ACT Amateur Brewing Championships: results

By Sam Highley, Editor

The race has been run, the winners decided, and i'd just like to say that the overall standard was very high. I personally judged four flights of beers over two days (around 30 beers), and there was not a single beer in the entire lot that had any significant taints. Sure, there was the odd whiff and taste of acetaldehyde or diacetyl, but nothing major. Pretty much all the beers I tasted were well brewed, and those that didn't score in the medal range were mostly just out of style. Anyway, enough of my rambling, here are the results:

Low Alcohol

• Michael O'Rourke — Mild Ale — 120 pts —  Gold 
• Stu Whytcross — Mild Ale — 103 pts —  Bronze 
• Mark Bilbrough — Southern English Brown Ale — 102.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Michael O'Rourke — Light Australian Lager — 99.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Matt Hogan — Mild Ale — 96.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Mark Bilbrough — Scottish Light Ale — 93.5 pts
• Bruce Arnold — Mild Ale — 82.5 pts
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — English Bitter — 71.5 pts

Pale Ale

• Steve Sargent — Belgian Pale Ale — 120 pts —  Gold 
• Craig Webber — Kolsch — 112.5 pts —  Silver 
• Dan Rayner — Kolsch — 103.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Tom Dixon — Belgian Pale Ale — 102 pts —  Bronze 
• Chris De La Rue — Belgian Pale Ale — 96 pts —  Bronze 
• Brad Woolner — Australian Pale Ale — 89 pts

Pale Lager

• Brendan Linton-Smith — Munich Helles — 108.5 pts —  Silver 
• Craig Webber — Dortmunder — 100.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Brad Woolner — Munich Helles — 99.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Michael O'Rourke — Pale Continental Lager — 97.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Brad Woolner — Australian Premium Lager — 97 pts —  Bronze 
• Matt Hogan — Australian Premium Lager — 86 pts

Amber & Dark Lager

• Megan Watson — Vienna Lager — 121 pts —  Gold 
• Craig Stokes — Schwarzbier — 112 pts —  Silver 
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Oktoberfest/Marzen — 107.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Brendan Linton-Smith — Schwarzbier — 106 pts —  Bronze 
• Chris De La Rue — California Common Beer — 97 pts —  Bronze 
• Dan Rayner — California Common Beer — 97 pts —  Bronze 
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Schwarzbier — 92 pts

Pilsner

• Brad Woolner — Classic American Pilsner — 113 pts —  Silver 
• Brad Woolner — German Pilsner — 83 pts
• Dan Rayner — German Pilsner — 82 pts

American Pale Ale

• Martin Budden — American Pale Ale — 115.5 pts —  Silver 
• Steve Sargent — American Pale Ale — 105.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Craig Webber — American Pale Ale — 98.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Patrick Baggoley — American Pale Ale — 95.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Dan Rayner — American Pale Ale — 95 pts —  Bronze 
• Tom Dixon — American Pale Ale — 88 pts
• Brendan Linton—Smith — American Pale Ale — 75.5 pts

Bitter Ale

• Dan Rayner — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 130 pts —  Gold 
• Ross Mitchell — English Best Bitter — 128 pts —  Gold 
• Stu Whytcross — Dusseldorf Altbier — 110 pts —  Silver 
• Patrick Baggoley — Dusseldorf Altbier — 109.5 pts —  Silver 
• Matt Hogan — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 109 pts —  Silver 
• Martin Budden — English Best Bitter — 104 pts —  Bronze 
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 102.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Megan Watson — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 101 pts —  Bronze 
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Dusseldorf Altbier — 98.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Stu Whytcross — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 92 pts
• Patrick Baggoley — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 92 pts
• Chris De La Rue — Extra Special Bitter (ESB) — 87 pts
• Brendan Linton-Smith — Dusseldorf Altbier — 82.5 pts

Brown Ale

• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Irish Red Ale — 114.5 pts —  Silver 
• Chris De La Rue — Scottish Ale — 104 pts —  Bronze 
• Craig Webber — Irish Red Ale — 103 pts —  Bronze 
• Megan Watson — Northern English Brown Ale — 94 pts
• Dan Rayner — Irish Red Ale — 58 pts

Strong Stout

• Dan Rayner — Russian Imperial Stout — 136 pts —  Gold 
• Craig Webber — Foreign Extra Stout — 114 pts —  Silver 
• Darryl Barbour — Australian Stout/Foreign Extra Stout — 109 pts —  Silver 
• David Vandervlist — Russian Imperial Stout — 99 pts —  Bronze 
• Luke Falconer — Australian Stout/Foreign Extra Stout — 85 pts

Porter

• Tom Dixon — Robust Porter — 122.5 pts —  Gold 
• Tom Dixon — Brown Porter — 109.5 pts —  Silver 
• Stu Whytcross — Brown Porter — 107.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Chris De La Rue — Robust Porter — 104.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Mark Bilbrough — Brown Porter — 103 pts —  Bronze 
• Craig Webber — Robust Porter — 95 pts —  Bronze 
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Brown Porter — 91.5 pts
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — Robust Porter — 86 pts
• Megan Watson — Brown Porter — 73 pts

Stout

• Patrick Baggoley — Dry Stout — 120.5 pts —  Gold 
• Craig Webber — Dry Stout — 118.5 pts —  Silver 
• Martin Budden — Dry Stout — 105 pts —  Bronze 
• Chris De La Rue — Sweet Stout — 103 pts —  Bronze 
• Michael O'Rourke — Dry Stout — 97.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Brendan Linton-Smith — Dry Stout — 96 pts —  Bronze 
• Megan Watson — Sweet Stout — 94 pts
• Brad Woolner — Dry Stout — 91 pts
• Tom Dixon — Dry Stout — 82 pts

German Wheat & Rye Beer

• Darryl Barbour — Weizen/Weissbier — 108 pts —  Silver 
• Tom Dixon — Weizen/Weissbier — 96.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Darryl Barbour — Dunkel Weizen — 75 pts

India Pale Ale

• Patrick Baggoley — American IPA — 113.5 pts —  Silver 
• Michael O'Rourke — American IPA — 106.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Chris De La Rue — Imperial IPA — 106 pts —  Bronze 
• Craig Webber — American IPA — 103 pts —  Bronze 
• Stu Whytcross — American IPA — 102 pts —  Bronze 
• Tom Dixon — Imperial IPA — 100.5 pts —  Bronze 

Strong Ale

• Tony Steeper — Old Ale (English Strong Ale) — 131 pts —  Gold 
• Charles Newton — English Barley Wine — 127.5 pts —  Gold 
• Darryl Barbour — English Barley Wine — 117 pts —  Silver 
• Tom Dixon — Old Ale (English Strong Ale) — 112.5 pts —  Silver 
• Stu Whytcross — Strong Scotch Ale — 112 pts —  Silver 
• Stephen Hewitt Neilsen — American Barleywine — 111 pts —  Silver 
• Mark Bilbrough — American Barleywine — 106.5 pts —  Bronze 

Strong Lager

• Craig Webber — Maibock/Helles Bock — 126 pts —  Gold 

Belgian Strong Ale

• Craig Webber — Belgian Golden Strong Ale — 130 pts —  Gold 
• Bill Turner — Belgian Dark Strong Ale — 128.5 pts —  Gold 
• Stu Whytcross — Dubbel — 120 pts —  Gold 
• David Vandervlist — Dubbel — 78 pts

Farmhouse Ale & Wild Beer

• Tom Dixon — Saison — 113 pts —  Silver 
• Craig Webber — Bier de Garde — 98 pts —  Bronze 
• Chris De La Rue — Saison — 95.5 pts —  Bronze 

Specialty Beer

• Craig Webber — Other — 127.5 pts —  Gold 
• Craig Webber — Belgian Specialty Ale — 120 pts —  Gold 
• Darryl Barbour — Wood Aged Beer — 120 pts —  Gold 
• Ross Mitchell — Belgian Specialty Ale — 119 pts —  Silver 
• Megan Watson — Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer — 111 pts —  Silver 
• Tom Dixon — Fruit Beer — 100 pts —  Bronze 
• Bruce Arnold — Other Specialty — 100 pts —  Bronze 
• Stu Whytcross — Other Specialty — 99.5 pts —  Bronze 
• Stu Whytcross — Belgian Specialty Ale — 93 pts