Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Dave Buhler

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elysian
Today is Dave Buhler’s 66th birthday. Interestingly, like Dick Cantwell, whose birthday was yesterday, Dave was also a co-founder of Elysian Brewing in Seattle, Washington. Join me in wishing Dave a very happy birthday.

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Fal Allen and Dave Buhler at OBF.

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Dave and Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf (at right). Neither Tom or I could identify the fellow in the middle, sorry about that. Can anybody help me out and tell me who that is?

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At the Celebrator’s best of the West Beer Festival in 2009.

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Dave with his former business partner and Elyisian co-founder Dick Cantwell at GABF in 2006.

Beer Saints: St. Joseph

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Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, husband of Mary, and the “legal” father of Jesus. While he’s not the patron saint of brewers or anything beer related, it’s his feast day that marks the beginning of the Frühjahrsbierfest in Munich, Germany. Frühjahrsbierfest translates as “Spring Beer Festival” and it’s also sometimes called “Little Oktoberfest.” It’s very similar to Oktoberfest, held in the same place but is more local-focused and considerably smaller. The modern festival is held in late April now, ending in early May, and this year’s one in Stuttgart begins April 16th and concludes on May 8, with a similar one in Munich over the same dates. But today is its traditional start date and it lasted, I believe, around two weeks.

“Saint Joseph with the Flowering Rod,” by Jusepe de Ribera, c. 1630.

Here is his main description from his Wikipedia page:

Joseph (Hebrew: יוֹסֵף‎, romanized: Yosef; Greek: Ἰωσήφ, romanized: Ioséph) is a figure in the canonical gospels who was married to Mary, mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels name brothers of Jesus; the Gospel of James, an apocryphal work of the late 2nd century, theorized these as the sons of Joseph from an earlier marriage. This position is still held in the Orthodox churches, but the Western church holds to Jerome’s argument that both Joseph and Mary must have been lifelong virgins and that the “brothers” must have been his cousins. Perspectives on Joseph as a historical figure are distinguished from a theological reading of the Gospel texts.

Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. In Catholic traditions, Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days. The month of March is dedicated to Saint Joseph. Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church, in addition to his patronages of the sick and of a happy death, due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. Joseph has become patron of various dioceses and places.

“Joseph’s Dream” by Rembrandt, completed in 1645.

While not a beer saint in the usual sense, I included him because of his association to this German beer festival. Because of his importance to Christianity, he is a patron for a bewildering number of people, places and things, including carpenters, craftsmen, families, lawyers, people who fight communism, social justice, travelers, working people. The places he’s the patron for include, Austria, Belgium, Bavaria, Bohemia, Canada, the Croatian people, the New World, along with Buffalo, NY; Cologne, Germany; La Crosse, Wisconsin; San Jose, California; and Westphalia, Germany. And trust me, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For the rest, check out CatholicSaints.info.

Bistro Double IPA Winners 2025

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Earlier today, the 25th annual, silver anniversary, Double IPA Festival was held at the Bistro in Hayward, California. I got there early for judging again this year, and spent the morning holed up in the basement, where we judged Double IPAs for most of the morning, before choosing our top three favorites.

Judging in the basement of the Bistro.

After it being pretty wet and rainy rhis past week, we were treated to a sunny day in beautiful downtown Hayward, if a little chilly, for the festival.

The Bistro Double IPA Festival.

At 2:00 pm., owner Vic Kralj announced the winners:

Double IPAs

Me, Vic and Judy, Grand Dame Publican.

People’s Choice Awards

Double IPA: Looking for Gophers, by Faction Brewing, from Alameda, California, although in a close race this year, second place by a nose was Triple Cuff, by Wondrous Brewing, in Emeryville, California.

The judging table in the basement from the other end.

GABF Winners 2024

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Last weekend, the winners of the Great American Beer Festival were announced. While the number of entries did not go up significantly from previous years, there was still an impressive 8,836 entries in 102 categories (or 176 different beer styles if you include the subcategories), plus — for the first time — 233 ciders in five broad categories. In addition, there was the Pro-Am Competition (where a homebrewer makes his own beer at a commercial brewery) and the Collaboration Competition (which is a beer created by a collaboration between two or more breweries). These were tasted by 285 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. Here are some more factoids on the results:

  • Category with the most entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 349 entries (This category has been #1 for a at least 7 years)
  • Top 5 Categories: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (349 entries); West Coast IPA (292 entries); American-Style India Pale Ale (217 entries); Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest (210 entries); and German-Style Maerzen (195 entries). The most-entered cider category was Fruited and Botanical Cider (74 entries)
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 85
  • 1,869 breweries & cideries in the competition from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico
  • 280 first-time breweries entered the competition
  • 25 first-time breweries won medals
  • Two breweries won 4 medals, and both were from California; they were Apogee Brewing, in Grover Beach, and Highland Park Brewery, in Los Angeles.

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 71
  2. Colorado = 40
  3. Oregon = 38
  4. Washington = 26
  5. Virginia = 13
  6. TIE: Illinois / Texas = 9
  7. TIE: Georgia / North Carolina = 8
  8. TIE: Nevada / Ohio = 7
  9. TIE: New York / Tennessee = 6
  10. TIE: Connecticut / Pennsylvania / South Carolina / Utah / Wisconsin = 5
Print

The 2024 Great American
Beer Festival Winners

Category 1: American Wheat Beer – 50 Entries
Gold: Fuzztail, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Silver: Mercy Cloud, Hobcaw Brewing Co., Mount Pleasant, SC
Bronze: Hoppla, NewSylum Brewing Co., Newtown, CT
Category 2: American Fruit Beer – 108 Entries
Gold: Hey Girl, Hey!, Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop – Richmond, VA
Silver: A La Playa, Trademark Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Bronze: Bird Light Yuzu, Strangebird, Rochester, NY
Category 3: Fruit Wheat Beer – 89 Entries
Gold: Yankee Doodle Shandy, River Bluff Brewing, Saint Joseph, MO
Silver: Enduro, Cheluna Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Bronze: Bear Bait, Schussboom Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Category 4: Field Beer – 57 Entries
Gold: Fennel Rye Ale, Denver Beer Co. – Canworks, Denver, CO
Silver: Cucumber Lime Blonde, Third Space Brewing, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: That Coconut Porter, Cherry Street Brewing, Cumming, GA
Category 5: Pumpkin Beer – 100 Entries
Gold: Great Pumpkin, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Pumpkin Spice J. Marie, River North Brewery – RiNo, Denver, CO
Bronze: Boo Ya!, Ocean View Brewing Co., Ocean View, DE
Category 6: Chili Beer – 76 Entries
Gold: El Poblano Borracho, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette, CO
Silver: Jalapeño Saison, On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen, Dallas, TX
Bronze: Palisade Peak, Station 26 Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category 7: Herb and Spice Beer – 83 Entries
Gold: Two Wheeler, Far Field Beer Co., Hawthorne, CA
Silver: HellFire Club, Armored Cow Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Dill Pickle, Field Artisan Brewing, Westfield, IN
Category 8: Chocolate Beer – 34 Entries
Gold: Fudge Sickles, Fort George Brewery, Astoria, OR
Silver: Chocolate Stout, Fort Myers Brewing Co., Fort Myers, FL
Bronze: Triple Chocolate Viator Obscura, Wandering Monsters Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Category 9: Coffee Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun, River North Brewery – RiNo, Denver, CO
Silver: Bucky, Terranaut Beer, Bend, OR
Bronze: Gusto Crema Coffee Ale, Georgetown Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Category 10: Coffee Stout or Porter – 50 Entries
Gold: Dusk Til Dawn, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: Venti is Large, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Half Moon Bay, CA
Bronze: Shock Treatment, New Ridge Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Category 11: Dessert Stout or Pastry Stout – 55 Entries
Gold: Pure Nonsense, Dade City Brew House, Dade City, FL
Silver: Coconut Cluster, Heritage Hill Brewhouse, Pompey, NY
Bronze: Peanut Butter & Jelly Tiempo, Kilowatt Brewing, San Diego, CA
Category 12: Rye Beers – 45 Entries
Gold: Crazy Jackass Ale, Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater
Tavern, Centreville, VA
Silver: Roggenschnizzle, Bier Brewery and Taproom, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Beauty is in the Rye of the Beholder, RockSolid Brewing Co., Ball Ground, GA
Category 13: Honey Beer – 50 Entries
Gold: Hachimitsu Mai, Deschutes Brewery & Public House – PDX, Portland, OR
Silver: BeeLoved, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Bronze: Animals Strike Curious Poses, The Empourium Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category 14: Pale Non-Alcohol Beer – 55 Entries
Gold: NARC IPA, Resident Culture, Charlotte, NC
Silver: Free Wave Hazy IPA, Athletic Brewing Co., Milford, CT
Bronze: Kolsch, Best Day Brewing, Sausalito, CA
Category 15: Amber to Dark Non-Alcohol Beer – 9 Entries
Gold: NA Dark, Fremont Brewing, Seattle, WA
Silver: Non-Alcoholic Oktoberfest, Octopi Brewing / Untitled Art, Waunakee, WI
Category 16: Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer – 37 Entries
Gold: Patagonia Provisions Non-Alcoholic Kernza Golden Brew, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Tropical Sour, Athletic Brewing Co., Milford, CT
Bronze: Special Effects Grapefruit IPA, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
Category 17: Session Beer or Belgian-Style Table Beer – 32 Entries
Gold: Saison Lily, ColdFire Brewing Co. – Barrel House, Eugene, OR
Silver: Frequency of Expansion, The Big Friendly, Oklahoma City, OK
Bronze: Guillaume, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Category 18: Session India Pale Ale – 64 Entries
Gold: Divi, Offset Bier Co., Park City, UT
Silver: Josh’s New Tiny Shoes, Green Cheek Beer Co., Orange, CA
Bronze: Mini Ramp Session IPA, June Lake Brewing, June Lake, CA

Green Cheek Brewing with Jeff Bagby, the “Jeff” in gold-medal winner Jeff’s Baltic Porter.


Category 19: Strong Porter – 43 Entries
Gold: Jeff’s Baltic Porter, Green Cheek Beer Co. – Oceanside, Oceanside, CA
Silver: Magpie, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. – Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Baltic Porter, Bear Chase Brewing Co., Bluemont, VA
Category 20: Other Strong Beer – 27 Entries
Gold: Soul of a Star, HUDL Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Agua Santa Imperial, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA
Bronze: Stone LifeBlurred, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, San Diego, CA
Category 21: Experimental India Pale Ale – 86 Entries
Gold: Hazy Crush, New York Beer Project – Beer Lodge, Orchard Park, NY
Silver: Lavender Haze, SingleSpeed Brewing, Waterloo, IA
Bronze: East Gruesome, Lost Cabin Beer Co., Rapid City, SD
Category 22: Experimental Beer – 75 Entries
Gold: Great Wave Sake Lager, MAP Brewing Co., Bozeman, MT
Silver: Bourbon Maple Wishes and Pecan Dreams, Odd Side Ales, Grand Haven, MI
Bronze: Agrio Morado, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR
Category 23: Historical Beer – 54 Entries
Gold: BierKraft Grodziskie, BierKraft, McAlester, OK
Silver: Decorah Nordic Gruit, PIVO Brewery, Calmar, IA
Bronze: Kentucky Common, Blackhorse Pub & Brewery, Alcoa, TN
Category 24: Gluten-Free Beer – 48 Entries
Gold: Fat Randy, Holidaily Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Oktoberfest, Orange Bike Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Bronze: Pilsner, Orange Bike Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Category 25: American-Belgo-Style Ale – 35 Entries
Gold: Silver Medal Worthy, Launch Pad Brewery, Aurora, CO
Silver: Capitulation, Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend, OR
Bronze: Golden Strong Ale with Pink, Fowler Ranch Farm Brewery, Lincoln, CA
Category 26: American Sour Ale – 19 Entries
Gold: Bes, Little Beast Brewing, Clackamas, OR
Silver: Wicked Shifty, Shoe Tree Brewing Co., Carson City, NV
Bronze: Mirage, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category 27: Fruited American Sour Ale – 165 Entries
Gold: Peach Silhouette, Hudson Valley Brewery, Beacon, NY
Silver: Funkberry Pie, Girdwood Brewing Co., Girdwood, AK
Bronze: Cactus Juice, 12Degree Brewing, Louisville, CO
Category 28: Brett Beer – 36 Entries
Gold: First Release Part 2, Peaceful Side Brewery, Maryville, TN
Silver: Belle Saison, Third Window Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Touch of Brett, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Category 29: Mixed-Culture Brett Beer – 49 Entries
Gold: Proverbial Fork, Olfactory Brewing, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Knitting Circle S5 Batch C, Fair Isle Brewing, Seattle, WA
Bronze: Elisabeth, ColdFire Brewing Co. – Barrel House, Eugene, OR
Category 30: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 41 Entries
Gold: Ghoul Fuel- Rum Diaries Edition, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Silver: Temporary Paradise- Rum Diaries Edition, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Barrel Aged Dopplebock, MORE Brewing Co., Huntley, IL
Category 31: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 109 Entries
Gold: Bass Clef, Audio Graph Beer Co., Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Barrel-Aged Imperial Satan’s Pony, South Street Brewery, Charlottesville, VA
Bronze: 10th Anniversary Barleywine, Creature Comforts Brewing Co., Athens, GA
Category 32: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 131 Entries
Gold: Western Justice, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs, CO
Silver: Humongous Sleepy Chungus Bear, Werk Force Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL
Bronze: Breakside La Maison du Bang!, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Category 33: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 29 Entries
Gold: French 75, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Silver: Madrigal, Monday Night Brewing – Garage, Atlanta, GA
Bronze: 5 On It, Long Table Brewhouse, Denver, CO
Category 34: Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Raspberries on Acid, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Silver: White Dwarf, True Anomaly Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Bronze: Cassis, Moody Tongue Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Category 35: Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 58 Entries
Gold: Czech Plz, CraftHaus Brewery, Henderson, NV
Silver: Pilsners are Lagers, Benchtop Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Bronze: Tankbeer, Hopewell Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Category 36: Smoke Beer – 62 Entries
Gold: Smoke and Embers, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Smoke Control, Burghers Brewing, Pittsburgh, PA
Bronze: Rauchbier, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Category 37: American-Style Light Lager – 157 Entries
Gold: Sky Dog, Wiseacre Brewing Co. – Downtown, Memphis, TN
Silver: Family Vacation, Roadhouse Brewing Co., Jackson Hole, WY
Bronze: Transmission Light, Transmission Brewing, Ventura, CA
Category 38: International Light Lager – 130 Entries
Gold: Light Lager, Seapine Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Wakumi, Mother Earth Brew Co., Nampa, ID
Bronze: Wondrous Hell, Wondrous Brewing Co., Emeryville, CA
Category 39: American-Style Lager – 148 Entries
Gold: Down South, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Boone, NC
Silver: Modern Classic, Counter Weight Brewing Co., Cheshire, CT
Bronze: Pat’s River Beer, MAP Brewing Co., Bozeman, MT
Category 40: Contemporary American-Style Lager – 95 Entries
Gold: Baseball, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: College Dropout, StillFire Brewing, Suwanee, GA
Bronze: Richmond Lager, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond, VA

Steve Luke (center) from Cloudburt Brewing Seattle, Washington.

Category 41: American Pilsener – 114 Entries
Gold: Classic City Lager, Creature Comforts – Production Facility At Southern Mill, Athens, GA
Silver: Buccaneer’s Gold, Project 9 Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Bronze: Happy Little Clouds, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA
Category 42: International-Style Pilsener – 119 Entries
Gold: Chillzner, Craft Coast – San Marcos, San Marcos, CA
Silver: 500 Pesos, ODD Muse Brewing Co., Dallas, TX
Bronze: Munk Lager, Munkle Brewing Co., Charleston, SC
Category 43: American Cream Ale – 118 Entries
Gold: Was Angeles Craft Beer, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: El Sully, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Atascadero Beach, Wild Fields Brewhouse, Atascadero, CA

The man, the myth, the legend: Sully of silver-medal winning “El Sully” from 21st Amendment Brewing.


Category 44: Hoppy Lager – 157 Entries
Gold: Infinity Pils, Westbound & Down Brewing Co. – Westbound Mill, Lafayette, CO
Silver: Branching Out, Everywhere Beer Co., Orange, CA
Bronze: Rancho Cowabunga, Grains of Wrath – Washougal, Washougal, WA
Category 45: American Amber Lager – 165 Entries
Gold: Bateman Bier, Greenstar Brewing, Chicago, IL
Silver: Las Cruces, Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co., Castle Rock, CO
Bronze: Big Rock Amber Lager, Malibu Brewing Co., Westlake Village, CA
Category 46: German-Style Pilsener – 175 Entries
Gold: Haha Pils, Arbeiter Brewing Co., Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Door Code, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Trumer Pils, Trumer Brewery, Berkeley, CA
Category 47: Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 135 Entries
Gold: Reality Czeck-style Pilsner, Moonlight Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: River Delta Czech Pils, Silver Bluff Brewing Co., Brunswick, GA
Bronze: Parachute Pivo, Victor-23 Craft Brewery, Vancouver, WA
Category 48: Italian-Style Pilsener – 83 Entries
Gold: Zombi Shark Fight, Green Cheek Beer Co. – Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa, CA
Silver: Che Figata, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Bronze: Wolf of the Woods, Second Dawn Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Category 49: Munich-Style Helles – 135 Entries
Gold: Helles, von Trapp Brewing, Stowe, VT
Silver: Crystal River, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Bronze: Old Gold, Structures Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Category 50: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 210 Entries
Gold: Festbier, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Festbier, Northwoods Brewing Co., Northwood, NH
Bronze: The Cushman, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA

Craig Cauwels showing off two of three medals from Morgan Territory Brewing of Tracy, California.


Category 51: Vienna-Style Lager – 123 Entries
Gold: Vienna Fest Bier, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Metalmark Marzen, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Bronze: Red Dawn, Bonesaw Brewing Co., Glassboro, NJ
Category 52: German-Style Maerzen – 195 Entries
Gold: Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest, Soul Brewing Co., Pleasantville, NY
Silver: Marchtoberfest, Galveston Island Brewing, Galveston, TX
Bronze: Oktoberfest, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Category 53: German Dark Lager – 140 Entries
Gold: Schwarz Wulf, Greywolf Brewing, Norco, CA
Silver: Flex Fiesta Munich-Style Dark Lager, Red Horn Brewery and Roastery, Leander, TX
Bronze: Chehalis After Dark, Talking Cedar Brewing, Rochester, WA

Category 54: International Dark Lager – 96 Entries
Gold: Puesto Negra, Puesto Cerveceria, San Diego, CA
Silver: Czech-6, Eagle River Brewing Co., Gypsum, CO
Bronze: Czech Dark Lager, Structures Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Category 55: Bock – 42 Entries
Gold: Pan is Alive, IMBIB Custom Brews, Reno, NV
Silver: Lawyers, Hogs & Money, Bentonville Brewing Co., Bentonville, AR
Bronze: Hootenanny, Bankhead Brewing Co., Rowlett, TX
Category 56: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 36 Entries
Gold: Eisbock, Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Co-Conspirator, Victor-23 Craft Brewery, Vancouver, WA
Bronze: Execrator, Resolute Brewing Co., Centennial, CO
Category 57: German-Style Koelsch – 167 Entries
Gold: Modern Gothic, Columbia Craft Brewing Co., Columbia, SC
Silver: Kolsch, Standard Deviant Brewing, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Brick West Kolsch, Brick West Brewing Co., Spokane, WA
Category 58: German Sour Ale – 37 Entries
Gold: Baywindow, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR
Silver: Disco Lemonade, Aslan Brewing Co., Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Gose, Kulshan Brewing Co – K2, Bellingham, WA
Category 59: Specialty Berliner-Style Weisse – 54 Entries
Gold: Commander Salamander, Spring House Brewing Co., Lancaster, PA
Silver: Razzle fo’ Shazzle, Great Basin Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Bronze: Gindulgence, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR
Category 60: Contemporary Gose – 47 Entries
Gold: 3 Citrus Gose, Culture Brewing Co., Solana Beach, CA
Silver: It’s a G Thang Ginger Gose, Red Rock Brewing – Production, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Wild Pear, Blue Mountain Barrel House and Organic Brewery, Arrington, VA
Category 61: German-Style Altbier – 45 Entries
Gold: Rhine Divide, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Portland, Portland, OR
Silver: Altbier, Double Clutch Brewing Co., Evanston, IL
Bronze: Altruism, Rock Cut Brewing Co., Estes Park, CO
Category 62: German Wheat Ale – 55 Entries
Gold: Weizenbock, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Mills River, Mills River, NC
Silver: Kristal Moon, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Sixpoint Brewery Mimic Weisse, Brewers At 4001 Yancey, Charlotte, NC
Category 63: South German-Style Hefeweizen – 129 Entries
Gold: Washout Wheat, Holy City Brewing, North Charleston, SC
Silver: Don’t Hassle the Hef, Westbound & Down Brewing Co. – Westbound Mill, Lafayette, CO
Bronze: Polterweiss Hefeweizen, Green Mountain Beer Co., Lakewood, CO
Category 64: English Mild or Bitter – 50 Entries
Gold: Distinguished Fellow, Project 9 Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: The Proprietor, BierKraft, McAlester, OK
Bronze: Toasty, The Brew Brothers – Scioto Downs Racino, Columbus, OH
Category 65: Extra Special Bitter – 62 Entries
Gold: Pub Ale, Pilot Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Silver: Brighton ESB, Bravery Brewing Co., Lancaster, CA
Bronze: Velvet Organic ESB, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Category 66: Golden or Blonde Ale – 129 Entries
Gold: Kiitos Blonde Ale, Kiitos Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Easy Mode, Logan Brewing Co., Burien, WA
Bronze: Bench Seat, Transmission Brewing, Ventura, CA
Category 67: English Ale – 52 Entries
Gold: Kiitos Pale Ale, Kiitos Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Elevated Summer Ale, Goose And The Monkey Brewhouse, Lexington, NC
Bronze: Oregon Summer Ale, Bend Brewing – High Desert, Bend, OR

Category 68: Scottish-Style Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Doc McLoughlin Scottish Ale, Oregon City Brewing Co., Oregon City, OR
Silver: Scottish Ale, Stodgy Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Oasis Amber, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Reno, Reno, NV
Category 69: Irish-Style Red Ale – 75 Entries
Gold: Coppermind, Denver Beer Co. – Lowry Field, Denver, CO
Silver: Engine 402, Orange Hat Brewing Co., Knoxville, TN
Bronze: Equanimity, Ursa Minor Brewing, Duluth, MN
Category 70: English-Style Brown Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Black Cats, Streetside Brewery, Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Back Country, Lewis & Clark Brewing Co., Helena, MT
Bronze: Brown Ale, Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI
Category 71: American-Style Brown Ale – 65 Entries
Gold: Who’s That Brown, Tarantula Hill Brewing Co., Thousand Oaks, CA
Silver: Heart of Glass, Three Wide Brewing Co., Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Beckley Furnace Brown Ale, Norbrook Farm Brewery, Colebrook, CT
Category 72: American Black Ale or American Stout – 66 Entries
Gold: Blackside Snap, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Stoup American Stout, Stoup Brewing – Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA
Bronze: A Dark in the Light, Radiant Beer Co., Anaheim, CA
Category 73: Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale – 64 Entries
Gold: Le Petit Demon, Bonesaw Brewing Co. – Pilot House, Deptford, NJ
Silver: DOMESTIQUE Blonde Ale, Rouleur Brewing Co., Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Aurora, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA

Ben Edmonds (next to Bob) and the Breakside Brewing crew.


Category 74: Belgian-Style Witbier – 57 Entries
Gold: Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Breakside White, Breakside Brewery & Taproom, Milwaukie, OR
Bronze: Gully Washer Wit, Munkle Brewing Co., Charleston, SC
Category 75: Classic Saison – 60 Entries
Gold: Dogwood Saison, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Silver: Farm Out, Worthy Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Bronze: Plough & Harrow, ISM Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Category 76: Specialty Saison – 46 Entries
Gold: Lucy Loves Rye, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Silver: Mount Eden, Pure Project, Vista, CA
Bronze: Wild Honey, Cruz Blanca Brewery, Chicago, IL
Category 77: Belgian-Style Sour Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Eau Rouge, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Silver: Apple Pomace Puncheon, Angel City Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
Bronze: Intinction – Petite Sirah, Russian River Brewing Co. – Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, CA

The Cilurzo’s, Natalie and Vinnie, from Russian River Brewing.


Category 78: Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 77 Entries
Gold: Kroon, Wallenpaupack Brewing Co., Hawley, PA
Silver: Pitouchi, Attic Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Monks on the Moon, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Category 79: Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 71 Entries
Gold: LMM Dubbel II, Lone Man Mountain Brewing Co., Driftwood, TX
Silver: Allagash Tripel, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Bronze: Monks In Space, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Category 80: Belgian Fruit Beer – 45 Entries
Gold: My Cerise Amour, Oregon City Brewing Co., Oregon City, OR
Silver: East of Line Kriek, Awkward Brewing, Fayetteville, GA
Bronze: Vordrassil, Webb’s City Cellar by Green Bench, St. Petersburg, FL
Category 81: Brown Porter – 46 Entries
Gold: Don’t Feed the Bears, Gatlinburg Brewing Co., Sevierville, TN
Silver: Slumber Car, Accomplice Beer Co., Cheyenne, WY
Bronze: Old Tom Porter, Piney River Brewing Co., Bucyrus, MO

Category 82: Robust Porter – 58 Entries
Gold: Port City Porter, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Silver: Peaklet, Mountain Rambler Brewery, Bishop, CA
Bronze: Dark Chocolate Love, Salish Sea Brewing Co. – Boathouse Taproom, Edmonds, WA
Category 83: Stout – 52 Entries
Gold: Correspondent, Wander Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Nebula Stout, Block 15 Brewery & Tap Room, Corvallis, OR
Bronze: Diatomaceous Dry Stout, Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Chattanooga, TN
Category 84: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout – 37 Entries
Gold: Mustachio Milk Stout, Tractor Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Chocolate Milk Stout, Boxing Bear Brewing Co. – Firestone, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Moozie, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Category 85: Oatmeal Stout – 56 Entries
Gold: Scaredy Cat, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Silver: Buttons the Bear, Bear Chase Brewing Co., Bluemont, VA
Bronze: Brother Sam, Three Tigers Brewing Co., Granville, OH
Category 86: Imperial Stout – 58 Entries
Gold: Indie Roo, Pizza Port – Imperial Beach, Imperial Beach, CA
Silver: Kill the Lights, The Tap Brewery, Bloomington, IN
Bronze: ReVive, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Portland, Portland, OR
Category 87: Scotch Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: Wobbly Traveler, Silver Harbor Brewing Co., Saint Joseph, MI
Silver: Full Malted Jacket, Beachwood Brewing – Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Old Chub, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO

Julian Shrago from Beachwood Brewing of Huntington Beach, California.


Category 88: Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine – 62 Entries
Gold: Orange Giant, Ecliptic Brewing, Eugene, OR
Silver: Grow Old With You, Verboten Brewing, Loveland, CO
Bronze: Artemesia, Burns Family Artisan Ales Taphouse, Denver, CO

Jamie Floyd, from Ninkasi Brewing, and John Harris, from Ecliptic Brewing.


Category 89: International-Style Pale Ale – 107 Entries
Gold: Smells Like Purple Rain, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Ponga, Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Breakside Hello My Alien, Breakside Brewery – NW Slabtown, Portland, OR
Category 90: New Zealand India Pale Ale – 105 Entries
Gold: More Than A Zealand, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Wannabe Wallaby, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Wastelandia, Grains of Wrath, Camas, WA
Category 91: American-Style Pale Ale – 128 Entries
Gold: Timbo, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Featherweight Pale Ale, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Bare Bones Disco, Bird Creek Brewing, Temple, TX
Category 92: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 94 Entries
Gold: Easy Eddy, Big Grove Brewery & Taproom, Iowa City, IA
Silver: Foggy Pines, Evans Brewing Co., Corona, CA
Bronze: Wisp, Lumen Beer Co., Omaha, NE
Category 93: American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 109 Entries
Gold: Something Dank This Way Comes, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Silver: Zero Degrees, Shred Beer Co., Rocklin, CA
Bronze: Independence Pass Ale IPA, Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen, CO
Category 94: Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale – 151 Entries
Gold: Joyful Intuition, Everywhere Beer Co., Orange, CA
Silver: Lupulin Lab, Wicked Weed Brewing Pub, Asheville, NC
Bronze: Windows Up, Alpine Beer Co., Ft Collins, CO

Category 95: American Amber/Red Ale – 124 Entries
Gold: Pretty Good, Third Space Brewing, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Buttface Amber, RAM Restaurant and Brewery – Production, Tacoma, WA
Bronze: Object K, Site-1 Brewing, Omaha, NE
Category 96: Strong Red Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: Wreak Havoc, Bootstrap Brewing, Longmont, CO
Silver: Rolling Rust, Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Trash Pandamonium, Benchtop Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Category 97: Imperial India Pale Ale – 117 Entries
Gold: Hoptomic, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Silver: Gastropod, Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Nose Goblin, Ghost Town Brewing, Oakland, CA

Ben Edmunds from Brakside (left) with Tonya Cornett (formerly with 10 Barrel) in between Grand Fir brewmaster Whitney Burnside, who won this yar’s “501–1,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year”


Category 98: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale – 150 Entries
Gold: DDH Pillow, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Mosaic Double Crush, Moonraker Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Cameron Park, CA
Bronze: Juice Master, Shred Beer Co., Rocklin, CA
Category 99: Fresh Hop Beer – 85 Entries
Gold: Fresher Than Fresh, Trap Door Brewing, Vancouver, WA
Silver: House of 1000 Cones, Moonraker Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Cameron Park, CA
Bronze: Fresh Hop King Crispy, Deschutes Brewery & Public House – PDX, Portland, OR
Category 100: West Coast IPA – 292 Entries
Gold: Codebreaker, Trademark Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Pacific Portal, Alma Mader Brewing, Kansas City, MO
Bronze: IPA for Aliens, Masthead Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Category 101: American-Style India Pale Ale – 217 Entries
Gold: Competition, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: One Way, Old Caz Beer, Rohnert Park, CA
Bronze: Lexical Gap, Pollyanna Brewing Co., Lemont, IL
Category 102: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale – 349 Entries
Gold: Professional Human Being, Ambitious Ales, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Groundswell, Single Hill Brewing Co., Yakima, WA
Bronze: Crash of Rhinos, Movement Brewing Co., Rancho Cordova, CA

Cider Categories

Category 201: Tannic Cider – 29 Entries
Gold: Classic Dry, Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, Philo, CA
Silver: Cedar Valley Blend, Paha Cider Co., Waverly, IA
Bronze: 2022 Cidre Bouché, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Category 202: No/Low-Tannin Cider – 55 Entries
Gold: The Russets, Snow Capped Cider, Austin, CO
Silver: Graventein, Snow Capped Cider, Austin, CO
Bronze: 10th Anniversary, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Category 203: Fruited or Botanical Cider – 74 Entries
Gold: Blackberry Cider, McMenamins Breweries, Portland, OR
Silver: Ozark Strawberry Rhubarb Cider, Ozark Beer Co., Rogers, AR
Bronze: Pacific Pineapple, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Category 204: Experimental or Barrel-Aged Cider – 46 Entries
Gold: Rosé Cider, Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, Philo, CA
Silver: 2019 Pommeau, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Bronze: 802 Barrel Aged, Vermont Cider Co., Middlebury, VT
Category 205: Single Varietal Cider – 29 Entries
Gold: Mountain Rose, Haykin Family Cider, Aurora, CO
Silver: Macintosh, Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, Philo, CA
Bronze: Glow – Airlie Redflesh SV, Alpenfire Cider, Port Townsend, WA

Other Categories

Category 500: Pro-Am Comp – 52 Entries
Gold: Piwo Grodziskie, Kansas City Bier Co. with Mike & Stephanie Butler, Kansas City, MO
Silver: Rising Sun, Crooked Lane Brewing Co. with Matt Hall, Auburn, CA
Bronze: South of Helles, Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop – Richmond with Joel Miller, Richmond, VA
Category 501: Collab Comp – 95 Entries
Gold: Twenty-Fold Sword, No Boat Brewing Co., Obelisk Beer Co., Snoqualmie, WA
Silver: Stupid Sticky Fingers, Werk Force Brewing Co, Rocky Reef Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL
Bronze: Spudweiser, Live Oak Brewing Co., Hold Out Brewing, Del Valle, TX

2024 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards

0-250 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Jeff, Mike and Linz
251–500 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Alesong Blending Team
501–1,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Whitney Burnside
1,001–2,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Everywhere Beer Co., Orange, CA
Stefan Weber & Production Team
2,001–5,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Riip Brew Team
5,001–15,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Sunriver Brewing Team
15,001–100,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
von Trapp Brewing, Stowe, VT
von Trapp Brewing Team
Brewery Group Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Highland Park Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
Highland Park Brewery Team
Cidermaker of the Year
2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
2 Towns Ciderhouse

The Riip Beer Co. team from Huntington Beach, California.

Historic Beer Birthday: Bert Grant

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Today would have been Bert Grant’s 96th birthday, and he is still definitely missed. Bert opened the country’s first brewpub in 1982 in Yakima, Washington and was a fixture in the industry until his death in late July of 2001. Join me tonight in lifting a pint to Bert’s memory.

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Here’s his obituary from Real Beer:

Craft brewing pioneer Bert Grant, who founded the first modern day brewpub in the United States, is dead at 73.

Grant had been ill for two years and died Tuesday at the University of British Columbia Hospital in Vancouver. He had moved to that city a year ago to be close to his children.

When Grant founded his brewpub in Yakima, Wash., in 1982 there were fewer than 50 individual brewing operations in the U.S. Today there are more than 1,500. That brewpub expanded to become a bottling microbrewery, selling about 10,000 barrels of Bert Grant’s Ales in 2001. He sold the brewery to Chateau Ste. Michelle wines in 1995, but Grant remained an active spokesman until being slowed by illness.

He’d sometimes wear a kilt at his pub in Yakima and occasionally dance on the bar. He kept a claymore — a double-bladed broadsword — just in case he had to enforce his ban on smoking.

He was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1928. He moved to Toronto, where he grew up and got his first job in a brewery … at 16, he became a beer taster. He remained in the beer business all his life. He moved to Yakima in 1967, where he helped build and operate two plants that processed hops. His patented processing of hops is still in use today.

Bert Grant Bert was one of a kind,” said Paul Shipman, who founded Red Hook Brewery around the time Grant began Yakima Brewing and Malting Co. “He was a scientist, a brewer, and I don’t think he even graduated high school.”

He remained dedicated to assertive beer and carried a vial of hop oil in his pocket to boost the flavor of a bland domestic beer. His first priority was to brew beer he liked. “It may not be your favorite beer,” Grant’s son Peter said. “But it was his.”

Bert-Grant-GABF
Bert at GABF in the 1990s.

And here is his obituary from the New York Times:

Bert Grant, a veteran brew master who in 1982 opened the granddaddy of all the good, bad and so-so brew pubs slaking thirsts across the country today, died on July 31 at a hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he had recently made his home. He was 73 and a longtime resident of Yakima, Wash.

The cause was a bowel rupture, his family said.

Mr. Grant’s experience in brewing stretched back to his teenage years in Canada. He worked at big brewing companies and later as an international consultant to them before settling in Yakima, the center of American hops country.

Mr. Grant started the Yakima Brewing and Malting Company in the 19th-century former home of the Yakima Opera, using plenty of the flavorful hops he thought other beers lacked. At first he brewed just eight kegs at a time.

Friends who sampled his recipe liked it and spread the word. It caught on with Yakima beer lovers, who welcomed it as an alternative to national brands and expensive imports. Mr. Grant got some chairs to sit on in the lobby and convinced skeptical licensing officials that Washington State law permitted each brewer to operate one pub.

This gave birth in the summer of 1982 to Grant’s Brewery Pub, the first such establishment in the United States since Prohibition. Food and tables were added, and a growing clientele prompted Mr. Grant to move his pub across the street into what used to be Yakima’s downtown railroad station. He liked to greet customers personally and, as a native of Scotland, often did so wearing a plaid kilt with a clan pin.

His brewing company, meanwhile, came to offer an assortment of beers and ales, including seasonal brews that varied with the harvest of the region’s distinctive types of hops. Mr. Grant built the company into one of the Northwest’s leading microbreweries and started bottling his brands, like Grant’s Scottish Ale, Imperial Stout and HefeWeizen. Last year, Yakima Brewing and Malting brewed 10,000 barrels and shipped bottles to distributors in 20 states, from Alaska to Connecticut to Florida.

Herbert Lewis Grant was born in Dundee but immigrated to Canada with his parents as a toddler. With World War II draining his adopted country of manpower, he left school at 16 to work at Canadian Breweries (now Carling).

He moved on to the United States to develop a pilot brewing program for Stroh and, as his reputation grew, became an independent consultant for makers like Anheuser-Busch and the Australian brewer Foster’s.
Also working for hops companies, he became well acquainted with Yakima and moved there when he decided to brew to his own taste. He sold his business in 1995 to Stimson Lane Ltd., a long-established winery, but remained a consultant to it until recently.

Mr. Grant is survived by two sons, David H., of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Peter A., of Vancouver; three daughters, Shannon D. Grant and Melanie Bond of Vancouver, and Wendy Cundall of Calgary, Alberta; and five grandchildren. Also surviving is his former wife, Daphne Grant of Vancouver.

According to family lore, the Scottish doctor who delivered little Herbert lifted him by the heels and, slapping breath into him, said, ”Bottoms up.” His first cradle, the lore goes, was an oaken barrel sawed in half — possibly apocryphal, Mr. Grant allowed.

bert-grant-hops

And finally, here’s a great retrospective written by Ryan Messer for the Yakima Herald in 2017, entitled “Bert Grant: The Godfather of Craft Brewing.”

He’s been called the “Dean of America’s craft brewers” and the Wall Street Journal called him “The Patriarch of the micro movement.” Personally, I prefer Bert Grant as the “Neil Young of Microbrews.” Neil didn’t invent Rock ’n Roll, but he was the Godfather of Grunge. Likewise, Bert didn’t invent beer but what he did to change it made an indelible mark.

Most people know Bert Grant as the man who gave us Yakima brewing and Malting Co., or Grant’s Ales. While he launched that business in 1982, his passion for beer, and hops in general, started decades before.

Bert was born in 1928 in Dundee, Scotland. Before he reached the age of 10, the Grant family moved to Toronto, and Bert had consumed his first beer. I should say his first of many beers. I don’t even know if it’s possible to quantify what Bert consumed over his lifetime. As a child, Bert’s father let him drink opened beers left behind, and his first job at age 16 was to taste beer; 50-100 per day — you do the math.

The thing about beer drinking for Bert was that he truly enjoyed it. It wasn’t about the feeling, it was about the flavor. And, it was about the science behind the flavor. Bert was a chemist and loved studying why one beer could taste remarkable, and another could ruin your evening.

Part of his career included working for Canadian Breweries (parent company of Carling) and Stroh Brewing Company, doing experimental brewing. He had the freedom to try new things, but sadly neither company utilized his research or expertise. Finally, Bert realized consulting was the best direction for him. He eventually worked with large breweries spanning the globe such as Guinness, Coors, Foster’s, Anheuser-Busch and Yakima hop company, S.S. Steiner.

Steiner was the business that really changed Bert’s world, and ours as a collective of beer drinkers. They convinced him to move to Yakima and redesign a hop extract plant. After great success, Bert and Steiner changed gears — literally. Under Bert’s supervision, Steiner built the first hop pellet plant in the United States. This was a game changer for the beer industry. It took the varying aroma of a whole hop cone (based on time from harvest) and replaced it with exacting smell and bitterness. It was similar in nature to the extract, but far easier and more precise for the brewer to use.

With over 40 years of beer tasting and testing under his belt, Bert wanted to share his knowledge with the world, or at least the people of the Yakima Valley. It would be a daunting task because at the time, no one even knew what a microbrew was. In the early ‘80s, there were two little known breweries in California, Sierra Nevada and Anchor Brewing, that were making something entirely different than the “King of Beers.” In 1982, when Bert was ready to start brewing professionally, his only competition in the state was Redhook. On July 1st that year, Yakima Brewing and Malting Co. poured its first Grant’s Scottish Ale in the old Opera House on Yakima’s Front Street.

Bert was at the helm as one of the chief investors and brewmaster, and the recipes and ideas all stemmed from him. He started with his son-in-law and a few others to round out the investment team and hired Rick Desmarais (who he had worked with at Steiner) as his first head brewer and Dan Boutillier as production manager. Within the first few years the Scottish Ale shared tap space with an Imperial Stout and an India Pale Ale (IPA). A few years beyond that, a low calorie “Celtic Ale”, Weis (white beer), “Spiced Ale” (winter beer) and Yakima Cider (a hard cider made exclusively from apple concentrate) were added to the lineup.

The unique thing about Yakima Brewing and Malting is that it started without a bottling line. It was only available in plastic bottles that the consumer could bring or purchase like a crude precursor to today’s growler. It was also available for consumption on premises. This is what really stood out because it was the first time anyone had an establishment of that nature in the United States since before prohibition. Yakima, Washington was the home of the first “brewpub” in America in over 60 years.

In 1984, Bert hired Darren Waytuck who eventually became head brewer. Waytuck said it was a tremendous learning experience working for someone like Bert. “He wasn’t only into the chemistry of the beer and that process, but in hops as well. That was really his forte. But he also had incredible experience. Someone new might know if a beer was flawed but wouldn’t know why. It was Bert’s job to understand why and how to correct it.”

As brew master, Bert was still in charge of all things happening with his beer. All ideas would come from him on the brewing process and ingredients. When asked about what hops they used to brew with, Waytuck said, “I preferred the whole hop cone and didn’t care for the smell of a hop pellet, but Bert insisted. When I still didn’t use them, Bert ran us out of whole hops so I had to use the pellets.”

Bert was a risk taker though, and had no problem with pushing the envelope for something he was passionate about. “No one was out there getting their beer in front of people like Bert did, it just didn’t happen before his time.” Waytuck said. With that success they had to build a bottling line directly behind the brewery in the Opera House. They also expanded into a space to the north for a larger pub which my mother, Jana Johnson, ran for the better part of two decades. When that wasn’t enough, the brewery expanded to a 20,000 square foot building off Washington Avenue and the pub moved across the street to the old train depot.

Waytuck and the crew enjoyed their craft, but he said, “it was a lot more fun at the Opera House. It became more corporate at the new brewery and was more of a task.”

Shortly after the locations changed, Bert continued to push the envelope, but this time with an organization that no one beats — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, (ATF). Bert had done some testing on his beers and found that a 12 ounce bottle of Scottish Ale contained beneficial vitamins and nutrients, including 170 percent of the U.S. RDA of Vitamin B-12. He had table tents printed, added it to his 6-pack cartons and even made shirts advertising the news (although a bit tattered, I’m happy to say I still have mine).

Of course the ATF wouldn’t allow someone to suggest that beer was actually healthy for you and ordered him to stop. At the same time, the Bureau looked into his cider making process which was not technically a beer, but considered by them as a wine. Not only did they prevent him from continuing to make the cider, they required he pay back taxes for the years he paid too little. Waytuck said, “It was tough for Bert. He didn’t like the confrontation, but he was going to push as far as he could.”

After achieving a greater success than I believe Bert imagined he could, Yakima Brewing and Malting was sold to Stimson Lane, the parent company of Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest and other wineries in Washington and California, in 1995. While his role changed, Bert stayed on with the company until he passed away in July of 2001. Stimson Lane sold the company only a few months later. Waytuck stayed committed to the brand and eventually became brewmaster, before the company closed in 2004. “I promised Bert I would see it through and make the best beer as long as we were open,” Waytuck said.

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Me and the two Berts at OBF.

Bistro Double IPA Winners 2024

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Earlier today, the 24th annual Double IPA Festival was held at the Bistro in Hayward, California. I got there early for judging again this year, and spent the morning holed up in the basement, where we judged Double IPAs for most of the morning, before choosing our top three favorites.

Starting our judging bright and early.

After emerging from the dark into the light, it was nice to see a bright, sunny day in beautiful downtown Hayward.

At 2:00 pm., owner Vic Kralj announced the winners:

Double IPAs

Matt Sager from Danville Brewing picking up his bronze medal.
Silver medal winner Craig Cauwels, from Morgan Territory, missed the awards ceremony by just a few minutes
Sunriver made it down from Oregon to accept their gold medal.

People’s Choice Awards

Double IPA: Cone Goblin, by Ghost Town Brewing, from Oakland, California, in collaboration with Alvarado Street Brewing, headquartered in Monterey, California

Ghost Town won the People’s Choice this year.
Cheers from the 2024 Double IPA Festival!

Brussels Beer Challenge Winners 2023

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Yesterday, the winners of the 12th annual Brussels Beer Challenge were announced in Ghent, Belgium. Exactly 1,811 beers from 37 countries were judged in 8 broad styles (Pale Ale, Dark Ale, Red Ale, Pils, Stout/Porter, White, Flavoured Beers, and Specialty Beers) and then further subdivided into 91 smaller categories (lambic, abbey, chocolate beers, etc.). This year, we were judging in Turnhout, a small town around 55 miles northeast of Brussels with an amazing Playing Card Museum. We judged the beers over three days in Congratulations to all the winners!

Belgium won the most medals, with the Netherlands coming in second, and the United States in third. Here are the top twelve medal winners, by country.

Medals Won by Country:

  1. Belgium = 81
  2. Italy = 37
  3. Netherlands = 34
  4. United States = 32
  5. China = 21
  6. Germany = 17
  7. Brazil = 16
  8. France = 11
  9. TIE: Japan = 5 / Spain = 5
  10. Czech Republic = 4
  11. TIE: Malta = 3 / Sweden = 3
  12. TIE: Norway = 2 / Poland = 2 / Ukraine = 2

The 2023 Brussels Beer Challenge Winners

Category 1 — Dark Ale: Abbey / Trappist Style Dubbel

  • Gold: Steenbrugge Dubbel Bruin (Belgium) Brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers
  • Silver Bière de Garde Brune (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Duits & Lauret
  • Bronze: Gouverneur Dubbel (Netherlands) Brewed by Lindeboom Bierbrouwerij

Category 2 — Dark Ale: Brown Ale

  • Gold: Kompel Ondergronds (Belgium) Owned by Brouwerij Kompel
  • Gold: La Gervoise Brune (France) Brewed by Brasserie Etienne

Category 3 — Dark Ale: Dark/Black IPA

  • Gold: Zwarte Magie (Netherlands) Brewed by Bierbrouwerij Wentersch
  • Silver: Blauwst’rig (Netherlands) Owned by IV:uur Bierbrouwerij
  • Bronze: Regeneration (Italy) Brewed by Astesana SRL Società Agricola

Category 4 — Dark Ale: Oud Bruin (Flanders Brown Ale)

  • Gold: Enigma 23 (United States) Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company

Category 5 — Dark Ale: Strong Dark Ale

  • Gold: Haeseveld Belgian Strong Dark (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Haeseveld
  • Silver: Leplan Quad Bbi (Belgium) Owned by LePlan-Vermeersch
  • Silver: Martha Brown Eyes (Belgium) Brewed by Belgian Brew Factory
  • Bronze: 30th Anniversary (United States) Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Halve Maan

Category 6 — Flavoured Beer: Chocolate

  • Gold: Midnight Hike (United States) Brewed by River North Brewery
  • Silver: Chocolate Rain Milk Imperial Stout (China) Brewed by Trueman Brewing Co.

Category 7 — Flavoured Beer: Coffee

  • Gold: Nightmare Fuel (United States) Brewed by River North Brewery
  • Silver: Cappuccino Sweet Stout (Ecuador) Brewed by Sinners Microcerveceria
  • Bronze: Great Granny’s Cosy Coffee Cocktail (Netherlands) Brewed by Uiltje Brewing Company

Category 8 — Flavoured Beer: Field Beer

  • Gold: Coconut Pie Face (United States) Brewed by Revision Brewing Company
  • Silver: Colorado Coconut Brown Ale (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Bronze: Peanut Butter Milk Stout (United States) Brewed by Belching Beaver Brewery

Category 9 — Flavoured Beer: Fruit Beer

  • Gold: Avalon – Farmer’s Reserve (Norway) Brewed by Lindheim Ølkompani
  • Gold: Lille Lapins (Norway) Brewed by Lindheim Ølkompani
  • Silver: Lorre (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Homeland
  • Silver: Rusticana (Italy) Brewed by Claterna
  • Bronze: Volfas Engelman > Beer Mail > Mango Milkshake Pale Ale (Lithuania) Brewed by Volfas Engelman

Category 10 — Flavoured Beer: Herb & Spice

  • Gold: Le Chasseur (China) Brewed by Arber Brewing Co.
  • Silver: Veluwe Zoomer GraanGeluk (Netherlands) Owned by GraanGeluk
  • Bronze: Blonde Gingembre (France) Brewed by Brasserie-Distillerie Cap d’Ona
  • Bronze: Tale 7 Ginger Triple (Ghana) Brewed by Specialty Beers (Ghana) Ltd.

Category 11 — Flavoured Beer: Honey Beer

  • Gold: Icaro (Italy) Brewed by Diciottozerouno srl
  • Silver: Colorado Appia (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Bronze: Urbrew Honey Lager (China) Brewed by Urbrew (China) Craft Beer Co., Ltd

Category 12 — Flavoured Beer: Old Style Fruit-Lambic

  • Gold: BOON Millésime (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Boon
  • Silver: Kestemont Abrikozen (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Kestemont
  • Bronze: Oude Kriek Boon (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Boon

Category 13 — Flavoured Beer: Russian Imperial Stout Barrel Or Oaked Aged

  • Gold: Are You Afraid of the Dark? (United States) Brewed by Breakside Brewery & Taproom
  • Silver: Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter (United States) Brewed by pFriem Family Brewers
  • Bronze: BA Collab 2023: Imperial Rye Stout x La Pirata (Netherlands) Brewed by vandeStreek Bier
  • Bronze: Gula (Ecuador) Brewed by Sinners Microcerveceria

Category 14 — Flavoured Beer: Smoked Beer

  • Gold: Klosterbräu Bamberger Rauchbier (Germany) Brewed by Klosterbräu Bamberg GmbH
  • Gold: Ryeziskie (France) Brewed by Brasserie de la Pleine Lune
  • Silver: Pravda Brewery. Chornobaivka (Ukraine) Brewed by Restoracija “Na Rynku” Ltd
  • Silver: Templin Family Rauch Bier (United States) Brewed by Templin Family Brewing
  • Bronze: Kamaleon (Italy) Brewed by The Wall SRL

Category 15 — Flavoured Beer: Sweet/Milk Stout

  • Gold: Chocolate Milk Stout (China) Brewed by Shandong Beerjoy Brewing Co., Ltd
  • Silver: Flipped Milk Stout (China) Brewed by Trueman Brewing Co.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 16 — Flavoured Beer: Strong Red Fruit Beer

  • Gold: Red by Petrus (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Brabandere
  • Silver: Nachtraaf Wild Cherry (Belgium) Owned by De Nachtraafbrouwers
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 17 — Flavoured Beer: Wood/Barrel Aged

  • Gold: Balcones Edition 2023 Barley Wine (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
  • Gold: BA Collab 2023: Red Quadrupel x Brouwerij Eleven (Netherlands) Brewed by vandeStreek Bier
  • Silver: Rusty Nail 2022 (United States) Brewed by Fremont Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Fourchette Grand Cru (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge

Category 18 — Lager: American-Style Pilsner

  • Gold: Pizzapils (Italy) Brewed by IPC srl
  • Silver: No award.
    Bronze: No award.

Category 19 — Lager: Bohemian-Style Pilsner

Gold: Bernard Bohemian Lager 4.5 (Czech Republic) Brewed by Rodinný Pivovar Bernard A.S.
Silver: Primátor Antonín (Czech Republic) Brewed by Primátor A.S.
Bronze: Bakalar Premium Lager (Czech Republic) Brewed by Tradicní Pivovar v Rakovníku, A.S.

Category 20 — Lager: Cold IPA

  • Gold: Cold Shower (Italy) Brewed by Bizantina SRL
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.
Judging took place in a beautiful space, a former church.

Category 21 — Lager: Dark/Dunkel (Including Schwarzbier)

  • Gold: Gooisch Zwart (Netherlands) Brewed by Gooische Bierbrouwerij
  • Silver: Munich B.E. (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Estense
  • Silver: Waldhaus Ohne Filter Dunkel (Germany) Brewed by Privatbrauerei Waldhaus Joh. Schmid GmbH
  • Bronze: Jing A – Black Velvet (China) Brewed by Carlsberg Brewery (Anhui) Company Limited
  • Bronze: Onyx (Portugal) Brewed by Praxis – Cervejas de Coimbra, Lda

Category 22 — Lager: German-Style Dunkel Bock/Doppelbock

  • Gold: 1906 Black Coupage (Spain) Brewed by Luís Romero
  • Silver: Mahou Maestra Dunkel (Spain) Brewed by MAHOU
  • Silver: Texels Juttersbock (Netherlands) Brewed by Texelse Bierbrouwerij B.V.
  • Bronze: Lindeboom Bock (Netherlands) Brewed by Lindeboom Bierbrouwerij

Category 23 — Lager: Eisbock

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Kulmbacher Eisbock (Germany) Brewed by Kulmbacher Brauerei AG
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 24 — Lager: German-Style Helles- / MaiBock / Doppelbock

  • Gold: Alfa Krachtig Dort (Netherlands) Brewed by Meens Bierbrouwerij BV
  • Silver: Cisk Strong (Malta) Brewed by Simonds Farsons Cisk PLC
  • Bronze: Mahou Maestra Doble Lúpulo (Spain) Brewed by MAHOU

Category 25 — Lager: German-Style Märzen

  • Gold: Bohemia Märzen (Brazil) Brewed by Bohemia
    Silver: Spring Valley Hojun 496 (Japan) Brewed by Spring Valley Brewery
  • Bronze: Samuel Adams OctoberFest (United States) Brewed by Boston Beer Company

Category 26 — Lager: German-Style Pilsner

  • Gold: Golden (United States) Brewed by Fremont Brewing Company
  • Silver: Caraibi (Italy) Brewed by Diciottozerouno SRL
  • Bronze: Gooisch Goud (Netherlands) Brewed by Gooische Bierbrouwerij

Category 27 — Lager: Helles

  • Gold: Bayreuther Hell (Germany) Brewed by Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG
  • Silver: Waldhaus Hell (Germany) Brewed by Privatbrauerei Waldhaus Joh. Schmid GmbH
  • Bronze: Theresianer Premium Lager (Italy) Brewed by Theresianer Birra Italiana 1766

Category 28 — Lager: Hoppy Lager

  • Gold: Colorado Aipi Lager (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Silver: Maisel & Friends Hell (Germany) Brewed by Brauerei Gebr. Maisel GmbH & Co. KG
  • Bronze: Dama Hop Lager (Brazil) Brewed by Dama Bier

Category 29 — Lager: ICE

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Kremer Golden (Brazil) Brewed by INDÚSTRIA E COMÉRCIO DE BEBIDAS Kremer E CONEXOS LTDA
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 30 — Lager: International Style Pilsner

  • Gold: Asahi Super Dry (Japan) Brewed by Asahi Breweries
  • Silver: Bavaria Pilsener (Netherlands) Brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers
  • Bronze: Mahou Clásica (Spain) Brewed by MAHOU
  • Bronze: Schweden Pils (Germany) Brewed by Schwarzbräu GmbH

Category 31 — Lager: Light Lager

  • Gold: Original (Brazil) Brewed by Ambev
  • Silver: Leichtes Helles (Germany) Brewed by Schwarzbräu GmbH
  • Bronze: Zhujiang Draft Beer 1997 (China) Brewed by Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Co., LTD.

Category 32 — Lager: Vienna Lager

  • Gold: Theresianer Vienna (Italy) Brewed by Theresianer Birra Italiana 1766
    Silver: Vienna Festbier (United States) Brewed by Quarter Celtic Brewpub
  • Bronze: Chellerina (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio La Piazza

Category 33 — Pale&Amber Ale: (Belgian Style) Tripel

  • Gold: Zeezuiper (Belgium) Brewed by Scheldebrouwerij
    Silver: Tripel Kanunnik (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij & Distilleerderij Wilderen
    Silver: Tripel LeFort (Belgium) Brewed by Omer Vander Ghinste
  • Bronze: Paix Dieu (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Caulier SRL
  • Bronze: St. Bernardus Tripel (Belgium) Brewed by St. Bernardus Brouwerij

Category 34 — Pale&Amber Ale: Abbey / Trappist Style Blond

  • Gold: Affligem Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Alken-Maes
  • Silver: Sint Idesbald Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV
  • Silver: Ter Dolen Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Ter Dolen
  • Bronze: Corsendonk Agnus Tripel (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Corsendonk
  • Bronze: La Trappe Blond (Netherlands) Brewed by Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V.

Category 35 — Pale&Amber Ale: Amber

  • Gold: Queue de Charrue Ambrée (Belgium) Owned by Brasserie Vanuxeem
  • Silver: CH’TI Originale Ambrée (France) Brewed by Brasserie Castelain
  • Silver: La Birra Irish Red Ale (Brazil) Brewed by La Birra Cervejaria Ltda ME
  • Bronze: De Maltezer (Netherlands) Owned by Stadsbrouwerij Maastricht

Category 36 — Pale&Amber Ale: American IPA (Higher Than 6.5 ABV)

  • Gold: Weekend Vibes IPA (United States) Brewed by Coronado Brewing Company
  • Silver: Craft Beer Cookout (Netherlands) Brewed by Uiltje Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Lush (United States) Brewed by Fremont Brewing Company

Category 37 — Pale&Amber Ale: American IPA (Less Than 6.5 ABV)

  • Gold: In to East Lake (China) Brewed by No. 18 Brewery
  • Silver: Reveille (Italy) Brewed by Astesana SRL Società Agricola
  • Bronze: Alaryk India Pale Ale Bio (France) Brewed by Brasserie Alaryk

Category 38 — Pale&Amber Ale: American Pale Ale

  • Gold: Guerrilla (Italy) Brewed by IPC srl
  • Gold: Ruggine (Italy) Brewed by Diciottozerouno srl
  • Silver: Merklinska Radost (Czech Republic) Brewed by Pivovar Petr Petružálek
  • Bronze: Cruiser Pale Ale (United States) Brewed by Mother Earth Brew Co.

Category 39 — Pale&Amber Ale: Belgian Style IPA

  • Gold: Lupulus Hopera (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Lupulus SPRL
  • Silver: Dikkenek Citra Hop (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre
  • Bronze: Delta IPA (Belgium) Brewed by Brussels Beer Project
  • Bronze: Jack’s Precious IPA (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij The Musketeers

Category 40 — Pale&Amber Ale: Belgian-Style – Spéciale Belge

  • Gold: Bolleke De Koninck (Belgium) Brewed by Duvel Moortgat
  • Silver: Rainmaker Ale (United States) Brewed by Stormcloud Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Patience for Eylenbosch Belgian Pale Ale (Belgium) Owned by Brouwerij Eylenbosch
My table for this year’s judging.

Category 41 — Pale&Amber Ale: Best Bitter

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: HertenHeer (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Het Nest

Category 42 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bières De Garde

  • Gold: Sint Idesbald Rousse (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV
  • Silver: GrandMir Ambrée (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie du Grand Mir
  • Bronze: Ambrée Triple (France) Brewed by Brasserie-Distillerie Cap d’Ona

Category 43 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bitter

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Bertinchamps Légère (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie de Bertinchamps
  • Bronze: Ciapa Fiá (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Dulac

Category 44 — Pale&Amber Ale: Double Saison

  • Gold: Bellerose (France) Brewed by Brasserie des Sources
  • Silver: Bons Voeux (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
  • Bronze: Nunnans Skördeöl (Sweden) Brewed by Vreta Kloster Bryggeri

Category 45 — Pale&Amber Ale: Double IPA

  • Gold: Blue Tornado (Italy) Brewed by DC SRL
  • Silver: Page 24 Double IPA (France) Brewed by Brasserie St Germain / Page 24
  • Bronze: Crazy Rabbit (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Sabino
  • Bronze: Drunk Lake (China) Brewed by No. 18 Brewery

Category 46 — Pale&Amber Ale: English IPA

  • Gold: Tsingtao India Pale Ale (China) Brewed by Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd.
  • Silver: Drunken Sailor IPA (Germany) Brewed by CREW Republic Brewery GmbH
  • Bronze: Red Stone IPA (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Mezzopasso

Category 47 — Pale&Amber Ale: Golden Ale

  • Gold: Brugse Zot Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Halve Maan
  • Silver: Blonden Os (Belgium) Brewed by John Martin SA
  • Silver: Demi de Mêlée (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Brabandere
  • Bronze: Abbaye Saint-Ghislain Blonde (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Deseveaux

Category 48 — Pale&Amber Ale: IPA Alcohol-Free/Low

  • Gold: 7 Hop 7 Grain DDH IPA (Belgium) Owned by BRULO
  • Silver: Samuel Adams Gold Rush (United States) Brewed by Boston Beer Company
  • Silver: Wanderlust (Netherlands) Owned by Van Moll Craft Beer
  • Bronze: Brand IPA 0.0 (Netherlands) Brewed by Brand Bierbrouwerij B.V.

Category 49 — Pale&Amber Ale: Kölsch

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Seafarer (United States) Brewed by Three Weavers Brewing Co.

Category 50 — Pale&Amber Ale: Light Bitter Blond/Golden Ale

  • Gold: Ter Dolen Armand (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Ter Dolen
  • Silver: Artevelde Leute (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV
  • Bronze: Chimay Dorée (Belgium) Brewed by Bières de Chimay
  • Bronze: St-Feuillien Five (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie St-Feuillien
Our stewards beginning to distribute the beers for us to taste.

Category 51 — Pale&Amber Ale: Modern Saison

  • Gold: Mannenliefde (Netherlands) Owned by Oedipus Brewing
  • Silver: Saison Biolithics (Belgium) Brewed by Belgo Sapiens Brewers – Brasserie Ceres Belgique SPRL
  • Bronze: Beau Monde (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar BV
  • Bronze: Tokyo White (Japan) Brewed by Far Yeast Brewing Company

Category 52 — Pale&Amber Ale: New England IPA

  • Gold: Hazers Gonna Haze Hazy IPA (United States) Brewed by Belching Beaver Brewery
  • Silver: Destihl DeadHead Tourbus Hazy IPA (United States) Brewed by Destihl Brewery
  • Silver: Over-the-Top (South Korea) Brewed by Artmonster Brewery, Inc.
  • Bronze: Have You Ever Been Yellow (Netherlands) Brewed by Uiltje Brewing Company

Category 53 — Pale&Amber Ale: Pacific IPA

  • Gold: West Coast IPA (United States) Brewed by pFriem Family Brewers
  • Silver: Scraggy Bay (Ireland) Brewed by Kinnegar Brewing
  • Bronze: Big Swell IPA (United States) Brewed by Maui Brewing Co.

Category 54 — Pale&Amber Ale: Session IPA

  • Gold: Dance Rave Dance (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Surréaliste
  • Silver: Session IPA #3 Chinook (Italy) Brewed by Brewpub Trulla
  • Bronze: Rifle (Italy) Brewed by Il Mastio SSA

Category 55 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong Amber

  • Gold: Millican Extra (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Mezzopasso
  • Silver: Beer de Garde Ambrée Impériale (Netherlands) Brewed by Gooische Bierbrouwerij
    Bronze: Farsons Double Red (Malta) Brewed by Simonds Farsons Cisk plc

Category 56 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong Blonde

  • Gold: Bon Secours Tradition (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Caulier SRL
  • Silver: OMER. Traditional Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Omer Vander Ghinste
  • Bronze: Martha Sexy Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Belgian Brew Factory

Category 57 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong/Extra Special Bitter

  • Gold: Farsons Blue Label (Malta) Brewed by Simonds Farsons Cisk plc
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Backdoor Bitter (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio L’Orso Verde SRL

Category 58 — Pale&Amber Ale: Traditional Saison

  • Gold: Weizen Saison (Belgium) Brewed by L’Annexe
  • Silver: Double Tree Saison (China) Brewed by NEWME Brewery
  • Bronze: Saison Dupont (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont

Category 59 — Red Ale: American Red Ale

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Ignifer (Italy) Owned by Alchimie SRL
  • Bronze: Babylone (Belgium) Brewed by Brussels Beer Project

Category 60 — Red Ale: Irish Red Ale

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Brotas Beer Red Ale (Brazil) Brewed by Brotas Beer Industria de Bebidas LTDA
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 61 — Red Ale: Oud Rood (Flanders Red Ale)

  • Gold: Rodenbach Grand Cru (Belgium) Brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers
    Silver: Rodenbach Classic (Belgium) Brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers
  • Bronze: Rodenbach Alexander (Belgium) Brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers

Category 62 — Speciality Beer: Alcohol-Free

  • Gold: Bird of Prey 0.2% (Netherlands) Owned by Uiltje Brewing Company
  • Silver: Affligem Blond 0.0% (Belgium) Brewed by Alken-Maes
  • Bronze: Force Majeure Bruin (Belgium) Owned by Force Majeure
  • Bronze: Vicaris NANO° (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Dilewyns

Category 63 — Speciality Beer: Barley Wine

  • Gold: Aged Bock (Germany) Brewed by Schwarzbräu GmbH
  • Silver: Father Time (United States) Brewed by River North Brewery
  • Bronze: Mansueto 2021 (Italy) Brewed by IPC SRL
  • Bronze: Rest in Peace (Germany) Brewed by CREW Republic Brewery GmbHBrewed by IPC SRL

Category 64 — Speciality Beer: Brett Beer

  • Gold: Eylenbosch Wild Blond (Belgium) Owned by Brouwerij Eylenbosch
  • Silver: Pravda Brewery. Berliner Weisse Merlot BA (Ukraine) Brewed by Restoracija “Na Rynku” Ltd
  • Bronze: Templin Family Fouder Brett Bier (United States) Brewed by Templin Family Brewing

Category 65 — Speciality Beer: Brut Beer

  • Gold: Bière Brut Methode Originale Gôde (France) Owned by Brasserie Gode
  • Silver: Metodo Classico 60 Mesi (Italy) Brewed by Selezione Baladin SRL
    Bronze: Leopoldina Italian Grape Ale (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Leopoldina

Category 66 — Speciality Beer: Gluten Free

  • Gold: Bavaria Pilsener Glutenfree (Netherlands) Brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers
  • Gold: Nun Gluten Blonde (Sweden) Brewed by Vreta Kloster Bryggeri
  • Silver: Mahou Cinco Estrellas Sin Gluten (Spain) Brewed by MAHOU
  • Bronze: Theresianer Senza Glutine (Italy) Brewed by Theresianer Birra Italiana 1766

Category 67 — Speciality Beer: Low-Alcohol

  • Gold: Hazy NONnetje (Netherlands) Brewed by Jopen Bier
  • Silver: VrIJwit (Netherlands) Owned by Brouwerij ‘t IJ
  • Bronze: Ana Hop (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre

Category 68 — Speciality Beer: Home Brewers

  • Gold: Sonnig Swert (Netherlands) Owned by Brouwland BV
  • Silver: Saison Baron (Belgium) Owned by Brouwland BV
  • Bronze: Prizekant (Belgium) Owned by Brouwland BV

Category 69 — Speciality Beer: Hybrid Beer

  • Gold: Mele Bebè (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Sabino
  • Silver: Timmermans Lambicus Blanche (Belgium) Brewed by John Martin SA
  • Bronze: Rena Bianca (Italy) Owned by Harvest Srls

Category 70 — Speciality Beer: Low Carb Beer

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Black Rice Ale (United States) Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 71 — Speciality Beer: Old Style Gueuze-Lambic

  • Gold: Organic Geuze Natur-Elle (Belgium) Brewed by BV Lambiek Fabriek
  • Silver: Lindemans Oude Gueuze Cuvée René (Belgium) Brewed by Lindemans NV
  • Silver: Young & Wild Fontan-Elle (Belgium) Brewed by BV Lambiek Fabriek
  • Bronze: Oude Geuze Brett Elle (Belgium) Brewed by BV Lambiek Fabriek
  • Bronze: Oude Gueuze Tilquin à l’ancienne – Cuvée Marie-Catherine (Belgium) Brewed by Gueuzerie Tilquin S.A.

Category 72 — Speciality Beer: Other Sour Ale

  • Gold: Goyck (Belgium) Brewed by Lindemans NV
  • Silver: Wäls Berliner (Brazil) Brewed by Wäls
  • Bronze: Everest (Brazil) Brewed by Hop Bros Cervejaria Artesanal
  • Bronze: Masterpiece Van Gogh (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Masterpiece

Category 73 — Speciality Beer: Sake Yeast Beer

  • Gold: NBeer Kanpai Saki-Inspired Ale (China) Brewed by NBeer Craft Brewing Co.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 74 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer (Higher Than 7 ABV)

  • Gold: Daobrew Dandao Vanilla imperial Sour Stout (China) Brewed by Chengdu Fengshou Craft Beer Company, Ltd
  • Silver: Offtrail Trick Or Treat Yourself (Japan) Brewed by Far Yeast Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Chococonut – Imperial Dessert Stout (China) Owned by SUPERMALT (Beijing) Trade Co., Ltd.
  • Bronze: Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Het Anker

Category 75 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer (Less Than 7 ABV)

  • Gold: Gooisch Rood (Netherlands) Brewed by Gooische Bierbrouwerij
  • Silver: The Headwaters IPA (Japan) Brewed by Far Yeast Brewing Company
  • Silver: Viva El Rye 5.0 (Netherlands) Brewed by Jopen Bier
  • Bronze: Capri-Derhosen (United States) Brewed by Quarter Celtic Brewpub

Category 76 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer: Italian Style Grape Ale

  • Gold: Gadduresa (Italy) Owned by Harvest Srls
  • Silver: Druif Rouge (United States) Brewed by pFriem Family Brewers
  • Bronze: La Belle des Vignes (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Minne
  • Bronze: Tokée (Belgium) Owned by NovaBirra

Category 77 — Speciality Beer: Winter Ales

  • Gold: 21 12 (Italy) Brewed by Microbirrificio Artigianale Incanto di Iavarone Ignazio
  • Silver: Ter Dolen Winter (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Ter Dolen
  • Bronze: Gouden Carolus Christmas (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Het Anker
  • Bronze: Pietra Bière de Noël (France) Brewed by Brasserie Pietra

Category 78 — Stout/ Porter: American Stout

  • Gold: Rye Stout (Italy) Brewed by La Collina
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: All Black (Netherlands) Owned by Stanislaus Brewskovitch Brouwerij BV

Category 79 — Stout/ Porter: Baltic Porter

  • Gold: Special One – Ibeer (Italy) Brewed by Ibeer-Spirito Agricolo SRL
  • Silver: Dark Porter (China) Brewed by NEWME Brewery
  • Bronze: Porter Baltycki Trzech Kumpli (Poland) Owned by Browar Trzech Kumpli Sp., z.o.o.

Category 80 — Stout/ Porter: Dry Stout

  • Gold: Brotas Beer Dry Stout (Brazil) Brewed by Brotas Beer Industria de Bebidas LTDA
  • Silver: Monk’s Stout Dupont (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
  • Silver: Wheeler (Poland) Owned by Browar Trzech Kumpli Sp.. z.o.o.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 81 — Stout/ Porter: Oatmeal Stout

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Colorado Terezinha (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Bronze: Olonella (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Di Legnano SRL

Category 82 — Stout/ Porter: Porter

  • Gold: Porter (Italy) Brewed by Birra Puddu SRL
    Silver: Port City Porter (United States) Brewed by Port City Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Bulk (Italy) Brewed by Hammer Italian Craft Beer
  • Bronze: Robust Porter (United States) Brewed by Reuben’s Brews

Category 83 — Stout/ Porter: Russian Imperial Stout

  • Gold: Hel & Verdoemenis (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij de Molen
  • Silver: Singularity (Sweden) Brewed by Northern Light Brewery
  • Bronze: Paliata (Italy) Brewed by Drink Up SRL
  • Bronze: Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout (United States) Brewed by No-Li Brewhouse

Category 84 — Stout/ Porter: Export Stout

  • Gold: Cervecera Cuello Negro (Chile) Brewed by Cervecera Cuello Negro Spa
  • Silver: Hul Extra Stout (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Wilde Brouwers
  • Bronze: Elbow Patches (United States) Brewed by The Virginia Beer Company
  • Bronze: GrandMir Noire (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie du Grand Mir

Category 85 — Wheat: Dubbel Wit/Imperial White

  • Gold: IJwit (Netherlands) Owned by Brouwerij ‘t IJ
  • Silver: Dominicains Dubbel (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie 3F
  • Bronze: PokerFace (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Het Nest

Category 86 — Wheat: Dunkel Weizen (Doppel)Bock

  • Gold: TAP6 Aventinus (Germany) Brewed by Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 87 — Wheat: Gose

  • Gold: NBeer Beijing GOSE Modern (China) Brewed by NBeer Craft Brewing Co.
    Silver: Gosexy (Italy) Brewed by Bozner Weisse GmbH
  • Bronze: Haihe River Gose (China) Brewed by Trueman Brewing Co.

Category 88 — Wheat: Weizen

  • Gold: Sonhoshin German Style Wheat Beer (China) Brewed by Beijing Sonhoshin & Five Star Beer Co., LTD
  • Silver: Primátor Weizen (Czech Republic) Brewed by Primátor A.S.
  • Bronze: Hawley Hefeweizen (United States) Brewed by Wallenpaupack Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Zebra Craft Weissbier (China) Brewed by Zebra Craft Beer

Category 89 — Wheat: Weizen (Doppel)Bock

  • Gold: Maisel’s Weisse Bajuwarus (Germany) Brewed by Brauerei Gebr. Maisel GmbH & Co. KG
  • Silver: Aloha 26 (China) Brewed by GuangXi Dongming Beer Co., LTD
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 90 — Wheat: White IPA/Hoppy Weizen

  • Gold: Meteor White IPA (France) Brewed by Brasserie Meteor
  • Silver: TAP5 Hopfenweisse (Germany) Brewed by Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH
  • Bronze: Der Weizen (Germany) Owned by Tilmans Biere

Category 91 — Wheat: Witbier

  • Gold: Brugs Tarwebier (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Halve Maan
  • Silver: Leopoldina Witbier (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Leopoldina
  • Silver: Nachtraaf – De Witte Raaf (Belgium) Owned by De Nachtraafbrouwers
  • Bronze: Ter Dolen Wit (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Ter Dolen
The Comac Trophy for 2023

The Comac Trophy, awarded to the Best Beer of the Competition, this year was won by:

Millican Extra (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Mezzopasso, in the category Pale&Amber Ale: Strong Amber

You can also find a list of the winners at the Brussels Beer Challenge website.

Bistro Double IPA Winners 2022

By

Earlier today, the 22nd annual Double IPA Festival was held at the Bistro in Hayward, California, and after a virtual fest last year, this year it was back to a more typical festival, complete with people and sunshine. I got there early for judging again this year, and instead of being sequestered in the dark, dank basement out of the view of the beautiful Bay Area sun — which is where we usually are — we were again outside under a large tent in what was a beautiful, sunny, hot day. We judged Double IPAs and Triple IPAs for most of the morning and part of the afternoon, before choosing our favorites in both categories.

It was hot and sunny throughout the festival this year.
A little after 2:00 PM, Vic announced the winners.

Double IPAs

Russian River won three awards.
Danville Brewing won second place for their Double IPA, Chux.

Triple IPAs

Wynn Whisenhunt from Wondrous Brewing accepting his 1st place award.

People’s Choice Awards

Vic and me.

Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2021

By

Today was the 23rd annual IPA Festival and the 3rd annual Hazy IPA Festival at the Bistro, but that’s only because there wasn’t a festival last year. It was a lovely sunny day in Hayward, making it was perfect beer-judging weather now that we’re no longer in the basement. This year we judged in pairs, split into two groups of regular clear IPAs and hazy IPAs. The full list of winners is below.

Traditional IPAs

Hazy IPAs

Bistro Double IPA Winners 2021

By

Earlier today, the 21st annual Double IPA Festival was held at the Bistro in Hayward, California. I got there early for judging again this year, and instead of being sequestered in the dark, dank basement out of the view of the beautiful Bay Area sun — which is where we usually are — we were outside in what was a beautiful, sunny, albeit a little windy, day. We judged Double IPAs in two categories — West Coast and Hazy — for most of the morning and chose our favorite six in each category, which Vic will will hand pack into a “Double IPAs Finals Case” which can be ordered online for just under one-hundred dollars. But sales will end at midnight tonight, so if you want one, now’s the time.

West Coast Double IPAs

Hazy Double IPAs

Congratulations to all of the winners.