Here’s some preliminary breakdowns of how the awards went down, who won the most by country and state. Of the 268 awards (2 medals were not awarded) from 3,351 beers by 642 breweries in 44 countries, here’s the results.
Awards by Country
- United States 204
- Germany 16
- TIE: 7
- Belgium 7
- Canada 7
- TIE: 5
- Japan 5
- UK 5
- TIE: 3
- Australia 3
- Czech Republic 3
- Denmark 3
- Singapore 3
- TIE: 2
- Sweden 2
- Lithuania 2
- Italy 2
Two years ago, the U.S. was again in first with 158, followed by Germany and Belgium. This year, Canada shares third with Belgium. 19 countries won at least one medal, down from 21 two years ago.
Awards by State
- California 45
- Oregon 13
- TIE: 12
- Illinois 12
- Washington 12
- TIE: 11
- Colorado 11
- Michigan 11
- Virginia 8
- TIE: 7
- Indiana 7
- Missouri 7
- Wisconsin 7
- TIE: 6
- Delaware 6
- Maryland 6
- Nevada 5
- TIE: 4
- Arizona 4
- Massachusetts 4
- New Mexico 4
- New York 4
- North Carolina 4
- Pennsylvania 4
- TIE: 3
- Alaska 3
- Tennessee 3
- Utah 3
- Wyoming 3
Last time California won 35, so we picked up 10 more awards this year. Oregon was in third place in 2008, but this time around moved into second. This year, third place was a tie between Illinois and Washington. Second in 2008 was Colorado, who dropped to a tie for fourth with Michigan.
Yeah Virginia!!!
-JW
I count 20 for San Diego County
+1 Ballast point wins Small brewery of the year!
Why weren’t 2 awarded? Specifically how come there was no gold in Category 15: American-Belgo-Style Ale. What was the other one?
Love your site!
Category 78: Foreign-Style Stout was the other one.
The reason that some medals are not awarded has to do with the way the judging is conducted. It’s not simply the top three beers entered in a particular category, but each gold, silver and bronze medal has to fit an over-arching definition for each medal. A gold medal, for example, must be “a world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.” So in some categories, the best beer on the table may have an off-flavor and therefore not fit the gold standard. It happens more often with categories with fewer entries, but could happen for any. It’s usually a painful decision to make for all the judges. I’ve been on a medal round panel at GABF that came to such a conclusion and I can assure it wasn’t done lightly. We hated it, but had to do it. In a way, it reminds of being on a jury. You have to apply the facts presented in evidence and then apply them to the law. Same deal, you apply the style parameters and the medal standards to each of the beers and reach a conclusion based on what you’re tasting. And like a jury, it has to be a unanimous decision, though usually there’s only six angry men.
Hi there! I love your breakdown of the awards. Curious to see how GABF & WBC awards (for American breweries of course) compare. Have you ever done this kind of analysis? Thank you!
Yea VA is finally getting beer cred outside the state and really outside the region too…
looking for big gains this fall at the GABF
Here’s the medal count for the top breweries:
6 – Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
5 – Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
5 – Pabst Brewing Co.
4 – Devils Backbone Brewing Co.
4 – Distelhäuser Brauerei
4 – Founders Brewing Co.
4 – Goose Island Beer Co.
4 – Pizza Port Carlsbad