A tiny brewery in Norway has taken out the biggest awards as overseas entries claimed 11 of the 15 trophies at the Australian International Beer Awards.
Norwegian boutique brewery, Ngne - Det Kompromisslse Bryggeri took the major prize, the Champion Exhibitor Trophy, as well as the Champion Small Brewery Award at a dinner in Melbourne on Thursday.
Five trophies were awarded to US beers, two to New Zealand, and one each for first time entrant, Denmark and brewing giant, Germany.
Australian breweries took out four awards with defending Champion Exhibitor, Feral Brewing, awarded the Champion Ale.
The Premier's Trophy for the Best Victorian Beer was awarded to 2 Brothers Brewery while NSW breweries Hunter Beer Company and Redoak took out the Champion Porter and Champion Low Alcohol Beer trophies, respectively.
Judging panel chairman Peter Manders said the 30 judges were extremely impressed with the 1170 beers they tasted over the past two weeks.
"Now recognised on a global stage as the pre-eminent showcase for premium beer and brewing excellence in the Asia Pacific region, the international dominance has not come as a surprise, receiving more and more high calibre international entries each year," Mr Manders said.
But not every category produced a beer worthy of an award.
The Champion Gluten Free Beer Trophy was introduced this year, but the judges felt none of the 12 beers made from products such as rice, millet and sorghum stood up to the panel's standards.
Entries from 34 countries included a smoked chilli beer, a wooded cherry ale and a 32 per cent Scottish brew, called the Tactical Nuclear Penguin.
The awards are conducted annually by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and the University of Ballarat.
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