Judging for the 2024 New World Beer & Cider Awards is underway with the more than 600 entries described as a snapshot of wider beer trends in New Zealand.

Around 100 local and international brewers have entered this year’s awards with judging taking place in Auckland this week.

Beer writer and author Michael Donaldson, who’s chaired the judging since 2016, says the competition entries often reflect what’s happening on supermarket shelves and in fridges around the country. “The classic Kiwi beer chiller looks a lot different than it did just a few years ago and several of the trends we’ve seen emerge on the judging table over these past few years are now really taking off.”

The fast-growing low carb beer category prompted the Awards to set up a dedicated class for low carb beers, which has attracted almost 5% of the field this year.

Across Aotearoa, sales of low carb beer grew by more than a third in the year to November 2022* and its popularity has continued at a similar pace since, driven by consumer trends towards lighter-tasting and better-for-you options. 

“While it’s still a relatively small segment of the beer category, brewers are getting in behind it and increasing the range of products on offer,” notes Donaldson.

Entries in the low and no alcohol category (2.5% ABV or less) have nearly doubled this year, with around 7% of total entries. “Between the pre- and post-COVID period, so roughly the start of 2019 to the end of 2022, there was a sevenfold increase in the amount of non and low-alcohol beer being consumed nationally*,” says Donaldson.

“That will only have increased further in the year or so since, as more and better examples of these beers have come on to the market. There has been a swell of really high-quality low and non-alcoholic beers and ciders lately, especially from local craft producers who’ve been working hard to perfect their techniques and achieve brews that taste like the real thing.”

And Michael Donaldson says all signs point to the hazy trend being here to stay. “We may have passed ‘peak hazy’, but it’s still a firm favourite and definitely not going anywhere, anytime soon. Long-time beer fans, and new ones, have really taken to the fruitier, less bitter flavours of hazies and they’re now a core part of many beer fridges.”

Foodstuffs says that hazy beers make up around a quarter of craft beer sales in its North Island stores, while in the competition, brewers are backing them too – entering twice as many hazy beers as any other style. Over 120 hazy beers will be judged at the 2024 event; the next largest class is IPA, at around 70 beers.

The New World Beer & Cider Awards will be judged by an independent panel of 28, led by Donaldson and Deputy Chair Kelly Ryan.

The 30 top-ranked entries will make up the New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 30 – a ‘must try’ list of winners that will then be made available in New World stores nationwide. A further 20 ‘Highly Commended’ brews will also be celebrated in a combined Top 50 list on the New World website. Results will be announced in May.

* NZIER. 2022. Brewing in New Zealand. A report for Brewers Association of New Zealand.