WA’s booming craft beer scene has flexed its muscles with a local pale ale crowned the best drop in the country.
Top honours at the Perth Royal Food Awards went to King Road Brewing Co, whose pale ale was named Champion Beer after judges sifted through hundreds of entries from across Australia.
The Oldbury brewery — whose beer can be bought directly or through various liquor retailers — also scooped best packaged pale ale and best packaged IPA, capping a dominant showing at one of the industry’s most respected competitions.
“Winning Champion Beer is an incredible result for our team,” head brewer Steve Wearing said.
“A lot of care goes into every batch we produce, so to have our pale ale recognised like this is hugely rewarding.”
The awards, decided through strict blind judging, drew 482 entries, with dozens of gold medals handed out across a stacked field of lagers, IPAs, stouts and emerging alcohol-free brews.
And it was WA brewers leading the charge.
Campus Brewing picked up three trophies, while CBCo Brewing, Lucky Bay Brewing and Rocky Ridge Brewing Company all claimed multiple wins.
Rocky Ridge was also crowned Champion Large Brewery, with Campus Brewing taking out Champion Medium and Lucky Bay named Champion Small Brewery.
The competition also highlighted a major shift in drinking habits — with alcohol-free beer surging in popularity.
A new trophy category was introduced this year, won by Boston Brewing Company for its Little Wren non-alcoholic raspberry sour.
Industry figures show zero-alcohol beer sales in Australia have more than doubled since 2020 and now account for about 10 per cent of the market.
Chief judge Dan Feist said the standard was high.
“The standard this year was incredibly strong across both traditional and experimental styles,” he said.
With more than 120 breweries operating across WA — out of more than 600 nationwide — the State is fast cementing itself as a craft beer powerhouse.
Winners | Special Trophies
🏆 Champion Beer | Pale Ale, King Road Brewing Co (Oldbury, WA)
🏆 Champion Large Brewery | Rocky Ridge Brewing Company (Jindong, WA) 🏆 Champion Medium Brewery | Campus Brewing (Canning Vale, WA) 🏆 Champion Small Brewery | Lucky Bay Brewing (Esperance, WA) 🏆 Best New Exhibitor | Ripple Brewing (Beaconsfield, WA)
Winners | Trophies
🏆 Best Lager Packaged | West Coast Pilsner, Eagle Bay Brewing Co (Eagle Bay, WA)
🏆 Best Lager Draught | Darth Lager, Phat Brew Club (Success, WA) 🏆 Best Pale Ale Packaged | Pale Ale, King Road Brewing Co (Oldbury, WA) 🏆 Best Pale Ale Draught | Shit Show Supervisor V2, Rocky Ridge Brewing Company (Jindong, WA) 🏆 Best India Pale Ale Packaged | IPA, King Road Brewing Co (Oldbury, WA)
🏆 Best India Pale Ale Draught | IIPA, Cheeky Monkey Brewing Co. (Broadwater, WA) 🏆 Best Amber – Dark Ale Packaged | Prom Queen Barleywine Style Ale, Campus Brewing (Canning Vale, WA) 🏆 Best Amber – Dark Ale Draught | Prom Queen Barleywine Style Ale, Campus Brewing (Canning Vale, WA) 🏆 Best Porter – Stout Packaged | Clout Stout C5 2024, Nail Brewing Australia (Applecross, WA) 🏆 Best Porter – Stout Draught | Shelter Export Stout, Shelter Brewing Co (Busselton, WA) 🏆 Best European Style Beer Packaged | Kolsch, Margaret River Beer Co (Margaret River, WA) 🏆 Best European Style Beer Draught | Saint Isidore Saison, Homestead Brewing (Caversham, WA) 🏆 Best Hybrid and Specialty Beer Packaged | Barley Chardonay, Lucky Bay Brewing (Esperance, WA) 🏆 Best Hybrid and Specialty Beer Draught | Quke Slam, CBCo Brewing (Bramley, WA) 🏆 Best Low Alcohol Beer Packaged | Small Ale, CBCo Brewing (Bramley, WA) 🏆 Best Alcohol-Free Beer Packaged | Little Wren Non-Alcoholic Raspberry Sour, Boston Brewing Company (Denmark, WA) 🏆 Best Low Alcohol Beer Draught | Half Mast Mid, Indian Ocean Brewing Co (Mindarie, WA)
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