Entries open for 2022 Australian International Beer Awards

Categories such as Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale and New Zealand-Style India Pale Ale have been introduced to this year’s Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards as entries to the largest annual competition in the world that judges both draught and packaged beer opened this week.

Reflecting last year’s revision of the US Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines, the new Classes include New Zealand-Style Pale Ale (Best International-Style Pale Ale), New Zealand-Style India Pale Ale (Best Traditional India Pale Ale) as well as Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale, Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale and Experimental India Pale Ale. Go to the Sections and Classes pages here for a complete list of classes.

Judging for the 29th annual AIBAs will take place over five days in May at Melbourne Showgrounds ahead of the awards event on May 26 where 11 major trophies and 24 category trophies will be up for grabs.

Last year, where Dollar Bill Brewing and their fellow Victorians won big, the awards received over 2,500 entries from more than 400 breweries in 21 countries.

As well as the addition of the new classes, the Trophy for Best New World-Style Pale Ale has been renamed Best Modern Pale Ale and the Trophy for Best New World India Pale Ale has been renamed Best Modern India Pale Ale.

Meanwhile, the +0.3% tolerance on Class 14 – Best Reduced/Low Alcohol has been reinstated, meaning the upper limit on Reduced/Low Alcohol Ales and Lagers is now 3.8% ABV. The lower limit of ABV for these styles remains 0.5%, the lowest alcohol by volume content that requires an ABV statement on the label as prescribed by the Australia New Zealand Food standards code – standard 2.7.1.