Chosen from more than 1000 entries, South Australia’s Uraidla Brewing’s Vampiric Throne IPA has been named Best Independent Beer at the 2024 Independent Beer Awards, the first time a red IPA has received the top gong at the awards.
The accolade comes only two months after Uraidla Brewing welcomed its new Head Brewer, Max Bowering. At 24, Bowering is evidence of the skill and dedication of the newest generation of independent brewers.
The awards were presented in Perth last week, with around 350 people in attendance. The night was emceed by Moffat Beach Brewing Co’s Craig Williams and Eagle Bay Brewing Co’s Bronte O’Donoghue.
Judging took place over three days, with 50 judges tasting and rating the 1028 entries and awarding a total 904 medals. Of these medals, 151 were gold, 387 were silver, and 366 were bronze. In addition, 21 different breweries took home Champion Trophies, with nine breweries receiving their first ever Champion Trophy this year.
New faces on the podium
Independent Brewers Association (IBA) CEO Kylie Lethbridge was pleased to see many first-time winners at the awards.
“We saw some really small breweries, very new breweries, and some different faces on the podium, which was fantastic. There were a couple of couple of WA brewers who are relatively new to the game, one only having opened earlier this year and winning a trophy at the AIBAs and the Indies as well. That was lovely to see,” she said.
As well as championing quality beer, Lethbridge said that the awards provide an opportunity for people to enter the world of beer judging.
“We try to support local judges, and so we had a whole lot of new people judging this year, which was fantastic to see. Some years back, we felt we had a responsibility to provide pathways through the judging process and ways for people to get involved. That program is really yielding results and we’re having people come through from stewarding and going into associate judging and up through the chain to senior judges,” she said.
Head Judge Justin Fox said that the quality of entries at this year’s Indies was impressive, as was the expertise of the judges.
“The calibre of the assembled judging panels was again first class, with representation from all corners of our industry. Each judge brought unique skills, industry perspective, sensory strengths, and a positive willingness to both improve and impart their own knowledge,” he said.
“With the Olympics in full swing, this medal tally demonstrates that consumers across Australia can enjoy the highest calibre of independent beers on tap in venues and packed in fridges across the country.”
Empowering WA breweries
This year’s awards coincided with the Western Australian Brewers Association (WABA) conference, as well as the launch of a 10-year craft brewing strategy formulated by the IBA, WABA, South West Brewers Alliance, and the WA government. According to Lethbridge, the day’s activities made for an energetic awards night.
“There was a real buzz in the room and people were having a wonderful time catching up. It was a really good day, and it was very different to what had happened in the past, which meant that there was a really great vibe at the ceremony that night,” she said.
IBA Chair Callum Reeves said that holding the awards in Perth was beneficial for the local industry.
“Two years ago, we established a vision of moving this important industry event around the nation so everyone had the chance to participate and so we could showcase local beer and the community that supports it,” he said.
Lethbridge said that there was an increase in entries from WA breweries as a result of the location.
“There were more WA entries than we’ve seen in previous years. It’s definitely more expensive for those breweries to send their beer across the country, and the industry is obviously struggling a bit, so those extra costs will always be a factor. We were really pleased with entry number overall, especially given these tight times.”