Ordinary people give their votes to the best in the business

industries, Soba’s awards are decided by votes received from its members; ordinary people who live all around the country but share a passion for good beer.

The majority of the awards are relevant to specific regions, but some are national.

Auckland’s Liberty Brewing pipped Marlborough’s 8 Wired Brewing to be voted the country’s best brewery. Liberty’s owner and brewer, Jo Wood, recently relocated his brewery from Taranaki and will

Having ended 2013 on a somewhat downbeat note, I’m happy to greet the new year with some rather more cheerful news. On Boxing Day I received an email from the Society of Beer Advocates ( Soba) announcing the winners of its inaugural annual awards. A consumer- based organisation ‘‘ with a mission to educate, promote, and advocate for the appreciation of, and access to, a diverse range of quality beer’’ Soba’s new awards aim to ‘‘ recognise, reward and encourage those providing excellent products and services to the beer community and industry’’.

As a former president and longserving committee member of Soba, I was especially interested to see the results.

Unlike other competitions run by the brewing and hospitality be doubly delighted that his heady ( 9 per cent) imperial India pale ale Liberty C! tra was voted New Zealand’s best beer.

I was especially pleased to see Croucher Lowrider, a beer of just 2.7 per cent alcohol by volume, was voted runner- up.

With several ambitious new breweries and a large and active Soba membership, it’s hardly surprising that the Wellington region also fared well in the awards.

Aro Valley’s Garage Project took the award in the new release category with its Death From Above, while Panhead Quickchange XPA ( from Upper Hutt) and ParrotDog’s Bloody Dingo ( Wellington) were joint runners- up.

Looking at the winning beers, these awards clearly reaffirm Kiwi beer lovers’ seemingly unquenchable thirst for generously hopped, robust new world- style ales.

Soba’s membership has always included a great number of passionate and quality- focused home brewers, so the award for the country’s best home brew supplies store was hotly contested. In the end, the votes resulted in a tie between Auckland’s Brewers Coop and Wellington’s The Brew House.

Sponsored by NZ Hops, the Brewers Guild of New Zealand, Cryer Malt and Craft Beer College, the Soba awards also recognised the country’s best bars, beer- friendly restaurants and retail stores on a regional basis. I won’t list the full results but here’s a selection of highlights and personal favourites from up and down the country.

Soba members voted Galbraith’s Alehouse as Auckland’s best bar, with Brothers Beer as runner- up. Brothers Beer also tied with Hopscotch Beer Company as the city’s best off- license and Depot Eatery was voted Auckland’s best restaurant, with Deep Creek Brewing Co runner- up.

In the Manawatu region, Palmerston North’s Village Inn Kitchen was voted best restaurant and Albert Street Liquorland the best off- licence.

In Wellington, Hashigo Zake pipped Golding’s Free Dive as the city’s best bar, while Ortega Fish Shack and Logan Brown tied for the best restaurant award. The capital’s pioneering craft beer retailer Regional Wines & Spirits was voted the city’s best off- licence, with Thorndon New World supermarket runner- up.

In Marlborough, Blenheim’s Dodson Street Beer Garden was rated best bar, with The Old Bank Tavern in Redwoodtown runner- up. Blenheim New World was voted the region’s best off- licence.

Meanwhile across the hills, The Free House, in Nelson, won the best bar award and The Mussel Inn, near Takaka, was runner- up in the Nelson and Golden Bay area. Nelson Freshchoice was voted the region’s best off- licence.

For the Canterbury region, Christchurch’s Pomeroy’s Old Brewery Inn won two awards, pipping Volstead Trading Company for the title of best bar and Cook ‘ n’ With Gas Bistro in the restaurant category. Meanwhile, Riccarton Liquorland got the nod over Merivale Fresh Choice as the region’s best craft beer retailer.

Further south Dunedin’s cosy Albar pipped Tonic, another of the city’s fine bars, for the title of best bar in Otago and Southland. Eureka, another excellent Dunedin hostelry, headed Oamaru’s Riverstone Kitchen as the region’s most beersavvy eatery. Two Dunedin retailers, Centre City New World and Castle MacAdam, tied for the best off- licence award.

The inaugural Soba awards also recognised four individuals with honoured member status.

Christchurch member Charles Swettenham was awarded for his service to Canterbury Soba, Wellington member Jonathan Day for his service to Soba and to beer education, and Dunedin brewer Richard Emerson for craft beer leadership. I was also honoured to receive the same award for service to Soba and to beer writing.

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners and thank them for their commitment to the promotion of craft beer in New Zealand.

Cheers.

Full results of the 2013 SOBA Awards are published online at soba. org. nz