Awards Criteria & Judging
Our Mission
To celebrate and reward the quality and innovation of the Australian Independent brewing industry
The Indies Awards aims to:
- Improve quality via benchmarking and feedback
- Build better marketing opportunities for indie brewers.
We are proud to provide this invaluable platform and to boast that we offer a panel of the most respected judges in the country who aim to deliver a high quality competition that offers meaningful feedback and honest results.
Medal: Gold
Score: >17 points
An outstanding beer displaying the correct appearance, aroma, flavour and balance according to style with high level of technical merit; a world class example
Simply - Your desert island beer
Medal: Silver
Score: 15.5 -17 points
An excellent beer maintaining close adherence of appearance, aroma, flavour, balance appropriate to style; an excellent example
Simply - You would happily purchase a case of this and recommend to others.
Medal: Bronze
Score: 14-15.4 points
A very good beer that has minor deviation from style parameters and/or appearance, aroma, flavour, balance appropriate to style; a fine example
Simply - You would be happy to order another one.
No Medal
Score: <14 points
A flawed example of style. Perceivable faults and characteristics, undesirable aroma or flavour. Detracts from overall enjoyment, profile not typical of expected style.
All entries are eligible to win a class trophy and a champion trophy is presented to the best single beer in each of the following classes:
- Modern Pale Ale
- Traditional Pale Ale
- Amber- Dark Ale
- Porter/Stout
- Juicy- Hazy Pale Ale
- Juicy- Hazy India Pale Ale
- Specialty Beer
- Traditional Lager
- Modern Lager
- Modern India Pale Ale
- Traditional India Pale Ale
- European-Style Ale
- British-Style Ale
- Non-Alcohol
- Reduced Alcohol
- Strong, Wood & Barrel-Aged
- Sour, Fruit & Funk
Champion class beers are determined through a knockout round where all the gold medals in each class (eg. Modern Pale Ale) are rejudged against one another to determine the champion beer of that class.
A trophy is presented to the overall Champion Australian Independent Beer and is determined through a third-round process.
All champion class trophies are judged again by a newly formed panel where exceptional examples are elevated. This process does have the potential to produce tied results and in these instances multiple winners would be recognised.
A Champion Brewery Trophy signifies the brewery exhibiting the best and most awarded overall range of beer throughout the competition.
To be eligible for this trophy a brewery must have entered at least four (4) beers and one of those beers must achieve a gold medal.
Businesses who have beer made under contract are not eligible to win a Champion Brewery Trophy, as the exhibitor who entered is not a brewery.
Only beers brewed by the brewery count towards the calculation of Champion Brewery trophies and brewers must declare during the entry process whether an entry has been contract brewed.
Champion Australian Independent Large Brewery
Annual production – 700,000 litres + per annum (IBA Membership Band 4 – Band 7)
Champion Australian Independent Medium Brewery
Annual production – 100,000-699,000 litres per annum (IBA Membership Band 2 and 3)
Champion Australian Independent Small Brewery
Annual production – 0-99,999 litres per annum (IBA Membership Band 1)
Champion Australian Independent Contract Brewer
This trophy awards the best Australian Independent Contract Brewer. To be eligible for this trophy, a Contract Brewer must meet our definition of [independence], have declared its eligibility during the entry process, must have entered at least four (4) beers and one of those beers must achieve a gold medal.
A brewer cannot be eligible for both Champion Brewery Size and Champion Contract Brewer trophies.
Australian Independent Brewers that have some beers brewed under contract must select their brewery size and acknowledge which beers are made under contract in the entry process. The beers made under contract will not be included in the final scoring calculation.
Contract Brewers who solely make their beer under contact are eligible to win Champion Independent Contract Brewer.
Brewery Size and Contract Trophies are calculated using the Median Score Method (see below).
A minimum of three (3) breweries in each State or Territory must enter for this Award to be valid and we offer the following categories:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- ACT & Northern Territory
To be eligible for a State or Territory Champion Brewery Trophy a brewery must enter at least four (4) beers and one of those beers must achieve a gold medal.
The award will be judged using the Median Score Method. Brewery State or Territory must be identified when entering. Contract brewers are not eligible to win a State and Territory Champion Brewer Trophy.
Only entries brewed by the entering brewer count towards the calculation of Champion State and Territory Champion Brewery Trophies.
Scoring for Champion Brewery Trophies is determined by a point system using the following criteria.
An entrants total points are divided by either:
- The number of entries from that brewery OR
- The median number of beers entered by breweries in that brewery size group, whichever is higher.
This provides each entrant with a champion score which are calculated to a decimal point and not rounded up.
In the case of a tie, the tiebreaker criteria in order are:
- Total number of medals won
- Total number of gold medals won
If there is still a tie breaker, multiple trophies will be awarded.
Points are awarded per medal to determine Champion Awards as follows:
- Champion Class Trophy = 1 point
- Gold medal = 5 points
- Silver medal = 2 points
- Bronze medal = 1 point
We believe this method:
- Mitigates the impact of exceptional or outlier beers within a brewery’s lineup.
- Balances diverse beer styles and prevents any single style from disproportionately affecting the overall results.
- Reflects the overall consistency of a brewery’s offerings.
- Promotes diversity in a brewery’s beer portfolio and recognises their ability to cater to various consumer preferences.
- Provides a fair evaluation across breweries of different sizes, leveling the playing field based on quality and consistency rather than production volume alone.
By using the median score methodology we reward breweries that consistently produce high-quality beers across different styles and sizes, providing a comprehensive assessment of their overall performance in the competition.
Our Judges
We are exceptionally lucky that we have some of the best judges in the world here in Australia and as our reputation for excellence grows, we also benefit from attracting international beer judges.
Each year we provide the opportunity to submit an expression of interest to be a judge and, based on entry numbers, select a range of expertise and experience from brewers, sensory experts, suppliers, consultants, and writers.
Our judges are selected by the Head Judge and the Indies Awards Advisory Committee and perform an essential role:
- They are required to assess entries against a stringent set of criteria and;
- Provide concise accurate feedback describing both positive attributes as well as faults noted during the competition.
Each and every one of our, often 50+ judges volunteer their time willingly to participate and we hope that they know how truly grateful we are!
Check out the Role Descriptions to find out more:
Trying to get In?
We realise that it can often be challenging to get the experience required to judge so, in response, we have consciously invested in a Pathway to Judging Program. The program aims to ensure there is a clear ‘way in’ and that a set of criteria is applied to each milestone along the way.
We have also improved our judge feedback process in the hope that offering constructive feedback is helpful for the individual.
We believe that it is our duty to provide for a future of skilled and experienced judges who are offered opportunities to learn from the legends of the game!
The Judging Process
Each entry is assessed at a table of no less than four judges including one Associate Judge.
This process is led by an experienced Table Captain who is tasked to ensure the integrity of the competition, facilitate table discussion, to reach consensus on medals and ensure that the process runs smoothly.
Judges never evaluate their own product or products in which they may have had an interest.
The beers are judged blind with no brand knowledge of any kind and assessed individually on its sensory merits with adherence to the 2024 Style Guidelines.
Once beers have been judged, each is discussed as a group and determination made as to its worthiness for a gold, silver, bronze or no medal via a scoring criterion outlined in the Style Guidelines.
Comments are collated and provided as feedback to the entrant after the awards are announced as a way to ensure quality improvement is always top of mind.
Our Stewards
Don’t have any judging experience and not sure where to start? Stewarding is the first step in your journey and while being hard work is a bunch of fun too!
As a Steward, you have the opportunity to be an integral part of the process, to observe how it all happens and to learn the basics of beer judging from some of the most experienced talent in the industry.
Stewards are responsible for assisting the Head Judge, Judges and communicating with the Competition Manager to preserve the anonymity of entries and integrity of the day.
Again, all our Stewards are volunteers, and we try to ensure they benefit by providing:
- Packaged product for every shift worked.
- Networking opportunities within the beer and hospitality industries.
- Exposure to new and unique beer styles.
- An opportunity to experience how competitions are run and learn how judging works.
Interested? Check out the role description and then register your interest via Contact Us.
Minimum Standard for Medals
