Big wins for Mash, The Monk

Long-time beer drinker and The Sip editor Ross Lewis puts some of Australia's top drops to the test.

Catch up with other beers on The Sip Archive

They’ve conquered Melbourne and Sydney. Even head brewer Charlie Hodgson is claiming ground in a South West bike race this weekend.

So it seemed appropriate for the rest of the State to finally recognise Mash Brewing at WA’s biggest beer awards.

Mash and The Monk dominated the trophies at the Perth Royal Beer Show to the point where another cabinet might be required to accommodate the gongs.

Swan Valley-based Mash picked up three prizes - Best Commercial Brewery, Best WA Brewery and Best Ale Draught for their Copy Cat AIPA.

The Monk, a feature of Fremantle’s cappuccino strip, won Best WA Beer, Best Commercial Beer and Best Stout/Porter for their Bounty.

Mash Pale Ale picked up one of the few gold medals at the awards, topping the list in the American Style Pale Ale class. Another Mash beer, affectionately called Russell, also won a gold medal in the Amber Ale category.

Copy Cat has been a driving force for Mash, who been dominating beer prizes this year.

At the Australian International Beer Awards held in Melbourne in May Copy Cat won Champion Australian Beer of the Year. That made it the top brew of the land.

And earlier this month Russell won Champion Draught Beer at the Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Show.

Charlie Hodgson and Eddie Still with one of Mash Brewing's recent awards.

Brad Cox, Mash’s owner, said he the recent prizes were a tribute to the hard work and dedication of head brewer Charlie Hodgson and his assistant Eddie Still.

“Mash has taken some giant leaps forward over the past six months but I’m sure Charlie and Eddie can lift it another few notches in the near future. They’re always looking at brewing new tasty beers.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of the Mash brand. More drinkers want flavour and that has helped build the craft beer market. And we’re glad that we’re able to help satisfy that thirst for good, naturally produced brews.”

A record number of judged entries, 437 submitted by 114 exhibitors, made it a tough competition at this year’s Perth Royal Beer Show.

FULL LIST OF PERTH ROYAL BEER SHOW WINNERS