I don’t know how many Washington breweries submitted beer to the competition, but the 2014 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) awarded medals to at least four Washington breweries: Chuckanut Brewery, Elysian Brewing, Kulshan Brewing, and Reuben’s Brews. A number of American breweries from other states brought home medals as well.
The Australian International Beer Awards are presented annually by the Royal Agricultural Society (RASV) in partnership with Federation University Australia. The AIBA is the largest competition of its kind in the Asia Pacific region and is renowned for celebrating beer and brewing excellence in Australia and around the world.
The AIBA’s earliest beginnings date back to 1987, but in 1993 a partnership with The Royal Agriculture Society of Victoria transformed it into what it is today. For the 2014 AIBA, nearly 300 breweries from 31 countries submitted a total of 1,560 beers. Visit the official website to learn more about the AIBA. The complete catalogue of results is available here.
Washington Winners:
Category: Irish Red
Red Cap, Kulshan Brewing
Silver
Category: Russian Imperial Stout
Russian Imperial Stout, Kulshan Brewing
Silver
Category: Other Specialty Beer
Split Shot Expresso Milk Stout, Elysian Brewing
Silver
Category: American Style IPA
Immortal IPA, Elysian Brewing
Bronze
Category: Imperial/Double IPA
Imperial Rye IPA, Reuben’s Brews
Silver
Category: Robust Porter
Robust Porter, Reuben’s Brews
Bronze
Cheers to Chuckanut!
Chuckanut Brewery’s medals were not awarded directly or solely. In February, Brewmaster Will Kemper traveled from Bellingham to Australia to visit Thunder Road Brewing, Chuckanut Brewery’s brother brewery in Australia. While there, he brewed four different beers, all of which won medals at the 2014 AIBA.
The winning beers from Chuckanut/Thunder Road include:
Full Turbo Maibock (bronze)
Thunder Nuts Bamberg Smoked Lager (silver)
Thunder Nuts Cologne Kolsch (bronze)
Cartwheel Golden Ale (bronze).
Thunder Road Brewing also received the coveted Champion Medium Australian Brewery trophy.