West Australian microbrewery, Feral Brewing Co. took out the titles of Cryermalt Champion Craft Beer and Champion Wheat Beer, for their sour brew Watermelon Warhead at the second annual Craft Beer Awards.
Watermelon Warhead is a light sour German wheat beer infused with half a tonne of local Swan Valley watermelons. The brew gets its spritz and sour taste from spending 12 weeks in Chardonnay barrels.
“We are out there like a lot of craft brewers, saying that we make beer that we love, that we like to drink ourselves and we have personal respect for,” says Brendan Varis from Feral Brewing Co.
“We are really excited to be giving this award to such a unique and flavorsome beer. We hope it inspires more people to get out there and try more locally produced craft beers.”
Chris McNamara, executive officer of the Craft Beer Industry Association added that he is excited to see the growing appetite for sour beers in Australia,
“We are really excited to be giving this award to such a unique and flavorsome beer. We hope it inspires more people to get out there and try more locally produced craft beers.”
Fellow West Australian brewery Monk Craft Brewery Kitchen took out the award for Champion Small Brewery; Two Birds Brewing Co hailing from Springwood, Victoria won the Champion Large Brewery award; and Modus Operandi picked up at this year’s Champion Medium Brewery, together with Champion Pale Ale and Champion IPA.
The Craft Beer Industry Association introduced the Craft Beer Awards in 2014 to encourage and support excellence in the industry. Last year, Modus Operandi Brewing Co dominated at the Awards, taking out four of the eleven categories.