The Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) has kicked off its annual search for the world’s best beers, with US brewers encouraged to enter the second largest beer competition of its kind, joining the global battle for beer supremacy.
The AIBA offer US exhibitors the chance to test their skills against the best brewers in the world. In 2009, a record 1,140 entries were received across the world, including more than 160 entries from US based brewers. Long heralded as a leading beer nation, US breweries have produced a number of AIBA winning entries since the Award’s inception in 1993.
According to AIBA Chairman Peter Manders, the Awards offer large and craft brewers from the US the opportunity to showcase their talents, and pit their products against the best in the industry.
“The Australian International Beer Awards has grown in stature to sit alongside The Great American Beer Festival as one of the most highly regarded awards of its industry, attracting a remarkable number of high quality and innovative beers from around the world,” said Mr. Manders.
“The Awards recognise brewers that are influencing the evolution of the beer industry through innovation, and provide an international benchmark of industry excellence,” he said.
“We expect US breweries to attract strong attention from the judges once again in 2010, with the Champion Belgian and French Ales Trophy awarded to the Anderson Valley Brewing Company (California) for their Brother David’s Double Abbey Style Ale in 2009.”
The competition’s global reputation has been reinforced in recent years with the inclusion of some of the world’s most respected judges who join a panel of Australian industry experts to judge a variety of classes.
The annual AIBA judge beers in a variety of classes. In addition to awarding the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals in each class, judges award 16 prestigious Championship Trophies, including a new Champion Gluten Free Beer Trophy.
Presented annually by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria in conjunction with the University of Ballarat, the event will culminate in a gala awards presentation dinner at Crown Palladium, Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, 20 May 2010.
Entries close 29 January 2010. For details visit www.beerawards.com.