A Ballarat brewery has been awarded the top prize at the world’s largest annual beer competition.

Dollar Bill Brewing‘s Gold Teeth 2021 was crowned Champion Australian Beer at the 2021 Australian International Beer Awards in Melbourne on 20 May.

The limited edition Gold Teeth was also proclaimed Best Fruit Beer at the awards, which featured 2500 entries from 402 exhibitors and 21 countries. 

Only recently released, the spontaneously fermented barrel aged wild ale was made with certified bio-dynamic yellow clingstone peaches.

Dollar Bill is run by husband and wife team Ed and Fiona Nolle, who ferment and age fresh pressed fruit, honey and wort in French oak barrels.

These barrels are then blended to create Belgian inspired ales, ciders, mead and barrel aged beers. 

Held as part of Good Beer Week, the awards also recognised the top brews of Ballarat’s O’Brien Beer and Aunty Jacks:

O’Brien Beer

• Gold: Gluten-free (O’Brien Premium Lager, draught)
• Gold: Gluten-free (O’Brien Stout, draught)
• Gold: Gluten-free (O’Brien Premium Lager, packaged)
• Gold: Gluten-free (O’Brien Pale Ale, draught)
• Gold: Gluten-free (O’Brien Belgian Ale, packaged)
• Gold: Gluten-free (O’Brien Brown Ale, packaged)
• Silver: Gluten-free (O’Brien Belgian Ale, draught)
• Silver: Gluten-free (O’Brien Brown Ale, draught)
• Bronze: Gluten-free (O’Brien Stout, packaged)
• Bronze: Gluten-free (O’Brien Pale Ale, packaged)
• Bronze: Gluten-free (O’Brien XPA, packaged)
• Bronze: Gluten-free (O’Brien XPA, draught)
• Bronze: Gluten-free (O’Brien Lager 3.0, packaged)

Aunty Jacks

• Gold: German Style Pilsner (Aunty Jacks Lager, draught)
• Silver: American Strong Style (Aunty Jacks IPA, draught)
• Silver: Regular/Brown Porter (Aunty Jacks Vanilla Porter, draught)
• Bronze: Australian Style Pale Ale (Aunty Jacks Pale Ale, draught)
• Bronze: Chocolate (Aunty Jacks Cocoa Stout, draught)

“As the world’s largest annual beer competition judging both draught and packaged beer, the Australian International Beer Awards conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria is the pinnacle benchmarking opportunity for brewers from Australia and abroad,” RASV CEO Brad Jenkins said.

“After the challenges of 2020, it was fabulous to conduct the awards again this year… and see the beer industry come together to celebrate brewing excellence.”

The AIBA gongs topped off a massive week for Dollar Bill, with the brewery also recognised at the 2021 Craft Beer Marketing Awards.

Main image: Teagan Glenane