A husband-and-wife team at a Caloundra brewery are toasting their success after claiming some major beer awards.
The Moffat Beach Brewing Co. won big at Australia’s Independent Beer Awards (The Indies).
The business continued its golden run of awards, by winning Champion Small/Medium Brewery, Queensland State Champion, Champion IPA and Champion Session Beer.
It followed their victories from 2018 and 2020, when they won Champion Small/Brewpub and Champion Session Beer.
A recent brewery expansion for the husband-and-wife team of Matt and Sharynne Wilson put them in the Small/Medium Brewery category, and it led to more trophies for the pair.
The business opened the doors of a beachside brewpub/cafe at Moffat Beach in 2015, before opening a production house and taproom in Caloundra West in 2020.
The awards were presented by the Independent Brewers Association.
IBA Chair Richard Adamson said the of number of entries and medals were incredible to see after a tough 18 months.
About 75 per cent of entries received a medal, after meeting high-quality benchmarks.
“It shows that quality is on the up for indie beer, which is great for everyone,” Mr Adamson said.
“I think it’s amazing that we can get a record number of entries given the challenging circumstances faced by most breweries this year, especially considering the many lockdowns and limitations with production,” Mr Adamson said.
It’s the second year the awards have been live streamed from all corners of the country, due to COVID uncertainty.
This year it was broadcast at 10 live-cross parties around Australia, and other celebrations in taprooms and bars throughout the country.
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IBA Chief Executive Officer Kylie Lethbridge said it was such a special night.
“I am positive that 2022 will see us finally being able to be in the same place at the same time for the Indies Awards but the virtual ceremony is certainly a brilliant way to ensure that our members and industry stakeholders have a chance to party and to raise a toast to indie beer and the brewers who excelled this year,” Ms Lethbridge said.
And it’s not only beer that was toasted, with five Peer Nominated Awards also handed out over the course of the evening; including the Lifetime Achievement Award, to David Cryer, founder of Cryer Malt for his hard work helping grow the Australian and New Zealand beer industries over the last 30 years.
“Congratulations to all of the winners, and we would also love to thank the judges, the IBA Indies Advisory Group, Head Judge Tina Panoutsos, and all of the volunteers that helped make this happen,” Ms Lethbridge said.
You can re-watch the ceremony in full on the IBA YouTube channel.
Queensland Winners
• Champion Small/Medium Brewery – Moffat Beach Brewing Co.
• Champion Queensland Brewery – Moffat Beach Brewing Co.
• Champion IPA – Moffat Beach Brewing Co – Trilogy Best Coast IPA – Draught.
• Champion Session Beer – Moffat Beach Brewing Co – Moffs Summer Ale – Package.
• Champion Porter-Stout – Revel Brewing Co Neo-mexicanus black IPA – Package.
• Champion Pale Ale – Sea Legs Brewing Co – Sea Legs Pale Ale – Draught.
For full results visit the Independent Brewers Association, including gold, silver and bronze medal winners.
