Ballarat’s Dollar Bill Brewing wins top gong for Australia’s best beer

A Ballarat brewery’s sour ale has pipped hundreds of competitors nationwide to be crowned Australia’s best beer. See the full list of winners.

Fiona and Ed Nolle with their award winning beer, Candy Paint. Picture: Ian Currie

A barrel-aged sour ale made in Ballarat and likened to “a cherry wine, but with real mushroom complexity” has been crowned Australia’s best beer.

Dollar Bill Brewing’s Candy Paint 2023 pipped hundreds of brews from across the country to be named Champion Australian Beer at the 30th annual Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards – the world’s largest beer competition.

The Ballarat brewery, run by husband-and-wife team Ed and Fiona Nolle, have won the top prize at “beer’s night of nights” twice in three years, with their Gold Teeth barrel-aged peach sour victorious in 2021.

Mrs Nolle put their success down to the fact “we put out absolute heart and soul into everything”. Her husband added: “The volume we put out is quite minimal, which means we really focus on the quality of it.”

Husband-and-wife team Ed and Fiona Nolle of Dollar Bill Brewing. Picture: Ian Currie

He said Candy Paint was made from cherries sourced from the Mornington Peninsula’s Ellisfield Farm and aged about 18 months to create a “complex” sour flavour.

The Nolles – who plan to open a cellar door in December – also claimed the Australian Gypsy Brewer and Best Fruit Beer awards as 36 prizes were awarded to Aussie and international labels at a ceremony at the Melbourne Showgrounds.

A record 2826 entries from brewers in 21 countries across “every continent other than Antarctica” were received – a huge increase from 128 entries in their inaugural year of 1993, Melbourne Royal chief executive Brad Jenkins said.

A leader of China’s craft beer scene, the Beijing-based NBeer Craft Brewing, was awarded Champion International Beer for its Lindongjiangzhi Weizenbock wheat beer.

Glen Iris’s Deeds Brewing won four gongs, including Champion Medium Australian Brewery and Best Speciality Flavour Beer for its BBA Peanut Butter Imperial Stout. Mountain Goat Beer was named Champion Large Australian Brewery.

See the full list of winners at melbourneroyal.com.au

2023 Australian International Beer Awards: Victorian Winners

Champion Australian Beer: Candy Paint 2023, Packaged, by Dollar Bill Brewing, Victoria

Best European Style Lager (excluding Pilsner): Mair St Märzen, Draught, by Aunty Jacks, Victoria

Best Amber/Dark Lager: The Nightcrawler, Draught, by Co-Conspirators Brewing, Victoria

Best Amber/Dark Ale: The Buzz, Draught, by Hop Nation, Victoria

Best Porter/Stout: Arthur Smoked Porter, Packaged, by Blackman’s Brewing, Victoria

Best Belgian/French Ale: Sour Brett Ale, Packaged, by Holgate Brewhouse, Victoria

Best Fruit Beer: Candy Paint 2023, Packaged, by Dollar Bill Brewing, Victoria

Best Wood and Barrel Aged Beer: Hightail XXV, Packaged, by Mountain Goat Beer, Victoria

Best Specialty Beer: Ruminations, Packaged, by Deeds Brewing, Victoria

Best Specialty Flavoured Beer: BBA Peanut Butter Imperial Stout, Packaged, by Deeds Brewing, Victoria

Champion Large Australian Brewery: Mountain Goat Beer, Victoria

Champion Medium Australian Brewery: Deeds Brewing, Victoria

Champion Victorian Brewery: Deeds Brewing

Australian Gypsy Brewer Award: Dollar Bill Brewing, Victoria