Emerson's Brewery Wins Champion Large Brewery at New Zealand Beer Awards

Emerson's Brewery of Dunedin was named champion large brewery at the New Zealand Beer Awards on 25 July, ending Garage Project’s five‑year run as the top gold‑medallist. The brewery also secured the champion beer award with its Pride of the Plains Pilsner, a modern tribute to the original Emerson’s Pilsner, and earned six gold, five silver and five bronze medals from 17 entries.

Other winners included farm‑based Karamu Barrelworks, which took the overall champion brewery title with one gold and three silver medals, and Mount Brewing, which captured the champion medium brewery award. Small‑brewery champion Shining Peak collected 20 medals, while Neck of the Woods was named champion microbrewery. The awards coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Brewers Guild of New Zealand.