March 26, 2003
SMOKED, wooded, fruit, vegetable and herb and spice flavoured beers are among the entries in Australia’s international beer awards as brewers capitalise on a booming boutique market.
Judges at the Australian International Beer Awards, which began judging in Melbourne today, will sample 590 beers from 22 countries.
Awards chief judge Peter Manders said there had been a marked decline in beer consumption in Australia in recent years.
“Twenty years ago Australians drank about 120 litres of beer per head, per annum,” said Mr Manders, who is also the Carlton and United Breweries master brewer.
“That figure’s down now to about 90 litres.”
However, Mr Manders said the market for boutique beer continued to expand as brewers, competing with ready-to-drink mixers and wine varieties, became more creative in the laboratory.
“We’re giving the consumer a greater choice in flavour and varietal styles,” Mr Manders said.
Director of judges Rob Greig, a food scientist at the University of Ballarat, said a definite expansion in varietal and premium markets had led to the introduction of an experimental category at last year’s awards.
The category had drawn some unusual entries, Mr Greig said.
“When we first started 11 years ago it was lager, lager, lager. That’s really what it was and nothing else,” Mr Greig said.
“Now there’s smoked beers, herb and spice beers, fruit beers.”
“There’s even vegetable beers where they’ve used pumpkin in with the barley.”
“The changes over the last 10 years have been absolutely dramatic. There’s all sorts of wonderful beers.”
A ruby coloured cherry beer, submitted for judging in this year’s awards was initially brewed under normal processes.
“It then goes through a secondary fermentation when a whole pile of cherries are added,” Mr Greig said.
A Thai basil and lemongrass beer, entered in the herb and spice category, was produced with hot thai basil and lemongrass added to the brewing mash.
“What you end up with is not a beer that tastes like a Thai curry, but a beer that has just a hint of basil and lemongrass coming through,” Mr Greig said.
Honours in the Australian International Beer Awards’ 12 categories and the Grand Champion Beer Award will be announced at a tasting festival to be held in Melbourne in May.
AAP