It may sound like your ideal weekend activity, but judging the New World Beer and Cider Awards is serious business. Video / Supplied
Despite possibly their toughest 12 months, breweries nationwide have thrown in a record number of entries in this year’s New World Beer and Cider Awards.
And, unsurprisingly, it’s hazy IPAs that have led the charge, once again dominating the entries.
More than 700 beers from 100 national and international breweries were submitted, then all sniffed, swirled and sampled as judging got under way at Addington Racecourse in Christchurch.
After being forced to wear a 6.9 per cent increase in excise tax — the largest in 30 years — in May, breweries were then faced with a carbon dioxide shortage.
If that wasn’t enough, Cyclone Gabrielle struck last month, dealing another blow to breweries in Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and Auckland.
Chairman of judges Michael Donaldson said while he wasn’t surprised by the continued dominance of hazy IPA beers, as it was still a relatively new style in New Zealand, he was surprised by the huge number of entries despite myriad issues.
“Particularly in the last few months with the carbon dioxide shortage.
“Effectively, there has been a worldwide shortage of carbon dioxide, and that means it’s really hard to package your beer because you need CO₂ to get oxygen out of cans and bottles before beer goes into it.
“You need CO₂ to carbonate the beer in the first place, you need it to help clean inside a brewery … so CO₂ is absolutely critical to the industry, and there’s not been enough of it and we’ve still got a record number of entries, so obviously it says something about the resilience of the industry or just the huge popularity of this contest, because it can be a make-or-break competition for some breweries because it’s their way of getting noticed.”
Cyclone Gabrielle brought an abrupt halt to brewing in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, through either a lack of water, such as that experienced at Gisborne’s Sunshine Brewery, or getting swamped by it, like Napier’s Zeelandt Brewery.
“So it’s been a really, really tough time, especially on the East Cape, but not to mention parts of Auckland where, again, there’s been floods and slips.”
As for the judging, 29 experts spent two days, sniffing, swirling and sampling their way through the entries, made up of beers, ciders, kombucha and ginger beers.
“But as fans of beer may know, there are a lot of hazy IPAs and hazy pale ales.
New World Beer and Cider Awards deputy chairman of judges Kelly Ryan in his element during judging last week.
“They are the dominant category, the most popular beer on the market right now.
“People can’t get enough of them.”
That’s closely followed by IPA and pale ales.
“Effectively, hoppy beers make up more than half the entries in this competition.”
He said it’s no surprise that hazy IPA remains the most popular beer in the country because it’s been only about five years “since it’s really caught fire”.
“Because hazies, as a rule, are fruity and sweet, and who doesn’t like fruity and sweet?
“They’ve got great texture, they’ve got lovely aroma, the flavour’s beautiful.
“They appeal to such a broad range of people, it’s no surprise they’re such a success.”
As for the judging, despite many thinking tasting beer or cider all day would be a great job, it was tough, he said.
Judges were given plenty of food, refreshments and breaks, while cheese, crackers, and water were available on each judging table.
“We also change the styles, lager, hazy, and maybe sour, then maybe some IPA and then maybe some porters and stouts, so it gets mixed up so you’re not doing hazy IPAs all day.
“Because they are so intense in the flavour, you could wear your palate out quite quickly if you had to go through a number of them in a row.”
A Foodstuffs staff member prepares a tray of glasses at the judging of the awards in Christchurch.
Competition organiser Rachel Touhey said judges would start their day by sparking their palate with a beer not entered into the competition.
This time, it’s a hoppy sour, while on day two, they would start with a fruited sour.
Because for the most part, the judges are also brewers of their own beers and have probably entered too, the beers are categorised to ensure they’re not tasting them, she says.
But sorting the logistics of the competition is no easy feat.
Twelve pallets of beer had to be organised and kept at the right temperature; whether that’s as instructed by the brewery or by the competition’s guidelines.
With certain hazies, the brewery might instruct that it’s “roused”, or rolled gently on its side, a few times to allow its contents to balance out.
The beers are held for a maximum of only two weeks to ensure they’re as fresh as they can be for the judges.
Once they’re in the room, the rules continue.
Anyone allowed inside is asked not to bring in coffee or have perfume on so as not to rattle the judges’ senses.
The judges themselves have to keep a poker face while tasting and entering their score into the computer, so as not to influence other judges at the table.
But at the end of it all, they will come up with the top 100.
Then, the beers will be randomised and rejudged before the winning top 30 will be determined, along with the champion beer or cider, and they will end up on a New World supermarket shelf some time in May.
