
Barrel Aged Big Smoke
Best In Class: Flavoured & Aged Styles (incl. Fruit/Spice/Herb/ Honey/Smoke)
Big Smoke
Gold Medal
The Big Smoke
Barrel Aged Big Smoke
Batch 18 Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Silver Medal
Tall Poppy
Saison Sauvin
HopWired
Bronze Medal
iStout
Festivus 2011
