4 Pines Brewing has triumphed at the 2023 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show, with its Japanese Style Lager taking home Champion Packaged Beer while its Extra Special Bitter was awarded both Champion Draught Beer and Best NSW Beer.

The brewer also took home an impressive 22 medals, including six gold, six silver and 10 bronze.

“We’re stoked to share that our much-loved Japanese Style Lager took home the 2023 Champion Packaged Beer Award!Honourable mention also goes to our venue favourite, Extra Special Bitter (ESB) claiming 2023 Champion Draught Beer,” the brewery said.

“Some big, prestigious gongs made possible by our incredibly talented brew team. Congrats to all who took home awards, cheers & beers!”

Chair of judges Ian Kingham said: “The Sydney Royal is one of the toughest beer and cider competitions in Australia, and yet we have seen an outstanding quality of entries this year that have been more than deserving of the high-level of medals awarded.

“Over the past decade, the (competition) has seen a steady increase of entries and a steady increase in medals, which I believe is reflective of the growth and quality of the Australian beer and cider industry. Back in 2013, we were handing out one gold medal, ten years later we’ve awarded 42 gold medals – it’s a completely different game now.

“Some of the standout classes included stout, which was a particularly strong category this year, with every entry achieving either gold, silver, or bronze status. Equally impressive is the diversity of location, we have medal winners in six of the eight states and territories, and 27% of exhibits are from regional areas.”

Small Acres Cyder named Champion Cider

Small Acres Pink Lady Apple Cider was been named Champion Cider at the 2023 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show.

The Pink Lady Apple Cider is a relatively new addition to the Small Acres Cyder portfolio, being released last year.

“The Pink Lady is an iconic apple in the cool Orange region, and so we decided to release it as a cider,” said co-owner Nick Geoghegan. 

“It’s a traditionally made alcoholic cider reflecting the honeyed sweet and sharp taste of our locally grown fresh Pink Lady apples.

“We are thrilled with this accolade. We have received a number of awards at previous Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Shows, which gives us confidence in the consistency of quality that the Orange region can produce.

“Pink Lady apples are our favourite eating apple; the sweetness balanced by a lovely crisp acidity makes them a perfect fresh apple. 

“Visitors to our cellar door constantly ask about Pink Lady apples as they see them in the orchards and in the stores around Orange. We wanted to put these apples ‘in the glass’.

“Our first batch in 2022 quickly became one of our most popular ciders in the cellar door, in bottle shops and on tap in a few fantastic pubs and restaurants.”

The Small Acres Cyder Pink Lady cider is made from 100 per cent Pink Lady apples sourced from two orchards growing on the slopes of Mount Canobolas. There is no concentrate used in the production and no added water. The sweetness is derived from the region’s natural fruit purity.

This new award continues Small Acres Cyders’ successful year after recently receiving a gold medal for their 2021 Sparkling Perry at the 2023 Japan Cider Cup.

The Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show also awarded a Gold Medal for the Small Acres Cyder Pommeau 2021 and a Silver Medal for Heritage Blend.

2023 Sydney Royal Champions

Champion Packaged Beer – Japanese Style Lager, 4 Pines Brewing
Champion Draught Beer – Extra Special Bitter, 4 Pines Brewing
Champion NSW Beer – Extra Special Bitter, 4 Pines Brewing
Champion Experimental/Specialty Beer – Hill People, Mountain Culture
Champion Cider – Pink Lady Apple Cider, Small Acres Cyder

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