We are extremely pleased to announce that the James Squire family have been once again favourably recognised at the Australian International Beer Awards dinner held in Melbourne on 20th May. Some 1173 entries from 243 breweries across 34 countries were judged at the awards this year.
Sundown Lager was the star of the James Squire family receiving a Gold medal in the very competitive Australian Style Lager category. From a total of 46 beers entered in this category, Sundown Lager was the only gold medal awarded. Sundown has been a great success in the market place having started as a summer Limited Release back in 2008 and moving on to become a permanent addition to our beer family. When we developed this beer we were aiming to stretch the boundaries of what the Australian style lager can offer the drinker. We utilised the late addition of Australian hop variety Summer Saaz, to add some flavour complexity and make it more than simply a refreshing, thirst quenching beer. It’s great to see those efforts recognised by our industry peers at the 2010 awards. In addition, Golden Ale, Pilsener, Porter & IPA all received Silver medals in their respective categories as well as MSB developed & brewed New Norcia Abbey Ale took out a Bronze.

To the beer drinker the Australian International Beer Awards may not mean a lot. Certainly the successful candidates are not widely acclaimed in the media, nor to date have the beer gold medallists or champions marketed their achievements with anywhere near the enthusiasm employed by their cousins in the wine industry. To those in the know however, to be judged a champion by a recognised and highly experienced panel of beer judges is the ultimate accolade.

For the astute beer drinker the awards also provide a more than useful guide to the higher quality offerings in the market place.
But how do these beer gurus go about selecting the perfect brew from amongst an estimated field of 500 Australian and international entries, across 39 classes?
Do you fancy yourself as a beer judge? Well, let me tell you it is not an easy task.
The judges must officiate without collaboration, handing in their score sheets to the Chairperson of the Judges’ Panel who has the points totalled and determines the awards.
The beers are tasted in a hidden format from a glass identified only by their unique exhibit number.
Beer like wine is a product of fermentation and as such its flavour profile is quite complex being dictated by the presence of flavour compounds produced by the yeast during fermentation as well as those remaining from the natural ingredients, malt and hops.
In order to identify whether a beer is “true to style” the judge must be able to identify the flavour markers which are within the beer. So a sharp nose, a keen palate and a good flavour memory are all key attributes that any beer judge must possess. Unlike a wine-taster a beer taster must swallow at least a portion of each beer in order to correctly assess the After Bitterness and Mouth Feel.

During the tasting points are awarded by the judges using the following criteria:
Appearance (colour, carbonation/foam) Maximum 3 points
Aroma (positive characteristics, aroma faults) Maximum 5 points
Flavour (general characters, bitterness, fermentation products, flavour faults) Maximum 6 points
Technical Quality (style, balance, drinkability, absence of major faults) Maximum 6 points
Total 20 points

To achieve a Gold medal a beer must score 17.0 points or more.
A Silver medal requires a score of 15.5 to 16.9 points, while a Bronze is awarded to beers attaining 14.0 to 15.4 points. A Bronze medal beer is therefore still a brew of recognised quality, exhibiting the correct balance of taste, aroma and appearance appropriate to its style and a high level of technical merit. A Gold medal beer is, fairly obviously, an outstanding brew.

Cheers for now,

Tony Jones
Chief Brewer - MSB