RENOWNED as a world-class wine region, the Barossa Valley has also shown it packs a punch in the brewing space with two companies from the region excelling in the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards.
The Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards are open to beer and cider producers from Australia and New Zealand and in 2023 featured thirteen trophies up for grabs.
Categories included lagers, ales, porters, stouts, reduced alcohol beer, wheat beer, rye beer, alternative grain beers, cider and perry (pear cider).
Presented by the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia, the award winners were celebrated at Adelaide's Beer and BBQ Festival on the weekend.
Barossa Valley Brewing, Tanunda, won four titles including best small brewery, and was awarded 12 medals in total.
In a competitive Best Lager category, Barossa Valley Brewing was awarded the title for its Barossa Bock, a German-style dark lager.
From nearby Marananga, Barossa Valley Cider Company won all three trophies in the cider and perry categories.
The cidery was awarded the Best Perry trophy for the second year in a row, as well as Best Cider trophy and Best South Australian Exhibit.
Their Squashed Apple Cider was also the only cider entry to be awarded a gold medal in the cider categories.
Chief beer judge Stephen Nelson said Barossa Valley Brewing was a perennial favourite in the beer competition and had been producing "solid beers for a while now".
"They have really established themselves in the heart of wine country and this acknowledgement is much deserved for their years of hard work," he said.
Mr Nelson said the connection with regions is what made SA beer and cider unique.
"South Australia stands alone in having most of our craft brewers outside of the city and sitting in the regions," he said.
"When you see a brewer like Watsacowie from the southern Yorke Peninsula winning best Stout while using barley from local farms, it really drives home that connection between beer and our incredible South Australian agriculture.
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"We are so lucky to have all of this in our backyard and I would love to see people get out into our regions and see some of our great brewers, just like they do with our wine regions."
Other award winners included Vale Ale, McLaren Vale, in the Alternative Grain Beer/Specialty category for its Foxhat Breaded Mongrel, and Coopers in the Large Brewery category for it's Mid Ale.
WA breweries also excelled, with Nowhereman Brewing Co winning Champion Ale and Most Outstanding Beer in Show for their Rhapsody XPA.
Minlaton brewery Watsacowie was named Porter or Stout champion for its Ethel Porter.
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