Epic Armageddon IPA amazing hat trick of trophy wins
"The stuff of fantasy" to quote Michael Donaldson. And he would be right. I am some what lost for words (which some would say is rare), and not sure how to comprehend what it means to win BEST IPA at three different beer competitions, in three different countries (and with three different batches of Armageddon IPA). In the last six months Armageddon IPA was judged against nearly 400 IPA entries from over 35 countries. What are the chances of this beer winning the BEST IPA three times? An interesting quote from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) "American-Style India Pale Ale was once again the most difficult category, with less than a 1% chance of winning a medal " - 336 IPA entries from US only breweries. The competitions also reflect Epic Brewing Company's three largest markets.
BEST IPA - New Zealand Beer Awards
BEST IPA - Australian International Beer Awards (second largest international beer awards)
BEST IPA - Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival, Sweden
A good question came up recently "how come Armageddon IPA has won BEST IPA all of a sudden, and it has been around for years". Well it’s easy to forget that this beer has an impressive history of awards and accolades. First bottled in 2009.2009 - Best IPA - NZ Beer Awards 2010 - Best Barrel Aged Beer - NZ Beer Awards ( Armageddon IPA, aged in a barrel) 2011 - Best IPA - NZ Beer Awards 2012 - Best Beer in New Zealand - Beer & Brewer Magazine 2013 - Best IPA - Systembolaget, Sweden 2014 - 2 x Silver, 1 x Bronze (a tough year for hops, substitutes for some varieties running short) 2015 - 3 x Best IPA in NZ, Australia & Sweden I'm really proud of these awards, especially when looking at the craft beer market. Craft beer sales are up 42% in New Zealand. Within craft beer, IPA makes up over 25%* of total sales. To win three trophies it’s both a blessing and a curse. Demand has been greater than we can keep up with since winning at AIBA, and now we look to be struggling to make enough for demand this side of Christmas.Over the last few years we have exported more Armageddon IPA than has been sold in New Zealand. Since the Australian win, we have had export orders from Australia, Sweden and USA. This increased demand has resulted in the recent purchase of a new triple batch fermenter at the brewery (first batch will be November 2015). This tank makes me a little scared but also puts a smile on my face when I think about the amount of dry hops that will used will be 350kg per batch.For now Michael Donaldson's article has some more background on the origins of Armageddon IPA, and Hallertau Brewery in 2008. If you want to read an old page with some fun old videos and background on Armageddon try http://armageddon.epicbeer.com this page will be updated, at some stage in the future. ;-)Also check out the photo gallery that shows the journey of discovery of IPA in California 2008, the inspiration (cheers Chuck Silva & Tomme Arthur), the creation of the beer at Hallertau Brewery, and the release of the beer at the inaugural West Coast IPA Challenge 2008I have to give a huge thanks to Steam Brewing Company (that won Champion Manufacturer at the 2015 NZ Beer Awards). These guys have put in huge effort for ever increasing quality, and have had to put up with my consistent pushing, nagging, and surprises.
"The stuff of fantasy" to quote Michael Donaldson. And he would be right. I am some what lost for words (which some would say is rare), and not sure how to comprehend what it means to win BEST IPA at three different beer competitions, in three different countries (and with three different batches of Armageddon IPA). In the last six months Armageddon IPA was judged against nearly 400 IPA entries from over 35 countries. What are the chances of this beer winning the BEST IPA three times? An interesting quote from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) "American-Style India Pale Ale was once again the most difficult category, with less than a 1% chance of winning a medal " - 336 IPA entries from US only breweries. The competitions also reflect Epic Brewing Company's three largest markets.
