For the second straight year I missed the Bistro IPA Festival, but owner Vic Kralj was kind enough to send me the list of the winners. Matt Cole’s IPA, Head Hunter, from Fat Heads in North Olmstead, Ohio, was chosen best in show at the 15th annual IPA Festival today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.
- 1st Place: Head Hunter IPA (Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon)
- 2nd Place: Sculpin IPA (Ballast Point Brewing)
- 3rd Place: Green Horn (Triple Rock Brewery)
- People’s Choice: Aroma Coma (Drake’s Brewing)
The judges did a good job – all three are definitely great IPAs! Two new to me breweries that had excellent beers at The Bistron were Santa Adarius Rustic Ales from Santa Cruz and Societe Brewers The Apprentice (San Diego).
Congratulations Matt Cole, Brewmaster at Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon! 2 Golds and 2 Honorable Mentions in 4 Years at The Bistro’s West Coast IPA Festival. The North Coast is making a pretty good West Coast IPA!!!
Surprised the Fat Heads didn’t also win the People’s Choice. It was a very popular beer that day.
I’ve had the Sculpin and probably 20 other beers that were in the competition…all of them outstanding examples of the West Coast Style of American IPA, but I have never had the Aroma Coma or Green Horn. I envy you to have had so many outstanding beers at your fingertips! Wow, what a Lineup! I guess that makes Head Hunter’s recent successes there even more amazing…