Ballarat’s Dollar Bill Brewing won its second Champion Beer trophy in three years at the 2023 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), which celebrates the country’s best beers.

AIBA is the largest annual beer competition in the world, judging both draught and packaged beer, as well as beer packaging design. In 2022, the awards attracted over 2600 entries from more than 350 breweries in 20 countries.

Dollar Bill’s Gold Teeth wild ale won Champion Beer in 2021, while its barrel aged cherry sour Candy Paint was crowned Australia’s best beer for 2023. Candy Paint is a sour cherry barrel aged ale, made from aged barrel stock and Victorian grown sour cherries.

“We are so humbled to be awarded Champion Australian Beer tonight at the 30th Australian International Beer Awards,” the brewery said.

“Thank you to everyone who believes in us, all who support us and the incredible judges.”

Dollar Bill also took home the Australian Gypsy Brewer Award and a trophy for Best Fruit Beer. The brewery, which is owned by Ed and Fiona Nolle, uses fresh pressed fruit, honey and wort from local producers, which are then fermented and aged in French oak barrels. These barrels are then blended to create Belgian-inspired ales, ciders, mead and barrel-aged beers. 

It wasn’t all about boutique craft beer in the winners’ circle at the 30th annual AIBAs.

Coopers Brewery won a Consistency of Excellence Medal, Samuel Adams Gold Rush won Best Non Alcoholic Beer, Mountain Goat Beer’s Hightail XXV (Packaged) won Best Wood And Barrel Aged Beer and Endeavour Group’s Pinnacle Drinks won Best Design – Label/Surface Graphic for Golden Pipes Brewing Auguste’s Underground Hazy Pale Ale.

Australia’s best beers & brewers – AIBA trophy winners

Champion Australian Beer
Dollar Bill Brewing, Victoria
Candy Paint 2023 (Packaged)

Champion International Beer
NBeer Craft Brewing Co, Sichuan, China
Lindongjiangzhi Weizenbock (Packaged)

Champion Large Australian Brewery
Mountain Goat Beer, Victoria

Champion Large International Brewery
Garage Project Brewery, Wellington, New Zealand

Champion Medium Australian Brewery
Deeds Brewing, Victoria

Champion Medium International Brewery
Behemoth Brewing Company, Auckland, New Zealand

Champion Small Australian Brewery
Moffat Beach Brewing Co, Queensland

Champion Small International Brewery
Three Sisters Brewery, Taranaki, New Zealand

Champion Victorian Brewery
Deeds Brewing

Gary Sheppard Memorial Trophy For The Best New Exhibitor
Boundary Island Brewery, Western Australia

Australian Gypsy Brewer Award
Dollar Bill Brewing, Victoria

Best Australian Style Lager
King Road Brewing Co, Western Australia
King Road Lager (Draught)

Best European Style Lager (Excluding Pilsner)
Aunty Jacks, Victoria, Australia
Mair St Märzen (Draught)

Best International Lager
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited, Kanagawa, Japan
Spring Valley Hojun 496 (Packaged)

Best Pilsner
Hemingway’s Brewing Company, Queensland
The Prospector (Draught)

Best Amber/Dark Lager
Co-Conspirators Brewing, Victoria
The Nightcrawler (Draught)

Best Australian Style Pale Ale
Reckless Brewing Co, New South Wales
XPA (Draught)

Best Modern Pale Ale
Esker/Australian Brewery, New South Wales
Esker Hazy Pale (Draught)

Best International Style Pale Ale
Moffat Beach Brewing Co, Queensland
Shadow Of The Moon Eclipse Strong Pale Ale (Draught)

Best British or European Style Ale (Excluding India Pale Ale & Pale Ale)
Margaret River Brewhouse, Western Australia
Margaret River Kolsch (Draught)

Best Traditional India Pale Ale
Seven Mile Brewing Co, New South Wales
West Coast IPA (Packaged)

Best Modern India Pale Ale
Philter Brewing, New South Wales
Haze (Draught)

Best Amber/Dark Ale
Hop Nation, Victoria
The Buzz (Draught)

Best Porter/Stout
Blackman’s Brewing, Victoria
Arthur Smoked Porter (Packaged)

Best Reduced/Low Alcohol Beer
Revel Brewing Company, Queensland
The Reveller (Packaged)

Best Non-Alcohol Beer
Samuel Adams Brewery, MA, United States
Samuel Adams Gold Rush (Packaged)

Best Wheat Beer
NBeer Craft Brewing Co, Sichuan, China
Lindongjiangzhi Weizenbock (Packaged)

Best Belgian/French Ale
Holgate Brewhouse, Victoria
Sour Brett Ale (Packaged)

Best Fruit Beer
Dollar Bill Brewing, Victoria
Candy Paint 2023 (Packaged)

Best Wood And Barrel Aged Beer
Mountain Goat Beer, Victoria
Hightail XXV (Packaged)

Best Specialty Beer
Deeds Brewing, Victoria
Ruminations (Packaged)

Best Specialty Flavoured Beer
Deeds Brewing, Victoria
BBA Peanut Butter Imperial Stout (Packaged)

Best Design – Label/Surface Graphic
Endeavour – Pinnacle Drinks, New South Wales
Golden Pipes Brewing Auguste’s Underground Hazy Pale Ale

Best Design – Outer Packaging
Shiner Beers, Texas, United States
Shiner Orale

Best Media
Mick Wüst, Queensland

Consistency of Excellence Medals

Coopers Brewery, South Australia
Coopers Original Pale Ale (Packaged)

Hawkers Beer, Victoria
Hawkers Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine (Packaged)

Philter Brewing, New South Wales
Philter XPA (Packaged)
Philter IIPA (Draught)

Rebellion Brewing, Victoria
O’Brien Brown Ale (Packaged)

Sydney Brewery, New South Wales
Lager (Draught)

Learn more here