16 May 2022
Media Release: Breaking brew news... Local breweries take top awards spots
Winners list frothing over with first-time wins and trends
Local breweries have takenthe top spots in one of the most popular beer and cider competitions in the country, the New World Beer & Cider Awards.
The New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 30 announced today follows the independent expert judging of nearly 700 entries from around New Zealand and the world, and is full of debut winning breweries, record-setting wins and the latest trends.
The winners hit the shelves as well as the headlines today, with all the Top 30 beers, ciders, and even an alcoholic gingerbeer, now available in New World supermarkets nationwide.
Non-alcoholic beers get top marks and low carb reaches new heights
In one of many firsts for the Awards, this year two non-alcoholic beers have made the prestigious Top 30: ALL DAY Non-Alcoholic IPA from Auckland’s Bach Brewing and the Garage Project ‘Tiny’ Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA.
Chair of Judges for the New World Beer & Cider Awards Michael Donaldson says the wins are great news for beer drinkers of all persuasions. “Creating a full-flavour beer without the alcohol is no easy feat. These winning breweries have met the challenge and led the market with stunning results that even the most beer-loving consumers can enjoy pulling from the fridge.
“To make the Top 30, an entry has to not just impress, but must reach the threshold of being a world-class example of its style, and these certainly do. Both are non-alcoholic options that don’t make you feel as if you’re missing out on anything.”
This year also sees the first low carb beer – another fast-growing trend on beer chiller shelves – to make it into the Top 30 with Epic Blue. “We judged the low carb entries alongside their peers in each style class, and it’s a real credit to the skill of the Epic team to have created such a full-flavour competitor.”
Debut winners from Waikato to Wanaka
For the first time in the Award’s eight-year history, the Top 30 winner list is made up entirely of New Zealand brands, including nine first-time winners from all corners of the country.
Debuting in the 2022 Top 30 are:
· Beer Baroness, a 100% female owned brewery in Christchurch
· Bootleg Brewery Company, located in the historic Matangi Dairy Factory near Hamilton
· Morningcider, of Auckland’s Morningside (of course), creators of the city’s first urban orchard
· Ranga Alcoholic Gingerbeer, from the original alcoholic gingerbeer brewers located in Gisborne
· Rhyme X Reason of Wanaka, where they also design and manufacture their own canning lines
· Southpaw Brewing, founded by a team of beer-fan friends in Christchurch
· The Theoretical Brewer
· Volstead Brewing Company, also of Christchurch, which made the Top 30 on their first try
Mount Brewing also re-joined the ranks with their first beer win, and Hawkes Bay’s Brave Brewing has returned following their inaugural win in 2020.
“This Top 30 is a showcase of some of the best brewing talents and innovators in the country,” says Donaldson, “and it’s great to be able to celebrate these new and less-widely known names alongside heritage brands like Steinlager, and popular craft breweries like Panhead and Sawmill, who continue to experiment and perform at the top of their game.”
Supreme winner a “masterpiece” among traditional styles and modern classics
For the first time the New World Beer & Cider Awards judges also awarded a Supreme Winner – tasting and re-tasting the best-scoring entries to find a stand-out champion and discovering what Michael Donaldson has called “a classic masterpiece” in Emerson’s Weissbier.
A reincarnation of a wheat beer Emerson’s founder Richard Emerson first brewed in 1995, the traditionally cloudy German-style beer is described as fruit-driven with a hint of “banana lollies”, full and creamy but clean and coherent.
“For those less taken by trends, the Top 30 is equally full of ‘classics’ to explore,” says Donaldson, including two Belgian style beers: a saison called Bones of the Land from North End Brewery and a lambic-style brew called Fistful of Raspberries from Matakana’s 8 Wired.
The Top 30 has modern classics and Kiwi-born legends too, such as Garage Project’s Pernicious Weed, which is one of four Top 30 wins from the brewery – an Awards record. While pop-culture champs Behemoth and relative newcomers Urbanaut were recognised for their latest take on hazies and lager respectively.
“Whether you are keen to try a perfect example of your favourite style of beer, explore something new, or just sample something from another part of the country, the Top 30 is a go to list that you can be confident choosing from,” says Donaldson.
A full list of the Top 30 winning beers and ciders is below. All winners, as well as the 70 Highly Commended brews, can also be found on the New World website at newworld.co.nz/Top30
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2022 New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 30
| Brewery/Brand | Region | Winning Beer/Cider name | Style |
| 8 Wired Brewing | Warkworth/Matakana | 8 Wired A Fistful of Raspberries | Wheat, Saison, Sour |
| 8 Wired Brewing | Warkworth/Matakana | 8 Wired iStout | Stout |
| Bach Brewing Co. | Auckland | Bach ALL DAY Non-Alcoholic IPA | Non Alcoholic |
| Bach Brewing Co. | Auckland | Bach PEACH PUCKER Berliner Sour Beer | Wheat, Saison, Sour |
| Beer Baroness | Christchurch (central) | Beer Baroness Sunshine & Spaceships | Hazy |
| Behemoth Brewing Company | Auckland - Mt Eden | Behemoth Brewing Hop Buddies Homer and Marge Hazy IPA | Hazy |
| Bootleg Brewery Ltd | Hamilton - Matangi | Bootleg T-Straight Burnout Smokey Stout | Stout |
| Brave Brewing Co | Hawke's Bay - Hastings | Brave Brewing Co Bottle Rocket Extra Pale Ale | Pale Ale |
| Burkes Brewing Co | Tekapo | Burkes Brewing Co #Fakenews Hazy IPA | Hazy |
| Emerson's Brewery | Dunedin | Emerson's Weissbier | Wheat, Saison, Sour |
| Epic Beer | Auckland - Onehunga | Epic Blue Low Carb Pale Ale | Pale Ale |
| Epic Beer | Auckland - Onehunga | Epic Cryopop | IPA |
| Garage Project Brewery | Wellington | Garage Project Hatsukoi Lager | Lager & Pilsner |
| Garage Project Brewery | Wellington | Garage Project Pernicious Weed IIPA | IPA |
| Garage Project Brewery | Wellington | Garage Project Proper Crisp IPA | IPA |
| Garage Project Brewery | Wellington | Garage Project Tiny Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA | Non Alcoholic |
| Morningcider | Auckland - Morningside | Morningcider Strawberry Rosé Cider | Cider & Alcoholic Gingerbeer |
| Mount Brewing Co | Mount Maunganui | Mount Brewing Co Golden Hour Hazy XPA | Hazy |
| North End Brewery | Kapiti Coast/Waikanae | North End Bones of the Land Saison | Wheat, Saison & Sour |
| DB Breweries Ltd | Nelson | Orchard Thieves Rose | Cider & Alcoholic Gingerbeer |
| Panhead Custom Ales | Wellington - Upper Hutt | Panhead Port Road Pilsner | Lager & Pilsner |
| Ranga / Brand Evolution | Gisborne | Ranga Alcoholic Gingerbeer | Cider & Alcoholic Gingerbeer |
| Rhyme X Reason Brewery | Wanaka | Rhyme X Reason Space Monkey | Lager & Pilsner |
| Sawmill Brewery | Matakana | Sawmill Extra Pale Ale | Pale Ale |
| Sawmill Brewery | Matakana | Sawmill West Coast IPA | IPA |
| Southpaw Brewing Company | Christchurch - Hornby | Southpaw Brewing Say Hey Kid IPA | IPA |
| Lion | Auckland | Steinlager Pure | Lager & Pilsner |
| The Theoretical Brewer | New Plymouth, Taranaki | The Theoretical Brewer Mad Hatter | Hazy |
| Urbanaut Brewing Co | Auckland - Kingsland | Urbanaut Hacienda Disco Beer | Lager & Pilsner |
| Volstead Brewing Company | Christchurch - Riccarton | Volstead Brewing Company Riwaka Hazy | Hazy |