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GABF Winners 2011

October 2, 2011 By Jay Brooks

gabf-2011
The 30th Great American Beer Festival is now in the history books, with some pretty impressive statistics. A record 3,930 beers were judged in 83 categories by 167 judges from 9 nations. Some more factoids on the results and the festival:

  • 18 new breweries entering for the first time won a medal
  • Category with the most entries: American-style IPA – 176 entries
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 48
  • 526 breweries in the competition from 48 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico
  • 466 breweries in the festival hall
  • 2,375 beers served at the festival
  • 49,000 attendees

The Breweries That Won the Most Medals:

  • Sun King Brewing Co., 8 medals
  • Firestone Walker Brewing Co., 6 medals
  • Pizza Port Carlsbad, 6 medals
  • Rock Bottom Brewery, 6 medals
  • Boston Beer Co., 4 medals
  • Boulevard Brewing Co., 4 medals
  • Chuckanut Brewery, 4 medals
  • Pabst Brewing Co., 4 medals
  • Pizza Port Ocean Beach, 4 medals

The Most Gold Medals Won:

  • Sun King Brewing Co., 4 gold medals won
  • Firestone Walker Brewing Co., 3 gold medals won
  • Pizza Port Carlsbad, 3 gold medals won
  • 21st Amendment Brewery, 2 gold medals won
  • Boulevard Brewing Co., 2 gold medals won
  • Chuckanut Brewery, 2 gold medals won
  • Le Cumbre Brewing Co., 2 gold medals won
  • New Glarus Brewing Co., 2 gold medals won

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 51
  2. Colorado = 44
  3. Oregon = 15
  4. Illinois = 12
  5. TIE: Indiana, Washington = 10
  6. Virginia = 8
  7. TIE: Missouri, Pennsylvania, Utah = 7
  8. TIE: Delaware, Wisconsin = 6
  9. TIE: Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee, Wyoming = 5
  10. TIE: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas = 4

The 2011 Great American Beer Festival Winners

Category: 1 American-Style Wheat Beer – 20 Entries
Gold: SchWheat, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Silver: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: Wagon Box Wheat, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY

Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer With Yeast – 38 Entries
Gold: Leavenworth Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen, Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA
Silver: Tumblewheat, Altitude Chophouse and Brewery, Laramie, WY
Bronze: Leavenworth Whistling Pig Hefeweizen, Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA

Category: 3 Fruit Beer – 56 Entries
Gold: Raspberry Tart, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Silver: Brainless on Peaches, Epic Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Derailed Black Cherry Ale, Erie Brewing Co., Erie, PA

Category: 4 Fruit Wheat Beer – 48 Entries
Gold: 5 Lizard, 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, Chicago, IL
Silver: Mr. Pineapple Wheat, SanTan Brewing Co., Chandler, AZ
Bronze: Vintage Blonde Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 5 Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer – 37 Entries
Gold: Upslope Pumpkin Ale, Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Silver: Pumpkin Ale, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Chandler, AZ
Bronze: Turnip the Beets, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Category: 6 Herb and Spice Beer – 92 Entries
Gold: Mexican Chocolate Stout, Copper Kettle Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: LSD, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: CBC Heather Ale, Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA

Category: 7 Chocolate Beer – 30 Entries
Gold: Chocolate Beer, Barley Brothers Brewery and Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ
Silver: Samuel Adams Chocolate Chili Bock, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category: 8 Coffee Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: Java Mac, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Coffee Monster, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Coffee Milk Stout, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO

Category: 9 Specialty Beer – 24 Entries
Gold: Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Silver: Chateau Jiahu, Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter, Denver Beer Co., Denver, CO

Category: 10 Rye Beer – 36 Entries
Gold: Three Flowers IPA, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA
Silver: Bock in Bock, Tequesta Brewing Co., Tequesta, FL
Bronze: Crank Tank, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA

Category: 11 Specialty Honey Beer – 32 Entries
Gold: Sixteen, Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA
Silver: Eye of the Storm, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: Midas Touch, Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Category: 12 Session Beer – 44 Entries
Gold: Provo Girl Pilsner, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Twerp, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Firestone Walker Extra Pale Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA

Category: 13 Other Strong Beer – 53 Entries
Gold: Wheat Wine Ale, Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, NH
Silver: Saison du Summer, Backcountry Brewery, Frisco, CO
Bronze: Totality Imperial Stout, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA

Category: 14 Experimental Beer – 83 Entries
Gold: Mangalitsa Pig Porter, Right Brain Brewery, Traverse City, MI
Silver: Petit Obscura, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Belgorado, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category: 15 Indigenous Beer – 31 Entries
Gold: Hqt, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Monticello Reserve Ale, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Bronze: Hot Rocks Lager, Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA

Category: 16 Gluten-Free Beer – 15 Entries
Gold: Gluten-Free Lemon Pale, Strange Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: New Grist, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Seeley Axe White, Kettlehouse Brewing Co., Missoula, MT

Category: 17 American-Belgo-Style Ale – 43 Entries
Gold: Angry Birds, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Chicago, IL
Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Boulevard Collaboration #2, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO

Category: 18 American-Style Sour Ale – 21 Entries
Gold: Le Terroir, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Framboise de Amorosa, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Bronze: Ching Ching, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category: 19 American-Style Brett Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: Confl uence, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Super Friends IPA, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, NY
Bronze: Grimalkin – Super Kitty Fantastico, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN

Category: 20 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 40 Entries
Gold: Velvet Merkin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Wee Pogue, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Pinot Jubel, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

Category: 21 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 118 Entries
Gold: Melange a Trois, Nebraska Brewing Co., Papillion, NE
Silver: BBJ (Bourbon Barrel Johan), Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH

Category: 22 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 74 Entries
Gold: Bourbon Murder, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: 2010 Bourbon Barrel Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem, NC
Bronze: Grand Inquisitor, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE

Category: 23 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 75 Entries
Gold: Friek, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: The Wanderer, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Bronze: Le Serpent Cerise, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY

Category: 24 Aged Beer – 36 Entries
Gold: Expedition Stout, Bell’s Brewery, Galesburg, MI
Silver: Release the Hounds, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: 2004 Triple Exultation, Eel River Brewing Co., Fortuna, CA

Category: 25 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 48 Entries
Gold: Kolsch Kellerbier, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA
Silver: Bottle Rocket Lager, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que – Lake Travis, Austin, TX
Bronze: B3K Schwarzbier, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category: 26 Smoke Beer – 43 Entries
Gold: Smoke Ale, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Silver: Smoke Out, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Bronze: Alaskan Smoked Porter 2010, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK

Category: 27 American-Style or International-Style Pilsener – 31 Entries
Gold: BEER, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Popcorn Pilsner, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Legacy Lager, Silver Moon Brewing, Bend, OR

Category: 28 German-Style Pilsener – 42 Entries
Gold: Pavlov’s Pils, C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery – Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Sunshine Pils, Tröegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA
Bronze: Pilsner, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM

Category: 29 Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 42 Entries
Silver: Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Pilsner, McCoy’s Public House and Brewkitchen, Kansas City, MO

Category: 30 Munich-Style Helles – 38 Entries
Gold: Chuckanut Helles, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Where in the Helles Gunner?, Emmett’s Brewing Co., West Dundee, IL
Bronze: Órale, Del Norte Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category: 31 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 20 Entries
Gold: Move Back, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Tommy Two Fists, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Bronze: Dog Days Lager, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL

Category: 32 American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager – 55 Entries
Gold: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: Busch Light, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Pabst Blue Ribbon Light, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL

Category: 33 American-Style Lager or Cream Ale or Lager – 31 Entries
Gold: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Rainier, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL

Category: 34 Vienna-Style Lager – 32 Entries
Gold: Jomo Lager, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Silver: Cityfest, Brewzzi, West Palm Beach, FL
Bronze: Vienna Red Lager, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE

Category: 35 German-Style Märzen – 58 Entries
Gold: Stein Knocker, Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co., Midvale, UT
Silver: Munster Fest, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN
Bronze: Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category: 36 American-Style Amber Lager – 58 Entries
Gold: Uberbrau, Humperdink’s Restaurant and Brewery, Dallas, TX
Silver: Colorado Native, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Florida Beer Florida Lager, Florida Beer Co., Melbourne, FL

Category: 37 European-Style Dunkel – 23 Entries
Gold: Dunkel Lager, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Chuckanut Dunkel, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Penn Dark, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA

Category: 38 American-Style Dark Lager – 16 Entries
Gold: Durango Dark, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Session Black, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Bronze: Schwarzbier, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 39 German-Style Schwarzbier – 26 Entries
Gold: TAPS Schwarzbier, TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Corona, CA), Brea, CA
Silver: Nevermore Lager, Rock Bottom Brewery (King of Prussia, PA), Louisville, CO
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Seattle, WA), Chattanooga, TN

Category: 40 Bock – 34 Entries
Gold: Troegenator, Tröegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA
Silver: PrePro Bock, Coors Archive Brewery, Golden, CO
Bronze: Maibock, Stewart’s Brewing Co., Bear, DE

Category: 41 German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 22 Entries
Gold: Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI
Silver: St. Nik Brewer’s Reserve, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Bronze: Eisphyre, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI

Category: 42 Baltic-Style Porter – 19 Entries
Gold: Battle Axe Baltic Porter, Fat Head’s Brewery, North Olmsted, OH
Silver: White Eagle Baltic Porter, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT
Bronze: Puddy Porter, Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse, Berkeley, CA

Category: 43 Golden or Blonde Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: Blonde, Ram Restaurant & Brewery – Seattle, Seattle, WA
Silver: Alaskan Pale Ale, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Kent Lake Kolsch, Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Fairfax, CA

Category: 44 German-Style Kölsch – 48 Entries
Gold: Chuckanut Kolsch, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Great Adirondack Kölsch, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Bronze: Capital City Kolsch, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS

Category: 45 English-Style Summer Ale – 33 Entries
Gold: Summer Lovin’, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Silver: Peacemaker, Austin Beerworks, Austin, TX
Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company English Summer Ale, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA

Category: 46 Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 25 Entries
Gold: Clear Creek Pale Ale, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA
Silver: MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale, MacTarnahan’s Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Bronze: Prime Time Pale Ale, Big Time Brewery, Seattle, WA

Category: 47 English-Style India Pale Ale – 46 Entries
Gold: Samuel Adams Latitude 48 Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Silver: Napa Smith Organic IPA, Napa Smith Brewery, Napa, CA
Bronze: Down ‘n’ Dirty IPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

Category: 48 International-Style Pale Ale – 20 Entries
Gold: Boulevard Pale Ale, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Intercontinental Pale Ale, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL
Bronze: Radiant, Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene, OR

Category: 49 American-Style Pale Ale – 105 Entries
Gold: Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Mission St. Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Ute Trail Pale Ale, Amicas, Salida, CO

Category: 50 American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 103 Entries
Gold: Pako’s Eye P.A., Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Silver: AleSmith IPA, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Hop Knot, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ

Category: 51 American-Style India Pale Ale – 176 Entries
Gold: Elevated IPA, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Deviant Dale’s, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Head Hunter IPA, Fat Head’s Brewery, North Olmsted, OH

Category: 52 Imperial India Pale Ale – 102 Entries
Gold: Citra Double IPA, Kern River Brewing, Kernville, CA
Silver: Double Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Imperial IPA, Epic Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 53 American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 82 Entries
Gold: Amber Waves, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Jamaica Red Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA

Bronze: Rocket Red, Big River Grille and Brewing (Chattanooga, TN), Chattanooga, TN

Category: 54 Imperial Red Ale – 57 Entries
Gold: 547 Haight – The Toronado San Francisco’s 20th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Rhino Chaser Imperial Red Ale, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Organic Deranger, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR

Category: 55 English-Style Mild Ale – 25 Entries
Gold: Skidmark Brown Ale, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Silver: Dawn Patrol Dark, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Bronze: Bird and Baby Mild, The Public House Brewing Co., Rolla, MO

Category: 56 Ordinary or Special Bitter – 28 Entries
Gold: DBA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: New Speedway Bitter, Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Bonnie Lee’s Best Bitter, Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, San Francisco, CA

Category: 57 Extra Special Bitter – 43 Entries
Gold: Minaret ESB, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
Silver: Colorado Kind, Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, Boulder, CO
Bronze: Harvest Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category: 58 Scottish-Style Ale – 27 Entries
Gold: Hope and King Scotch Ale, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Naughty Scot, Rock Bottom Brewery (College Park – Indianapolis, IN), Louisville, CO
Bronze: Brown Bear Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery (Bethesda, MD), Louisville, CO

Category: 59 Irish-Style Red Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: O’Rion Irish Red, Equinox Brewing, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Copperhead Red, Ghost River Brewing, Memphis, TN
Bronze: Colorado Boy Irish Ale, Colorado Boy Brewing Co., Ridgway, CO

Category: 60 English-Style Brown Ale – 45 Entries
Gold: Good Grief Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Rock Bottom Brown Ale, Rock Bottom Brewery (San Diego, CA), Louisville, CO
Bronze: Molly’s Titanic Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery (Westminster, CO), Louisville, CO

Category: 61 American-Style Brown Ale – 49 Entries
Gold: Great American Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Redrock Nut Brown Ale, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Brave American, American Brewing Co., Edmonds, WA

Category: 62 American-Style Black Ale – 74 Entries
Gold: Blacktop IPA, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Silver: Blackened CDA, Carter’s Brewing, Billings, MT
Bronze: Black Racer, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA

Category: 63 German-Style Altbier – 30 Entries
Gold: Little Red Cap, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, Loveland, CO
Silver: TAPS Alt, TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Brea, CA), Brea, CA
Bronze: Chuckanut Alt, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA

Category: 64 German-Style Sour Ale – 13 Entries
Gold: Berliner Weisse, Crabtree Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Silver: Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Goze, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Rockville, MD), Chattanooga, TN

Category: 65 South German-Style Hefeweizen – 64 Entries
Gold: Hefeweizen, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Silver: Wild Pitch Hefe Weizen, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: EOS, Nebraska Brewing Co., Papillion, NE

Category: 66 German-Style Wheat Ale – 23 Entries
Gold: Boscos Hefeweizen, Boscos Brewing Co., Memphis, TN
Silver: Weizenbock, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Dark-n-Curvy, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL

Category: 67 Belgian-Style Witbier – 53 Entries
Gold: Witte, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Silver: La Perouse White, Maui Brewing Co. – Brewpub, Maui, HI
Bronze: ZON, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO

Category: 68 French- and Belgian-Style Saison – 65 Entries
Gold: Saison-Brett, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Funkwerks Saison, Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Sofi e, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

Category: 69 Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: California Ale, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Silver: TAPS Biere de Garde, TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Corona, CA), Brea, CA
Bronze: Pin-Up Blonde, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Category: 70 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 51 Entries
Gold: Fifth Element 2008, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Blue Sunday, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI
Bronze: Barton Kriek, North by Northwest, Austin, TX

Category: 71 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 76 Entries
Gold: Brother David’s Double, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA
Silver: Wild-Westmalle Tripel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Two Tortugas, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category: 72 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 59 Entries
Gold: Buffalo Slumber, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Revelations, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: The Twelve, Black Diamond Brewing Co., Concord, CA

Category: 73 Brown Porter – 32 Entries
Gold: Out of Order Porter, Wind River Brewing Co., Pinedale, WY
Silver: FireHouse Porter, FireHouse Grill & Brewery, Sunnyvale, CA
Bronze: Porter, Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville, NC

Category: 74 Robust Porter – 62 Entries
Gold: Moonlight Porter, Rock Bottom Brewery (La Jolla, CA), Louisville, CO
Silver: DeadEye Jack Porter, LoneRider Brewing Co., Raleigh, NC
Bronze: Pier Rat Porter, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

Category: 75 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 24 Entries
Gold: Ring of Dingle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Breakside Dry Stout, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Shaft House Stout, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO

Category: 76 Foreign-Style Stout – 23 Entries
Gold: Dark Side Stout, Silver Moon Brewing, Bend, OR
Silver: Malpais Stout, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Z-Man Stout, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

Category: 77 American-Style Stout – 37 Entries
Gold: Jules Winnfi eld, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: Achievement Beyond Life’s Experiences American Stout, Brit Antrim Benefi t Beer,
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Disorder Stout, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR

Category: 78 Sweet Stout – 19 Entries
Gold: Steel Toe Stout, Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Bronze: Outlaw Oatmeal Stout, Great Basin Brewing Co., Sparks, NV

Category: 79 Oatmeal Stout – 36 Entries
Gold: Back Road Stout, Millstream Brewing Co., Amana, IA
Silver: Oatmeal Stout, Crabtree Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Bronze: Stagecoach Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category: 80 Imperial Stout – 56 Entries
Gold: BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH
Silver: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: IMOS, Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery, Atlanta, GA

Category: 81 Scotch Ale – 39 Entries
Gold: Wee Muckle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Wee Heavy, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Bronze: Old Chub Scotch Ale, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO

Category: 82 Old Ale or Strong Ale – 35 Entries
Gold: Papier, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Silver: AleSmith Decadence ‘10 Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Arctic Alchemy, Fegley’s Brew Works, Allentown, PA

Category: 83 Barley Wine-Style Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Barleywine, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Johan the Barleywine, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

2011 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition
Gold: Before Capone, C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery, Westminster, CO
Brewmaster: Dennis O’Harrow, AHA Member: Tom Gardner
Silver: Schwarzherz, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Brewmaster: Uinta Beer Team, AHA Member: Travis Grimm
Bronze: Kriek, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Brewmaster: Dry Dock Brewers, AHA Member: Ted Manahan

The 2011 Great American Beer Festival Brewery & Brewer of the Year Awards

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Brewer: Will Kemper

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company
Brewer of the Year
Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles, CA
Brewer: Matthew Brynildson

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company
Brewer of the Year
Pabst Brewing Company, Woodridge, IL
Brewer: Bob Newman

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Brewer: Yiga Miyashiro

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Brewer: Pizza Port Brew Guys

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group Brewer of the Year
TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA
Brewer: Victor Novak

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, News Tagged With: Awards, GABF

The 30th Great American Beer Festival Judging

September 28, 2011 By Jay Brooks

gabf-2011
Right now I’m out in Denver, Colorado judging at the 30th Great American Beer Festival. Because it’s the 30th year, after orientation last night, they took an impromptu group photo of all 167 judges, or at least as many as would fit in the photo. See if you can find me (hint: I’m a little to the left and two-thirds of the way back). Recognize anyone else? There’s plenty of other faces in the crowd that you probably know.

2011_judges
Click on the photo for a larger view.

Filed Under: Events, Just For Fun Tagged With: GABF, Photography

Great American Beer Festival 1982 vs. 2011

September 23, 2011 By Jay Brooks

gabf-2011
Joey McDaniel created a cool infographic comparing the first Great American Beer Festival in 1982 to this year’s festival. Joey was introduced to craft beer by his wife, Jen, and together they run the beer blog Wet Your Whistles, covering beer in the Bay Area, with an emphasis on the “watering holes along the San Francisco Bay Area Caltrain railway line.” It’s interesting to see how far we’ve come in the 30 years since the first GABF was held. Nice job, Joey.

GABF_infograph

Filed Under: Beers, Events, Just For Fun Tagged With: GABF, Statistics

Talking (And Drinking) Like A Pirate

September 19, 2011 By Jay Brooks

jolly_roger
As today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, I thought I’d share this version of the Pirate Alphabet, which seems to be more about beer than piracy.

piraat

THE PIRATE ALPHABET

A — The favorite word of Canadian pirates, ey?
B — B stands for Beer!
C — Da ting we sails da boat on
D — Das beer! German pirates
E — ‘e needs a beer
F — ‘f only I had a beer
G — Gee, I wish I had a beer
H — H’aightch and everone one of us should have a beer
I — I wish I had a beer
J — The guy who sells us beer
K — Jay’s wife, she’s a looker!
L — Da place where bad pirates goes when dey dies!
M — ’em folks needs beers
N — ‘nother beer
O — Oh I wish I had a beer
P — (*long pause*) Self-explanatree!
Q — A French word meaning ‘line for beer’
R — A pirate’s favorite word, Arrrh!
S — What you fall on when you drink too much beer
T — Why we beat the British
U — You should have a beer
V — Vikings! Swedish pirates
W — You and you should have a beer
X — Jay’s former wife, she no longer sells us beer
Y — Why not have a beer
Z — Ze beer! French pirates

Filed Under: Beers, Events, Just For Fun Tagged With: Pirates, Poetry

Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2011

August 7, 2011 By Jay Brooks

bistro
Family commitments kept me from attending this year’s Bistro IPA Festival, but owner Vic Kralj was kind enough to send me the list of the winners. Craig Cauwels’ IPA, from Schooner’s in Antioch, California, was chosen best in show at the 14th annual IPA Festival yesterday at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.

  • 1st Place: Schooners IPA (Schooner’s Grille & Brewery)
  • 2nd Place: Aroma Coma (Drake’s Brewing)
  • 3rd Place: Hops On Rye (Fire House Brewery)
  • Honorable Mention: Head Hunter IPA (Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon)
  • People’s Choice: Aroma Coma (Drake’s Brewing)

Filed Under: Beers, Events, News Tagged With: Awards, Bay Area, Beer Festivals, California, Northern California

OBF Opening Ceremonies

August 1, 2011 By Jay Brooks

obf
After we marched from McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Oregon Brewers Festival, the ceremonial keg was brought into the park by the Hammerheads from this year’s parade host brewery, McMenamin’s.

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Hammerheads and the ceremonial cask.

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The Hammerheads and the Ruby Witches McMenamins’ folks positioned themselves in front of the stage.

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Then Art Larrance got things started.

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This year’s parade host represented by Brian McMenamin, took the ceremonial hammer.

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And passed it off to next year’s host, the Cascade Barrel House.

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Then Grand Marshall Fred Eckhardt had a few words for the crowd, before tapping the first keg.


Fred, tapping the keg.

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Fred drinking the first toast to OBF 2011.

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Fred and me catching up with a pint after the ceremonies.

Filed Under: Beers, Events, Just For Fun, News Tagged With: Beer Festivals, Oregon, Portland

Oregon Brewers Festival Parade 2011

July 28, 2011 By Jay Brooks

obf
Although I missed last year’s Oregon Brewers Festival for the first time in many years, it felt like it had been at least five years since I’d been back. That’s how much I missed Portland, and I was thrilled to be there again. After the Brewer’s Dinner Wednesday night, I attended the brunch, this year held at McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom, and helped setup for the event beforehand, as well. After everyone feasted and prepared their stomachs for the day’s drinking, what looked to be close to 1200 people lined up for the parade. That’s just a guess, but it was easily the biggest crowd I’d seen for the parade, and this was my third time, of the five so far. Many of the usual suspects were there, the band, the Rogue Friars, people in kilts, people wearing literal hopheads, etc. This year’s Grand Marshall was Portland legend Fred Eckhardt who led the parade via pedicab down to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, the annual home of the beer festival. Here are some photos from the parade. Enjoy.

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Pedicab leading the OBF Parade with Grand Marshall Fred Eckhardt and OBF founder Art Larrance.

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Here we come.

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… walking down the street,

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We get the funniest looks from …

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Everyone we meet.

After arriving at the festival grounds, it was time to tap the keg and officially start the festival. Look for the ceremonies coming soon in part 2.

Filed Under: Events, Just For Fun, Related Pleasures Tagged With: Beer Festivals, Oregon, Portland

Happy International Brewers Day

July 18, 2011 By Jay Brooks

ibd-circle100
Today is the 4th annual holiday celebrating brewers around the world, International Brewers Day, which I created in 2008. While I haven’t been able to put as much effort into it as I might have liked, someday I will. In the meantime, some parts of the international brewing community are carrying on with celebrations, most notably in Australia. For now, a quiet celebration involving beer and any brewer you happen to encounter today is in order.

ibd-banner-grn460-pln

You could see the original idea, the plan and why I chose July 18 at the old International Brewers Day website, but unfortunately it’s currently down. I’ll have to get that moved and back up again one of these days.

Here was my original driving thought:

Brewers have given so many of us the pleasure of their artistry and enriched our lives with their beer since civilization began. So I think it’s time we recognized their efforts by celebrating their lives, their commitment and their craft. We’re all beer people, but without the brewers what would we be drinking?

Did I mention that hugging brewers is a big part of the holiday?

hugged180

As the old Czech saying goes:

“Blessed is the mother who gives birth to a brewer.“

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, Just For Fun, Related Pleasures Tagged With: beer saints, brewers, Holidays, International

Moylan’s Wins Big at Australian International Beer Awards

June 17, 2011 By Jay Brooks

moylans
Back in November, the call went out through the BA’s Export Development Program for brewers around the world to enter the Australian International Beer Awards for 2011. When my local brewpub Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant decided to enter some of their beer, they couldn’t have known how well it would turn out for them.

Moylan’s ended up winning two gold medals, for Moylan’s Moylander Double IPA and Hopsickle Imperial Triple IPA, a silver medal for Chelsea Moylan’s Porter and two bronze medals for both Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout and Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout. Those wins resulted in them being awarded more points than any other brewery and garnered them two additional bigger prizes: the “Cleanevent Trophy for Champion Small Brewery” and the “Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria Trophy for Champion Exhibitor” for the Highest Scoring Exhibitor, which is the biggest prize awarded throughout the entire competition. Congratulations to Denise and everybody at Moylan’s.

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Yesterday, Dr. Peter Aldred from the AIBA — who’s at UC Davis for a few months — stopped by Moylan’s in Novato to present the Australian International Beer Awards Trophy to Brewmaster Denise Jones and Owner Brendan Moylan.

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The whole gang of brewers from Moylan’s poses with their trophies.

If you want to see the rest of the winners, they’re listed at Australian Brews News.

Filed Under: Breweries, Events, News Tagged With: Australia, Awards, Bay Area, California

South Beer Cup Winners Announced

May 15, 2011 By Jay Brooks

great-south-cup
Regular readers have probably noticed that my usual output has been diminished here of late, that’s because I’ve been in Buenos Aires, Argentina since Monday. I was fortunate enough to be invited to judge at the very first South Beer Cup, South America’s version of the Great American Beer Festival and the Craft Brewers Conference combined. It was put on by the Centro de Cata de Cerveza with support from the very active local homebrew club, Somos Cerveceros.

They had 280 beers from 72 breweries entered in 20 categories from four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Along with the local judges, made up of brewers and BJCP certified judges, four experienced judges from North America were on hand to help out. In addition to myself, there was Stephen Beaumont, Doug Odell and Pete Slosberg. The four of us also each gave a short talk during the conference portion of the event.

But more about that later, last evening at a gala awards ceremony held at the rooftop of the American Club. It was a great event, and perhaps the best part was seeing the enthusiasm and passion on display as the excited winners went up to accept their awards, all to some very dramatic music. So without further ado, here s the list of the winners for the first South Beer Cup:

great-south-cup

  1. Pilsner
    • Bronze: Colorado (Brazil)
  2. Oktoberfest
    • Bronze: Buller (Argentina)
  3. Pale Ale
    • Bronze: Davok (Uruguay)
  4. Golden/Blonde Ale
    • Silver: TIE: Duff (Argentina) / Eisenbahn (Brazil)
    • Bronze: Carmela (Argentina)
  5. India Pale Ale
    • Gold: Davok (Uruguay)
    • Silver: Fenicia (Argentina)
    • Bronze: Backer (Brazil)
  6. Amber/Red Ale
    • Gold: Yeska (Argentina)
    • Silver: Antares (Argentina)
    • Bronze: El Viejo Hobbit (Argentina)
    • Honorable Mention: Piltri (Argentina)
  7. Wheat Beer
    • Silver: Baden Baden (Brazil)
    • Bronze: Bier Hoff (Brazil)
    • Honorable Mention: Cabezas Bier (Uruguay)
  8. Dry Stout
    • Silver: Bodebrown (Brazil)
    • Bronze: TIE: Carmela (Argentina) / Kross (Chile)
  9. Imperial Stout
    • Silver: Montecristo (Argentina)
    • Bronze: Antares (Argentina)
  10. Porter
    • Bronze: TIE: Antares (Argentina) / Alumine (Argentina) / La Cruz (Argentina)
  11. Brown Ale
    • Bronze: Fenicia (Argentina)
  12. Barley Wine
    • Bronze: Davok (Uruguay)
    • Honorable Mention: TIE: La Cruz (Argentina) / Una Mas (Argentina)
  13. Smoked Beer
    • Gold: Gulmen (Argentina)
    • Silver: Bamberg (Brazil)
    • Bronze: Berlina (Argentina)
  14. Specialty Beer
    • Gold: Baden Baden (Brazil)
    • Additional Honorable Mentions [w/style]: Baden Baden [Golden] (Brazil) / Dowel [Grape] / Silberweizen [Weizen Bock] / Sixtofer [Scarlet] (Argentina) / Szot [Strong Ale] / Von de Brauer [Red Ale] / Jerome [Diablo] (Argentina)
  15. Honey Beer
    • Silver: TIE: Antares (Argentina) / Fenicia (Argentina)
  16. Kolsch
    • Bronze: Antares (Argentina)
  17. Dunkel
    • Silver: TIE: Bamberg (Brazil) / Eisenbahn (Brazil)
  18. Belgian Dark Ale
    • Bronze: Eisenbahn (Brazil)
  19. Munich
    • Silver: Bamberg (Brazil)
  20. Schwarzbier
    • Silver: Bamberg (Brazil)
  21. Bock
    • Bronze: Blest (Brazil)
  22. Old Ale
    • Silver: Bodebrown (Brazil)

Congratulations to all the winners.

And here’s all the participating breweries:
logos-great-south-cup

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, News Tagged With: Argentina, Awards, Brazil, Chile, South America, Uruguay

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