beer/BEER OF THE YEAR

Each of the beers we taste for our Beer Reviews section during the year is placed here. At the end of December, the beer with the highest ranking wins our prestigious Beer of the Year award. Find out what the ratings mean.

Entries from 2007

Four stars 3 Ravens Blond
Four stars Brewers' Pure Malt Ale
Three and a half stars Charlotte's Hefeweizen
Three and a half stars Crackenback Pale Ale
Three and a half stars Charlotte's Hefeweizen
Three and a half stars Beechworth Brewers Saison
Three and a half stars Boags Wizard Smith's Ale
Three and a half stars Crackenback Pale Ale
Three and a half stars Gage Roads Pure Malt Lager
Three and a half stars Knappstein Reserve Lager
Three and a half stars Sinha Stout
Three and a half stars Coopers Vintage Ale 2007 (batch 6)
Three stars Gage Roads India Pale Ale
Three stars Cascade First Harvest Ale 2007
Three stars Coopers Premium Lager
Three stars Bee Sting Honey Wheat Beer
Three stars Holgate Mt Macedon Ale
Three stars Holgate Old Pale Ale
Three stars Pepperjack Ale
Three stars Razorback Red Ale
Three stars Pepperjack Ale
Three stars Razorback Red Ale
Three stars Barons Lemon Myrtle Witbier
Three stars 3 Ravens Black
Two and a half stars 3 Ravens White
Two and a half stars Matilda Bay Crema
Two and a half stars Barons Black Wattle Superior
Two and a half stars Holgate Pilsner
Two and a half stars VB Original Ale
Two and a half stars Holgate ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
Two and a half stars O’Brien Pale Ale
Two stars Gage Road Pils
Two stars Hunter Draught
Two stars 3 Ravens Bronze
Two stars 3 Ravens Dark Smoke Beer
One and a half stars Buckley's Dark Bock
One and a half stars Outback Pale Ale
Half a star Miller Chill
NOT RATED Buckley's Nuptialz

Entries from 2006

Four and a half stars Moo Brew Pale Ale
Four and a half stars Red Duck Unfiltered Porter
Four stars Moo Brew Wheat Beer
Four stars Monteith's Zesty Radler Bier
Four stars Beechworth Brewers Australian Ale
Four stars James Squire Rum Rebellion Porter
Three and a half stars Little Creatures Pilsner
Three and a half stars Monteith's Dry Kilned Celtic Red Beer
Three stars Cascade Amber Ale
Three stars Little Creatures Bright Ale
Three stars Monteith's Rich Celtic Beer
Two stars Monteith's Lively Pilsner Beer
Two stars Monteith's (Highly Hopped) Original Ale
One and a half stars Monteith's Golden Lager
One and a half stars Lucky Beer
One star Tooheys New
One star Bondi Blonde
Half a star Tooheys Red Bitter
??? Monteith's Hearty Black Beer

Entries from 2005

Four and a half stars Floris Apple
Four stars Budejovicky Budvar
Four stars Cooper's Vintage Ale batch 5 (2004)
Four stars Erdinger Weissbier
Four stars Monteith's (Highly Hopped) Original Ale
Three and a half stars Trumer Pils
Three and a half stars Mildura Mallee Bull
Three stars Boag's Draught
Three stars Jamieson Brown Ale
Three stars Floris Passion
Three stars Jamieson Mountain Ale
Three stars Mildura White Christmas
Two and a half stars Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Two and a half stars Carlsberg Beer
Two and a half stars Brok Sambor Export
Two stars Tuborg Pilsner Beer
Two stars Dreher Classic
Two stars Melbourne Bitter
One and a half stars First Harvest Ale 2005
One star San Miguel Pale Pilsner
One and a half stars Tetley's English Ale
??? stars Holsten Premium
Not rated James Squire Golden Ale

Entries from 2004

Four and a half stars Coonawarra Old Ale
Four stars Gilde Pilsner
Four stars Asahi Super Dry
Four stars Lowenbrau Original
Four stars Zipfer Original
Four stars Hofbrau Original
Four stars Holgate Winter Ale
Four stars James Squire Australian Strong Ale
Four stars Abbotsford Invalid Stout
Four stars Cascade Winter Warmer 2004
Four stars Dogbolter
Four stars Grand Ridge Brewer's Pilsner
Three and a half stars Bintara Lager
Three and a half stars Grand Ridge Yarra Valley Gold
Three and a half stars Okocim Mocne
Three and a half stars Weihenstephan Kristall
Three and a half stars Hoegaarden witbier (bottle)
Three and a half stars La Chouffe La Blonde
Three and a half stars Hahn Premium Lager
Three and a half stars James Squire India Pale Ale
Three and a half stars James Squire Pilsner
Three and a half stars Pietra
Three and a half stars Young's Chocolate Stout
Three stars Grolsch Premium Lager
Three stars Bintang
Three stars Cascade Summer Blonde
Three stars Heineken
Three stars Hazards Dark
Three stars Pike's Oakbank Beer
Two and a half stars Mooshead Canadian Lager
Two and a half stars Geelong Premium Ale
Two and a half stars Cooper's Premium Ale
Two and a half stars Young's Waggledance Honey
Two stars Burke's Hemp-Filtered Ale
Two stars Abbots Lager
Two stars Kilkenny Irish Draught Beer
One and a half stars Kingfisher Premium Lager Beer
One and a half stars Grand Ridge Natural Blonde
One and a half stars Boar's Rock (Retasting)
One and a half stars Pedavena
One and a half stars Boar's Rock Premium Lager
One and a half stars Geelong Schonbrauhaus
One and a half stars Geelong Sparkling Ale
One and a half stars Amstel Lager
One and a half stars Miller Genuine Draft
One star Geelong Bitter
One star Geelong Pale Ale
One star Haywards 5000
One star Kokanee Glacier Beer
? stars Holgate White Ale

Entries from 2003

Four and a half stars Forbidden Fruit
Four and a half stars Hoegaarden White (tap)
Four and a half stars Leffe Brune (tap)
Four and a half stars Matilda Bay Bohemian Pilzner
Four and a half stars James Squire Porter
Four stars Orval
Four stars Castle Lager
Four stars Duvel
Four stars Little Creatures Pale Ale
Three and a half stars Mythos Hellenic Lager
Three and a half stars Cooper's Vintage Ale Batch 4 (2002)
Three and a half stars Little Creatures Roger's Beer
Three stars Passendale Blond Amberbier
Three stars Cascade Premium Lager
Three stars Beck's
Three stars Amstel Lager
Two and a half stars James Squire Colonial Wheat Beer
Two and a half stars Leffe Blonde (tap)
Two and a half stars Heidi Traditional Altbier
Two and a half stars Bochkarev Beer
Two and a half stars Nastro Azzuro
Two and a half stars Redback Original
Two stars Tooheys Pils
Two stars Cascade Sparkling Pale Ale
Two stars Old Miller
Two stars Carling Black Label Beer
Two stars Boag's Premium
Half a star Beez Neez
Zero Carlton Crown Lager
And the winner is …

It's a funny business, this beer tasting. When we started BOTY in 2000 we were spoiled for choice. Coopers Sparkling Ale won by a nose (literally). Then in 2001, Chimay Blue emerged as the unanimous numero uno. The year 2002, on the other hand, threw up no beer worthy of the illustrious BOTY title. Then came 2003 …

The Belgians gave us three of the four best beers we tasted in 2003, possibly as a result of a mamoth tasting session we had at the Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone one sunny spring afternoon. We only managed to get about half way through the menu of this magnificent establishment. Having tasted a number of beers, we found ourselves, let's not mince words, pretty pissed. We searched in vain for lighter beers on the card, but nothing remained with an alcohol content of under 7%. So we adjourned proceedings sine die. Look out for more Belgians in 2004!

But we digress. Two beers really stood out for us: Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit and Leffe Brune. The former out of the bottle, the latter from the tap. Both were truly outstanding.

Decisions, decisions! Oliver leaned toward the Fruit; Geoff the Brown. Each beer so different, each so unique, each such precious gift to mankind. Ultimately, we couldn't choose. So in 2003 we the award for BOTY goes to … Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit (de Verboden Vrucht) and Leffe Brune.

If the AFL can have joint Brownlow Medalists, we can see no reason why we can't have two Beers of the Year.

Entries from 2002

Four stars Blanche de Namur
Four stars Bootleg Raging Bull
Three and a half stars Grisette
Three and a half stars Gosser
Three and a half stars Bootleg Special Beer
Three and a half stars Bootleg Tom's Brown
Three and a half stars Cascade First Harvest Ale 2002
Three and a half stars Sapporo Draft
Three and a half stars Kirin Lager
Three stars Bootleg Will's Pils
Three stars Boag's XXX Ale
Two and a half stars Bootleg Sou' West Wheat
Two and a half stars 333
Two stars DB Export Dry Lager
And the winner is …

Well, there is no winner. We tried some beautiful beers in 2002, including the very nice Blanche de Namur and the very strong and well made Bootleg Raging Bull. However, at the end of the day these were the beers we rated most highly and they were only four-star brews. We decided that four stars wasn't enough to win Beer of the Year, hence there is no award for 2002.

Entries from 2001

Fivestars Velkopopovicky Kozel Tmavy
Five stars Schofferhofer Dunkle Hefeweizen
Five stars Chimay Blue
Five stars Dragon Stout
Five stars Cooper's Vintage Ale Batch 1 (1998)
Five stars Cooper's Vintage Ale Batch 2 (1999)
Five stars Schofferhofer Hefeweizen
Four and a half stars (Velkopopovicky) Kozel Premium
Four and a half stars Theakston Old Peculier
Four and a half stars Buffalo Dark Ale
Four and a half stars Buffalo Stout
Four and a half stars Matilda Bay Premium
Four and a half stars Schofferhofer Kristall
Four and a half stars Stella Artois
Four stars Breznak
Four stars Cascade Special Stout
Four stars Cooper's Dark Ale
Four stars Grand Ridge Hatlifter Stout
Four stars Beamish Irish Stout (draught can)
Four stars Guinness Original (retasting)
Four stars Guinness Draught
Four stars Young's Oatmeal Stout
Four stars Steinlager
Four stars Windhoek Lager
Four stars Cooper's Vintage Ale Batch 3 (2000)
Three and a half stars Koruna
Three and a half stars Speight's Gold Medal Ale
Three and a half stars Chimay Red
Three and a half stars Cooper's Special Old Stout
Three and a half stars Mackeson Stout
Three and a half stars Newcastle Brown Ale
Three stars Zlatopramen Premium
Three stars Belhaven St Andrew's Ale
Three stars Grand Ridge Moonshine
Three stars Grand Ridge Supershine
Three stars DAB Dark Lager
Three stars Dogbolter
Three stars Corona Extra
Three stars Riggwelter Strong Yorkshire Ale
Three stars Birell
Three stars Guinness Original
Two and a half stars Starobrno Red Drak
Two and a half stars Finian's Irish Stout
Two stars McEwan's India Pale Ale
Two stars Hahn Special Vintage Ale (2000)
One and a half stars Carlton Cold
One and a half stars Hahn Ice
One star Foster's
Half a star Budweiser
And the winner is …

Chimay Blue. What more needs to be said? We tasted some outstanding beers in 2001. (We also tasted some really crap beers.) But it didn't take us long to reach a unanimous decision on Beer of the Year for 2001. Chimay Blue.

A bit about this golden drop. There are five Trappist monasteries in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. The Trappists are a silent order of monks dedicated to doing God's own work. Brewing beer.

Chimay is brewed at Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Scour Mont in Belgium. Like the other Trappist monasteries, these purveyors of the opus dei produce wonderfully strong, rich and fruity top fermenting ales. The beers are bottle conditioned, like the BOTY 2000, Cooper's Sparkling Ale (yes, we are a bit partial to the ales).

The Blue is more formally known as Chimay Grande Reserve, or Chimay Bleu. No rocket science here, it has a blue label and blue cap. This distinguishes it from the Chimay Premiere, aka Chimay Red/Chimay Rouge, which has (you guessed it) a red label and red cap. The Blue is the strongest and most complex of the ales to come out of this monastsry (9 per cent in fact). It was originally introduced as a Christmas beer, and has been brewed regularly since 1958. Chimay Blue is vintage dated and does extremely well in the cellar.

So, why does the Blue get the coveted BOTY? After all, there was some pretty strong competition this year. Dragon Stout and Velkopopovicky Kozel Tmavy readily spring to mind. The answer is quite simple. It's a bloody ripper of a beer. Really, this ale is as close to being a perfect beer as mere mortals could be expected to brew. And who knows, perhaps those monks are getting a bit of outside help.

It aint cheap, but neither is gold. Try it and let us know what you think. Also have a look at Geoff's homebrew recipe for Chimay Blue.

Entries from 2000

Five stars Cooper's Sparkling Ale
Five stars Cooper's Best Extra Stout
Five stars Speights Old Dark Malt Ale
Five stars Pilsner Urquell
Four and a half stars Cooper's Original Pale Ale
Four stars Toohey's Old Dark Ale
One star Victoria Bitter
And the winner is …

Cooper's Sparkling Ale gets the nod for the 2000 Beer of the Year on countback.

While four beers received a perfect score of five stars, the fact that Cooper's Sparkling Ale is unique put its nose in front of the other contenders. Other beers come close to emulating Pilsner Urquell and even Cooper's Best Extra Stout is similar to some other brews around the world. But there is nothing else like Cooper's Sparkling Ale.

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