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<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the great part of it, it\u2019s not just the independent beer awards, it\u2019s the international beer awards,\u201d Scott says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I understand it, they are the largest beer awards of their kind in the world and there are international breweries there but also the big corporate breweries as well.\u201d
\nHe says a highlight for Valhalla was their Obsidian Black Ale being crowned champion porter.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor that to be named as the best stout or porter in Australia is probably the most amazing thing,\u201d Scott says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the first beer we brewed commercially so it\u2019s always been our favourite and has a special place in our heart and our story.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Scott, who lives in Torquay with his family, said the beginnings of the business happened while working from home on the Surf Coast.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we brew everything out of South Geelong at a brewery there, we have a warehouse in Moolap and a tap room in Union Street, Geelong,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just nice for the Geelong and Surf Coast region to start getting recognition for the great beers that are getting made in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cIt proves what we\u2019ve been saying for a while \u2013 this is a really strong region for craft beer which is such a growing industry in our country now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Blackman\u2019s Brewery also had plenty of reason to celebrate after collecting a swag of medals, including a coveted gold for its signature pale ale, Mervyn.<\/p>\n The brewery, which has venues in Torquay, Geelong and Ocean Grove, won 17 medals including silver for the Arty Smoked Porter, Happy Tears IPA, Needs More Mosaic IPA and Ernie Tropical Hazy, as well as bronze for its Juicy Juicy Bang Bang and Juicy Banger IPL.<\/p>\n Owners Jess and Renn Blackman, who founded the brewery in 2014, were stoked with the results.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was awesome. It\u2019s just such a great week to be part of because it\u2019s Good Beer Week as well so it is all tied in with the awards,\u201d Renn says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great to be back in a big room full of people at an awards night and having a good time with industry friends.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the beers are judged blind, so it reassures you that you are on the right track with your beers and nailing all those things.<\/p>\n \u201cIt pulls marketing out of it \u2013 it is only about the quality of your beer so if you are getting awards you are going really well which is great.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Renn gives plenty of credit to the talented team at Blackman\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the team we\u2019ve got, everyone is amazing and with everyone\u2019s efforts put together it results in some pretty exciting things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are quite fortunate in the Geelong and Torquay area now, we\u2019ve got a pretty good beer scene now and some really cool breweries coming through.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got some really good beers to drink in this region so we\u2019re pretty lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n Aireys Inlet\u2019s Salt Brewing Co, Bells Beach Brewing and Little Creatures each took home four medals and BrewiColo collected two.<\/p>\n Prickly Moses and Queenscliff Brewery head brewer Mattias Isaksson, who hails from Sweden, was thrilled to take home seven medals, including gold for Prickly Moses\u2019 Black Knight and Queenscliff Brewery\u2019s Swede and Sour Raspberry Berliner Weisse.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a bit of a strange year and it\u2019s great to get a nice positive, fresh start and some awards,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are beers we have been working on a long time and we are always trying to improve so it\u2019s great to get some professional approval, as well, for the products we are making.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mattias says he was chuffed to see the Swede and Sour beer recognised.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a beer I\u2019ve been nurturing and trying to develop from scratch for a few years now, and it\u2019s nice to see that beer perform really well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a raspberry sour beer so to see that slightly different beer style be more recognised and appreciated by not only punters, but also the judges, is really flattering.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/05\/K8A3644_74628.jpg\")
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