New Zealand IPAs Shine at 2024 Great American Beer Festival
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. won gold at the Great American Beer Festival for their New Zealand IPA, 'More Than A Zealand.'
- The event featured over 100 entries, highlighting the increased popularity of New Zealand-style IPAs.
- The success of these beers illustrates the evolving landscape of beer styles and competition achievements.
In October 2024, the Great American Beer Festival, held in Denver, Colorado, showcased the growing popularity of New Zealand IPAs, with over 100 entries in this category. Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. won the gold medal with their New Zealand IPA, 'More Than A Zealand,' which features a dry finish and tropical fruit flavors like papaya, peach, and tangerine. The brewery also achieved a silver medal in the pale ale category for 'Featherweight.' Riip Beer Co.’s 'Wannabe Wallaby' received the silver medal; it aims to replicate New Zealand hop flavors using North American hops and has a history of competition success. Meanwhile, Grains of Wrath's 'Wastelandia' took home the bronze, described as a West Coast IPA with characteristics typical of New Zealand styles, including notes of strawberry and grapefruit. The festival emphasized how traditional style definitions can blur, allowing entries that meet New Zealand IPA characteristics to also be classified as American or West Coast IPAs.