Sparkling performance seals top trophy for Coopers
One of Australia’s oldest and most celebrated ales has defied the rising tide of modern craft beers to be awarded Best in Show at the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards.
First produced in 1862, Coopers Sparkling Ale won the Champion Traditional Australian Style Pale Ale trophy before being named Most Outstanding Beer in Show at the awards tonight.
Coopers also won Champion South Australian exhibit with its Sparkling Ale as well as Champion Large Brewery, Champion Reduced Alcohol Beer for its Mild Ale and Champion Other Lager for its Sapporo.
Made almost continuously for more than 150 years, Sparkling Ale stood alone in the category for almost a century as Australian brewers became obsessed with lagers. The 5.8 per cent ABV beer is widely considered to be the founder of the Australian Ale style.
Coopers Sparkling Ale is made from barley grown and malted in South Australia and Australian-grown Pride of Ringwood hops. The traditional methods such as bottle conditioning and natural carbonation have hardly changed since 1862.
This year’s Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards were again presented at the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival at the Adelaide Showground.
The awards attracted 252 entries from 54 brewers of all sizes from across Australia and New Zealand.
South Australian brewers dominated the awards with local producers winning 16 of the 22 trophies on offer.
Among the notable local winners were Lobethal Bierhaus (Champion Pilsener, Champion Stout) and Beer Garden Brewing (Champion IPA, Champion Wheat Beer), while Myponga’s Smiling Samoyed Brewery and Mismatch Brewing from the Adelaide Hills were awarded champion small and medium breweries
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Western Australian stalwart Swan Draught, which is now brewed in Adelaide by West End as part of the Lion group, was awarded Champion Lager.
Full list of winners:
Champion Reduced Alcohol Beer: Coopers Brewery (Adelaide, SA) – Coopers Mild Ale
Champion Australian Style Lager: West End Brewery (Adelaide, SA) – Swan Draught
Champion Pilsener: Lobethal Bierhaus (Adelaide Hills, SA) – Bohemian Philsner
Champion Other Lager: Coopers Brewery Ltd (Adelaide, SA) – Sapporo
Champion Traditional Australian Style Pale Ale: Coopers Brewery Ltd (Adelaide, SA) – Coopers Sparkling Ale
Champion American Style Pale Ale: Boston Brewing Co (WA) – Boondie
Champion India Pale Ale: Beer Garden Brewing (Port Lincoln, SA) – Cage Diver IPA
Champion Other Ale: Fixation Brewing Company (NSW) – OBSESSION Session IPA
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Champion Stout: Lobethal Bierhaus (Adelaide Hills, SA) – Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Champion Porter: Bridge Road Brewers (VIC) – Robust Porter
Champion Wheat Beer: Beer Garden Brewing (Port Lincoln, SA) – Section 49 Wheat Beer
Champion Hybrid Beer: Gulf Brewery (Adelaide Hills, SA) – Smoke Stack Rauchbier
Best New Exhibit: Boston Brewing Co (WA) – Boondie
Best Cider in Show: Kangaroo Island Ciders (SA) – Colony Cove Draught Cider
Best Perry in Show: Harcourt Perry & Cider Makers (VIC) – Harcourt Pear Cider
Media Choice Award: Fixation Brewing Company (NSW) – OBSESSION Session IPA
Champion Small Brewery (less than 2000 hltr per annum): Smiling Samoyed Brewery (Fleurieu Peninsula, SA)
Champion Medium Brewery (2001 hltr – 11,000 hltrs per annum): Mismatch Brewing Company (Adelaide Hills, SA)
Champion Large Brewery (greater than 11,000 hltrs per annum) Coopers Brewery Ltd (Adelaide, SA)
Champion South Australian Beer Exhibit: Coopers Sparkling Ale
Best South Australian Cider Exhibit: Kangaroo Island Ciders – Colony Cove Draught Cider
Most Outstanding Beer in Show: Coopers Brewery Ltd – Coopers Sparkling Ale
