Check Out the Winners of Australia’s First Craft Beer Awards

Craft beer isn't just for hipsters anymore. More and more people are looking for alternatives to the usual swill of Carlton Draught or Toohey's New, and the boutique market is flourishing. The beer taps at your local pub are as varied as ever and there's always a colourful, new offering to taste test. But that's just the thing; with such a wealth of options out there, how can we decide which to pick? Enter the Craft Beer Industry Association. These legends have just hosted the inaugural awards for Australian brews and picked you the cream of the crop (so to speak).

At a ceremony at Giant Dwarf last night, 11 awards were given to breweries in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth (sorry, Brissie). The big winner of the night was Modus Operandi Brewing Co, a small Mona Vale brewery which launched earlier this year. We've written about them before because they sell truly incredible 1L takeaway cans, but apparently the beer's pretty good too. Their red ale, Former Tenant, took out the top gong for best craft beer as well as best amber/dark ale and their Zoo Feeder IPA also won its category. Quite rightly, the company itself was named the best small brewery in the country.

Other winners include Melbourne's Moon Dog Brewing, Two Births and La Sierene, Sydney's 4 Pines and Nail Brewing Australia from Perth. The best drops for summer will undoubtedly be 4 Pines' ESB Pale Ale; Saison, the award-winning French and Belgian style creation from La Sirene; and specialty ale Taco from Two Birds. The latter beer actually has hints of corriander leaf and fresh lime peel — the perfect replacement for your tired old summer ales.

These victors were picked from a spread of 280 beers from 80 breweries across the country. "We were blown away by not only the quality but the variety of brewers we have in Australia," said CBIA Chair Peta Fielding. "[We] are proud the CBIA can help draw attention to these talented brewers."

Speaking as people who enjoy a beer or two over the sunnier months, we wholly appreciate this too. Stay classy, Australia — stick to craft beers this season.

Full list of winners:

Kegstar Champion Australian Craft Beer - 'Former Tenant', Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW)

AIBA Champion Pale Ale - 'ESB', 4 Pines Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW)

Labelmakers Champion Amber/Dark Ale - 'Former Tenant', Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW)

Champion Porter and Stout - 'Black Lung IV', Moon Dog Brewing (Melbourne, VIC)

Champion Speciality Beer - 'Taco', Two Birds Brewing (Melbourne, VIC)

Beer and Brewer Champion IPA - 'Zoo Feeder', Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW)

Champion French and Belgian style - 'Saison', La Sirene (Melbourne, VIC)

Hopco Champion Small Brewery - Modus Operandi Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW)

Cryer Malt Champion Medium Brewery - Nail Brewing Australia (Perth, WA)

Bintani Champion Large Brewery - Joint winners: 4 Pines Brewing Company (Sydney, NSW) and Two Birds Brewing (Melbourne, VIC)

CBIA Services to Australian Craft Beer - Willie Simpson

Photos via Modus Operandi Brewing Co.