By Ian Neubauer
Five gastro pubs have been awarded for fusing Australian cuisine with handcrafted beer at the national James Squire Chef’s Match.
The competition saw over 90 licensed premises in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland attempt to create the perfect pairing of a two-course meal with James Squire beer. Entrees were rated by an anonymous panel that determined winners using three primary criteria — flavour, innovation and passion.
“The competition challenged chefs to take flavour to new heights, much like the innovative and creative approach indicative of the James Squire brewing team,” said Malt Shovel Brewery chief brewer, Tony Jones. “This year’s entries were exceptional, with the winners demonstrating perfectly the pairing of handcrafted brews with exceptional Australian food.”
The winners were the Rose of Australia for NSW, Irish Murphy’s for Queensland, the Colonist for South Australia, the Grosvenor Hotel for Western Australia and the Provincial Hotel for Victoria.
The winners in each state received a $2500 cash prize and five cartons of James Squire beer. Cash prizes of $500 and more beer were also given to the Best Spirit Winner in each state for venues that captured the essence of the competition through decorations, publicity and promotions.