For the first time in the history of the Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) national homebrew competition, a Dunedin brewer has won both the champion beer award and the champion brewer award.
Home brewer Jamie McQuillan made it a double with his Berliner Weiss, a home brew containing brettanomyces (yeast) and greengage plums which scored 49/50.
And his overall medal count gave him the champion brewer award, too.
Mr McQuillan is in the United States this week and was unavailable for comment.
However, competition organiser Tom Coleman said Mr McQuillan was "over the moon" with the awards, because it was the first time one brewer had collected both top prizes in the competition’s 10-year history.
The competition is both the biggest and most-respected home brewing competition in New Zealand, and this year it attracted 711 entries.
Judges were impressed by the quality and awarded 16 gold medals, 69 silvers and 97 bronzes.
As a result of Mr McQuillan’s success, he has won two opportunities to make commercial brews — one at Hallertau Brewery in northwest Auckland, and another at Brewaucracy Brewing in Hamilton.
