The Cromwell-based Otago Polytechnic Brew School has won a silver and three bronze medals after entering six categories in the New Zealand Brewers Guild Awards.

This is the first year the school, established in 2018, has entered. 

"I think the awards highlight the programme, as well as our philosophy of teaching students how to brew beers that are true to style, all within a teaching environment," Otago Brew School lecturer Geoff Collie said.

The ‘Klassenbester’ Dunkelweizen Dark - perfect for drinking in cooler months - was awarded a silver medal.

The three bronze medal winners were 'Dark Matter' Oatmeal Stout, ‘Brau-schule’ Kolsch, and ‘Hidden Number’ Pale Ale.

Lecturer Geoff Collie PHOTO: The Central App

"The recipes and ingredients are what would usually be expected for each style. We then apply good brewing practice and processes to make the best beer we can,” Geoff said.

The Brew School started with five students in 2018 and has grown to 14 now completing the one-year course, ranging from 24 to 64-years-old and with an even mix of men and women.

Student Barbara Ingendae, who had no previous brewing experience, told the Central App the fermentation and chemical process is where the magic happens for her.

“I love that you can give two same ingredients to two people and get a completely different result,” she said. 

“It’s all about understanding the process.”

The Otago Brew School in Cromwell

Cromwell residents living in Neplusultra Street may be interested to know that the Brew School’s Ne Plus Ultra Pilsner shares the same origin as their street name: the Latin phrase, ne plus ultra literally meaning ‘no more beyond’. 

Today it’s used to mean ‘perfect’ or a flawless example of something, an apt description of the Brew School’s medal winners.

Twenty-nine judges from New Zealand and Australia sampled 811 beers in 119 style classes over two days for the awards. Find the full catalogue of the New Zealand Brewers Guild Awards 2022 results here.