Five Barrel Brewing has put in a gold medal performance at the Sydney Royal beer competition.
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The Wollongong brewery's Navigator red IPA won a gold medal in the amber and dark ales category, finishing ahead of the likes of big brewers Tooheys and 4 Pines.
Owner Phil O'Shea said entering awards is a way of gaining a feel for the beers' quality among the broader brewing scene.
"For us, when we submit for awards it's much more about the feedback from professional judges and seeing where our beer sits compared to other breweries," he said.
"It's way more about that than winning the actual award."
Six of their other beers also picked up a medal - three silvers and three bronzes.
"Each competition metal, even if it's a bronze or a silver, the scoring criteria is really, really tight. So even getting a bronze is a pretty good indication that your beer's really good."
Mr O'Shea said there could be some pay-off in terms of an increase in sales, as bottle shops and venues may view the gold medal as a sign of quality.
"There will definitely be a bit of spin-off interest in it," he said.
"We already brew a lot of the red IPA, especially at this time of the year so it's kind of hard to really know if the medal has a genuine impact on overall sales.
"But it's certainly something we'll get out and celebrate and let everybody know about."
Milton brewery Dangerous Ales picked up five medals, including a gold for its Crispy Boi lager, while Ulladulla's Cupitt's Brewing picked up three bronze medals and a silver for its South Coast session ale.
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