New World Beer & Cider Awards 2025 Hub

Big flavours, bold brewers; meet the 2025 New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 25!

A fresh wave of flavour has landed – and it’s not just for the beer geeks. Our dish awards hub is here to give you the lowdown on the winners and inspire you with our favourite recipe pairings!

The New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 25 spotlights the most exciting brews and ciders shaking up the shelves. From hazy hop bombs to zesty sours, smooth lagers to seriously creative non-alcs, this year’s line-up is a full-spectrum celebration of Kiwi craft; and it's all available at New World nationwide!

Over 650 beers and ciders were blind-tasted by a 25-strong panel of expert judges – a dream gig, yes, but also a serious search for flavour, balance and wow-factor.

“It’s our most adventurous Top 25 yet,” says Michael Donaldson, Chair of Judges and craft beer connoisseur-in-chief. “From tiny brewers to household names, the innovation and quality this year has been off the charts.”

Discover the full list of Top 25 winners, with tasting notes and insights, here:

We have paired each of the Top 25 brews with one of our favourite dish recipes! Explore here:

The Supreme Champion? A 3D comeback.

Taking top spot for 2025 is Isthmus Brewing’s 3D IPA; a juicy, hoppy, beautifully balanced brew with a seriously satisfying finish. It’s also a bit of a triumph-over-adversity moment: Isthmus began as a side hustle for brewer Hamish Ward, whose day job at Deep Creek ended when the brewery closed. Instead of calling it quits, he and partner Caroline Muller-Ward doubled down – and 3D IPA is the proof they made the right call.

New names making waves

This year’s list is rich with bold newcomers, including:

• Three Sisters (New Plymouth) – serving up Lush, a smoothie-style sour that’s practically a fruit salad in a can, with pineapple, guava, feijoa and vanilla.
• Heaven’s Brewery (Northland) – debuting with Judas Sheep, a dark lager that’s as sleek as it is smooth.
• Mad Whale Brewing – bringing their crisp, clean Helles Lager to Kiwi shelves for the first time after years of brewing for export.
• Martinborough Brewery – back with a bang thanks to Hoppy Haze IPA, a hazy done right.

The old favourites aren’t slowing down

Some familiar faces returned in style:

• Lakeman Brewing’s Primate Pilsner – back for its third consecutive Top 25 appearance. Simple. Perfect.
• Sprig + Fern’s The G.O.A.T. – their rich, bold doppelbock continues to live up to its name.
• Garage Project – one of Aotearoa’s most celebrated breweries, returns with Pernicious Weed IPA and a brand new twist: Spicy Pickle Beer.

Category shake-ups & standout sips

This year saw the launch of a new “Weird & Wonderful” category – and it didn’t disappoint. Think:

• Lush from Three Sisters
• Spicy Pickle Beer from Garage Project
• Chilli Pilsner from McLeod’s, made with fiery Kaitaia Fire chillis

There’s plenty for the low-carb crowd too – Urbanaut impressed again with their Copacabana IPA and Beat Street Hazy Pale Ale, all flavour, less carb. And for those going alcohol-free, Bach Brewing’s All Day Hazy IPA and Peckham’s Apple Zero lead the way, proving you don’t need ABV to bring the buzz.

Cider, but not as you know it

The cider category saw a full-blown flavour fest, with highlights including:

• Peckham’s Classic Apple Cider – the gold standard in traditional cider-making.
• Morningcider’s Cherry Bomb – fruity, fun and unforgettable.
• Zeeer Passionfruit 0% Cider – a no-alc option with serious zing.
• Mount Brewing’s Tart Rhubarb Cider – a crisp twist on a Kiwi classic.

One for the nostalgic

For the first time ever, an alcoholic lemonade made the Top 25: Good George’s Old School Alcoholic Lemonade. A fizzy, citrusy throwback with grown-up refreshment – and one to watch.

Want more New World liquor awards insights from the dish team? 

Check out our New World Wine Awards Hub from 2024 here, and keep your eyes peeled for the launch of our 2025 New World Wine Awards Hub in October!