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The Kidnapping of Schmidt Brewery Son Edward Bremer

January 17, 2021 By Jay Brooks

Today is the anniversary of a pretty unsavory incident that was at least tangentially related to prohibition and brewing. On January 17, 1934, the Barker–Karpis gang kidnapped Edward Brewer off of the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota. At the time, he was the wealthy president of Commercial State Bank. But perhaps more importantly, he was also the son of Adolf Bremer, who owned the Schmidt Brewery, having married the daughter of Jacob Schmidt.

Kidnap victim Edward Bremer.

That’s thought to be important because the gang appeared to be targeting brewery owners because of their perceived disrespecting of criminal elements after prohibition was repealed. Many breweries that survived did so by working with bootleggers on the down low, which of course in many cases were part of criminal organizations. But when prohibition was repealed, they distanced themselves from those gangs once alcohol was no longer illegal. The previous year, for example, the Barker-Karpis gang successfully kidnapped William Hamm of Hamm’s Brewery, releasing him June 19, 1933, having been paid $100,000 in ransom.

Adolf Bremer with his son Edward.

Because of that history, “it is thought that Bremer was not chosen simply because of his wealth, but also because of a personal vendetta.” They planned the kidnapping for four months. The kidnappers asked for $200,000 this time, double what they’d asked for from the Hamm Brewery family, probably emboldened by their success with that kidnapping.

Naturally, it was front page news, appearing in both the St. Paul Dispatch and the Minneapolis Star.

According to Wikipedia’s account, here’s how it went down:

[Edward Bremer] was on his way to work, having just dropped his daughter off at school when he was approached by two men, one of whom was Arthur “Doc” Barker. Barker repeatedly punched and pistol-whipped him, forcing him into the back of Bremer’s car and placing blindfolding goggles over his eyes. After having some difficulty starting the vehicle, the kidnappers forced the bleeding Bremer to show them the starter button, then drove off, later switching to another car. The blood-stained vehicle was later recovered, leading to fears that Bremer had been killed.

Scene of the Bremer kidnapping, Lexington and Goodrich, St. Paul, MN, 1934

Bremer was held captive in Bensenville, Illinois. He was kept in a small room and was told that his family would be killed if he said anything to the police. He was also told to provide the names of people who could act as intermediaries. Messages demanding $200,000 were left with the Bremers’ trusted business associate and former chauffeur Walter Magee. Through Tom Brown, the gang learned that Magee had informed the police, despite the gang’s demand that he should keep quiet. They threatened to kill him and Bremer. Adolph Bremer, the victim’s father, refused to pay up unless the kidnappers provided proof of life. Edward was forced to write another note pleading to be returned to his wife and children. When Adolph also tried to reduce the ransom money, Fred Barker became enraged and suggested they should kill Edward. His brother Arthur and Karpis overruled him. In the end the ransom was paid by dropping off a bag full of cash, which was collected by George Zieger. Edward was driven to a deserted road by Ziegler and released on February 7, left on the empty road with a small amount of cash. He had to make his own way back home.

The New York Times even covered it.

After Bremer was returned, public outcry led to the FBI intensifying their efforts at bringing the criminals to justice. While not a household name to us today, “these kidnappings brought too much negative publicity, due to the recent Urschel and Lindbergh Kidnappings, and the fact that the father of the Bremer Jr. was a personal friend of President Roosevelt, who mentioned the kidnappings in a fireside chat. On November 27, 1934, Lester “Baby Face Nelson” Gillis, at that time the Public Enemy No. 1, was mortally wounded in a gun battle with the FBI and died later that night. The next day, Alvin Karpis was declared Public Enemy No. 1, which brought the full force of the FBI down on the Barker-Karpis Gang.”

The other well-known aspect of the criminals was the mother of some of the Barker brothers was apparently controlling the gang’s actions and was known as “Ma” Barker.

This account is from KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis.

On Jan. 17, 1934, the Minnesota Historical Society says Edward was driving to work when he stopped at the corner of Lexington Parkway and Goodrich Avenue. The gang ended up blocking Edward’s path with one vehicle, and another vehicle pulled up behind him. The kidnappers then opened Edward’s door and pushed him to the ground when he was struggling. They forced Edward to sign ransom notes, and within two hours, Edward’s family friend, Walter W. Magee, received ransom instructions.

The instructions indicated a request of $200,000 in $5 and $10 bills. Magee was to print, “We are ready Alice,” in the Minneapolis Tribune’s personal ads. More ransom notes were delivered to people close to Edward, but people suspected him to be dead due to the amount of blood left in his car. Therefore, his father, Adolph, demanded a note in his son’s handwriting before he would pay. The next day a bank cashier received the requested note, according to Minnesota Historical Society.

The Minneapolis Tribune reported on Feb. 6, 1934, Magee had received the final instructions from the kidnappers to trade the ransom money for Edward. Magee was to transfer the ransom into a car with a Shell Oil sticker in St. Paul and then to trail a bus to Rochester. Afterward, Magee was to turn down a gravel road and drive until he saw five headlight flashes. Once he saw the flashes, he placed the money beside the road and drove off.

After 21 days of captivity, Edward Bremer was released.

The gang members scattered across the country to escape the FBI after authorities were able to lift fingerprints from a gas can that the Barker-Karpis gang used to refuel their car between Chicago and Minneapolis. The FBI had also recorded the serial numbers on the ransom bills.

Almost a year later, on Jan. 16, 1935, Barker and his mother were killed in a shootout with FBI officers, and Karpis remained on the run until the FBI arrested him on May 1, 1936.

Karpis was sentenced to life and served 26 years in Alcatraz.

And this one is from the BBC:

After Bremer dropped his daughter off at the Summit School in St. Paul, he was ambushed and thrown in a car. He was held for 10 days, until his family paid a $200,000 ransom.

Part of this ransom money was used to bribe police who were on the take, according to Paul Maccabee, author of “John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks’ Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul, 1920-1936.”

“Prohibition meant bribes in order to ship liquor — to cops, judges, U.S. senators,” Maccabee told MPR News’ Cathy Wurzer. “When Prohibition was repealed and liquor was legal, they switched from bootlegging to kidnapping. The same corrupt cops that had looked the other way during the bootlegging era were also involved with kidnappings and other more nefarious deeds.”

Bremer helped federal investigators find his captors. He memorized every detail about his surroundings.

“When the FBI investigated the case, he was able to identify the specific wallpaper in the home where he was kept,” Maccabee said. “That enabled the FBI to break the case and arrest the Barker-Karpis gang.”

The gang was led by two brothers, Doc and Freddy Barker, who Maccabee describes as “psychopaths,” and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, who was one of the most infamous gangsters of the period.

Alvin Karpis going into court in St. Paul.

And this, also from Wikipedia, covers the arrests, deaths and the aftermath of the kidnapping.

The FBI had recorded the serial numbers of all the cash used to pay the ransom. They launched an intensive investigation, declaring Alvin Karpis, presumed leader of the gang, to be “Public Enemy No. 1”. Bremer, completely traumatized and worried about the safety of his wife and children, refused to cooperate with the FBI. When they threatened to reveal what they believed about his links to organized crime, he admitted what he knew about the kidnappers, and his suspicions about their connection to Sawyer.

The gang knew that they needed to launder the money, but the intensity of the FBI pressure meant that most of their criminal contacts refused to participate. Ziegler was gunned down in a drive-by killing by unknown assailants in March. Sawyer claimed that he had arranged for the money to be laundered in Cuba. The gang withdrew to Cuba, but Karpis became concerned that the money had not been laundered and that the FBI would soon find them there. They moved to Lake Weir, Florida. Doc left for Chicago, hoping to organize a new criminal project. He was soon recognized and arrested on January 8, 1935 along with minor gang member Byron Bolton. Doc wouldn’t talk, but Bolton told the FBI everything he knew in exchange for a light sentence. Eight days later, Doc’s brother Fred Barker and mother Kate “Ma” Barker were killed in a shootout with the FBI at Lake Weir. Volney Davis was also captured, and Sawyer was tracked down and captured in Mississippi.

Alvin Karpis, who was co-leader of the gang along with Fred Barker, was arrested by the FBI in May, 1936. Karpis pleaded guilty to kidnapping and Doc Barker was convicted after a trial. Both men were sent to Alcatraz. Karpis became the Rock’s longest serving inmate, eventually being paroled in 1969 after decades in prison. Barker was shot while trying to escape from Alcatraz in 1939. Sawyer received a life sentence in 1936. He was released from prison in 1955 due to ill health and died shortly after.

The kidnapping had a significant effect on campaigns against police corruption. During the investigation it became clear to FBI agents that information was being leaked to the kidnappers. Tom Brown was strongly suspected to be the source of the leaks and forced out of the team investigating the case. Brown was implicated as a conspirator in the kidnapping after an investigation by the FBI and a hearing before the city Civil Service Board. Brown was fired from the police force, but the federal government declined further prosecution. The death and arrests of all the important Barker-Karpis gang-members greatly enhanced the reputation of the FBI.

Filed Under: Breweries, Events, Just For Fun, Politics & Law Tagged With: History, Minnesota

Brussels Beer Challenge Winners 2020

November 28, 2020 By Jay Brooks

Yesterday, the winners of the 9th annual Brussels Beer Challenge were announced. Exactly 1,546 beers from 36 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 80 smaller categories (lambic, abbey, chocolate beers, etc.). In a normal year, I would have been there for the judging, but with Covid restrictions, the EU was not permitting Americans to fly to Europe. I had hoped to post this yesterday, but it took me this long to go through and reformat the winners into a list. Congratulations to all the winners!

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

Medals Won by Country:

  1. Belgium = 79
  2. United States = 31
  3. Italy = 30
  4. Netherlands = 23
  5. Brazil = 16
  6. France = 13
  7. Canada = 10
  8. TIE: China = 9 / Germany = 9
  9. Ireland = 6
  10. TIE: South Korea = 3 / Taiwan = 3

The 2020 Brussels Beer Challenge Winners

Category 1 — Dark Ale: Abbey / Trappist Style Dubbel

  • Gold: Viven Classic Bruin (Belgium) Owned by Brouwerij Viven
  • Silver: Ter Dolen Donker (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Ter Dolen
  • Bronze: Deduction (United States) Brewed by Taxman Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Duits & Lauret Biere de Garde Brune (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Duits & Lauret

Category 2 — Dark Ale: Brown Ale

  • Gold: Dark Coffee Break (Brazil) Brewed by Wäls Ambev
  • Silver: Joup (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Grain d’Orge
  • Bronze: Rur’ale Brune (France) Brewed by Brasserie Robiche

Category 3 — Dark Ale: Dark/Black IPA

  • Gold: Black Bucket (Ireland) Brewed by Kinnegar Brewing
  • Silver: Colorado Black Indica (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Bronze: Obaa Three (Belgium) Owned by Obaa Sprl

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

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Queue de Charrue vieille brune (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Vanuxeem
  • Bronze: Liefmans Goudenband (Belgium) Brewed by Duvel Moortgat

Category 5 — Dark Ale: Strong Dark Ale

  • Gold: Qualified (United States) Brewed by Taxman Brewing Company
  • Silver: De Poes Bruin (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij De Poes BVBA
  • Silver: St.Bernardus Abt 12 (Belgium) Brewed by St.Bernardus Brouwerij
  • Bronze: Gladium Symphony (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Artigianale della Presila di Verrino Anselmo & C. Sas

Category 6 — Flavoured Beer: Chocolate

  • Gold: Endless Love (South Korea) Brewed by Artmonster Brewery
  • Silver: Peanut Butter Hazelnut Caramel Chocolate Cake Stout (United States) Brewed by Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co
  • Bronze: Bodebrown – Iron Maiden Trooper Brasil IPA (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Bodebrown Ltda

Category 7 — Flavoured Beer: Coffee

  • Gold: Dadgum Coffee IPA (United States) Brewed by Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.
  • Silver: Goodieson Coffee Stout (Australia) Brewed by Goodieson Brewery
  • Bronze: Kaffee (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie La Souche
  • Bronze: Panda Nero (Ireland) Brewed by Brú Brewery

Category 8 — Flavoured Beer: Field Beer

  • Gold: No Award
  • Silver: Colorado Double Brown Coconut (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Bronze: La Diablesse (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie du Renard

Category 9 — Flavoured Beer: Fruit Beer

  • Gold: Daobrew Free-fall Litchi Gose (China) Brewed by Chengdu Fengshou Craft Beer Company, Ltd
  • Silver: Cranbic (United States) Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Markens Grøde – Farmer´s Reserve (Norway) Brewed by Lindheim Ølkompani

Category 10 — Flavoured Beer: Herb & Spice

  • Gold: Rumpy (United States) Brewed by Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.
  • Silver: SpontanBasil (Belgium) Brewed by Lindemans Brewery
  • Bronze: GingerGueuze (Belgium) Brewed by Lindemans Brewery
  • Bronze: Straf Gouden Boelsbier (Belgium) Owned by Bieren Boels

Category 11 — Flavoured Beer: Honey Beer

  • Gold: Bee Bock (Italy) Brewed by Ibeer
  • Silver: Piersech Honey Saison (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Gardena SRL
  • Bronze: Bière de Miel (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
  • Bronze: Wallabierke (Belgium) Owned by Wallabieke

Category 12 — Flavoured Beer: Old Style Fruit-Lambic

  • Gold: Kriek Mariage Parfait (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Boon
  • Silver: Oude Kriek Oud Beersel (Belgium) Brewed by Oud Beersel BVBA
  • Silver: Oude Riesling Tilquin à l’ancienne (Belgium) Brewed by Gueuzerie Tilquin S.A.
  • Bronze: Kriek (Belgium) Brewed by Hof ten Dormaal
  • Bronze: Schaarbeekse Oude Kriek Oud Beersel (Belgium) Brewed by Oud Beersel BVBA

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

  • Gold: Huge Arker (United States) Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing
  • Silver: Tiki Tiki (United States) Brewed by Veza Sur Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Parabola (United States) Brewed by Firestone

Category 14 — Flavoured Beer: Smoked Beer

  • Gold: Friend or Foe? (Poland) Owned by Browar Rockmill Sp. Z O.O.
  • Silver: Buckskin Rauchbier (Taiwan) Brewed by Buckskin, King Car Group
  • Bronze: Duits & Lauret Houtgerijpte Rook Dubbelbock (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Duits & Lauret
  • Bronze: Rauch Marzen (South Korea) Brewed by Goose Island Brewhouse Seoul

Category 15 — Flavoured Beer: Sweet/Milk Stout

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Film G Milk Stout (China) Brewed by 18 Brewery

Category 16 — Flavoured Beer: Wood/Barrel Aged (Less Than 10% ABV)

  • Gold: Dama Wood Selection Imperial Brown Porter (Brazil) Brewed by Renato Bazzo
  • Silver: Rust – Farmer’s Reseve (Norway) Brewed by Lindheim Ølkompani
  • Bronze: Podere La Berta – Vècc Barrel Aged (Italy) Brewed by Felsina S.p.a.

Category 17 — Flavoured Beer: Wood/Barrel Aged Higher Than 10% ABV)

  • Gold: Bush de Nuits (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dubuisson
  • Gold: Peak Triple Rum Barrel Aged (Belgium) Brewed by Belgium Peak Beer S.A
  • Silver: La Curita Imperial (United States) Brewed by Veza Sur Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Grande Réserve Fermentée en Barriques – Edition Armagnac (Belgium) Brewed by Bières de Chimay

Category 18 — Lager: American-Style Pilsner

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Dama Pilsen (Brazil) Brewed by Renato Bazzo
    Bronze: Firestone Lager (United States) Brewed by Firestone Walker

Category 19 — Lager: Bohemian-Style Pilsner

Gold: Pils (Italy) Brewed by Qubeer
Silver: Mama’s Little Yella Pils (United States) Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery
Bronze: Kingpin Pils (Poland) Owned by Browar Kingpin Sp. z.o.o.

Category 20 — Lager: Dark/Dunkel (Including Schwarzbier)

  • Gold: Marilune Moonroe (France) Brewed by Brasserie de la Pleine Lune
  • Silver: Eastside Dark (United States) Brewed by Lakefront Brewery
  • Bronze: Slow Chill Dunkel Lager (United States) Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery

Category 21 — Lager: German-Style Dunkel Bock/Doppelbock

  • Gold: Brand Dubbelbock (Netherlands) Brewed by Heineken
  • Silver: Weyermann® Bamberger Hofbräu® Exquisator (Germany) Brewed by Constantin Förtner
  • Bronze: Dubec (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Via Priula di San Pellegrino

Category 22 — Lager: German-Style Helles- / MaiBock / Doppelbock

  • Gold: Maestra Doble Lúpulo (Spain) Brewed by Mahou San Miguel
  • Silver: Alfa Krachtig Dort (Netherlands) Brewed by Meens Bierbrouwerij B.V. NL
  • Bronze: Buckskin Heller Bock (Taiwan) Brewed by Buckskin, King Car Group

Category 23 — Lager: German-Style Märzen

  • Gold: Pietra (France) Brewed by Brasserie Pietra
    Silver: Ketterer Edel (Germany) Brewed by Familienbrauerei M. Ketterer GmbH & Co. KG
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 24 — Lager: German-Style Pilsner

  • Gold: Pagoda Hill Pilsner (China) Owned by Blue Marlin Brewing Co.
  • Silver: Pils2 (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Otus Srl
  • Bronze: AntiKorpo Brewing – Grommet (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Cittavecchia Soc. Agr. a r.l.
  • Bronze: Ketterer Zwickel-pils (Germany) Brewed by Familienbrauerei M. Ketterer GmbH & Co. KG

Category 25 — Lager: Helles

  • Gold: Waldhaus Hell (Germany) Brewed by Privatbrauerei Waldhaus Joh. Schmid GmbH
  • Silver: B5 (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Otus Srl
  • Bronze: Bayreuther Hell (Germany) Brewed by Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG

Category 26 — Lager: Hoppy Lager

  • Gold: Dama American Lager (Brazil) Brewed by Renato Bazzo
  • Silver: American Jasper (Italy) Brewed by Soc.Coop. La Piazza
  • Bronze: American Magut (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Lambrate
  • Bronze: Pils 13 – White label (Belgium) Owned by The Ministry of Belgian Beer

Category 27 — Lager: International Style Pilsner

  • Gold: Colorado Ribeirão Lager (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Colorado
  • Silver: Alfa Edel Pils (Netherlands) Brewed by Meens Bierbrouwerij B.V. NL
  • Bronze: Estrella Damm (Spain) Brewed by S.A.Damm
  • Bronze: Primus (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Haacht

Category 28 — Lager: Light Lager

  • Gold: DL (Ireland) Brewed by Kinnegar Brewing
  • Silver: Brahma Duplo Malte (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Ambev
  • Bronze: Bohemia Puro Malte (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Ambev
  • Bronze: Brahma Chopp (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Ambev

Category 29 — Lager: Vienna Lager

  • Gold: Vienna Festbier (United States) Brewed by Quarter Celtic Brewpub
    Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Gangnam Style (South Korea) Brewed by Artmonster Brewery

Category 30 — Pale&Amber Ale: (Belgian Style) Tripel

  • Gold: Paix Dieu (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Caulier SPRL
    Gold: Tripel LeFort (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste
    Silver: Kompel L’or Noir (Belgium) Owned by Brouwerij Kompel
    Silver: Tongerlo Tripel (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Haacht
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 31 — Pale&Amber Ale: Abbey / Trappist Style Blond

  • Gold: Ter Dolen Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Ter Dolen
  • Silver: Lamme Goedzak (Belgium) Brewed by Scheldebrouwerij BVBA
  • Bronze: Herkenrode Cister (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Cornelissen
  • Bronze: Malheur 8 (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Malheur

Category 32 — Pale&Amber Ale: Amber

  • Gold: La Bonne Aventure (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Pit Caribou
  • Silver: La Rousse du Mont Blanc (France) Brewed by Brasserie du Mont Blanc
  • Bronze: Donna di Cuori (Italy) Brewed by Ibeer

Category 33 — Pale&Amber Ale: American IPA (Higher Than 6.5 ABV)

  • Gold: Born and Raised (United States) Brewed by No-Li Brewhouse
  • Gold: California West Coast IPA (Italy) Brewed by Mastri Birrai Umbri Società Agricola
  • Silver: Revision IPA (United States) Brewed by Revision Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Missile (United States) Brewed by Champion Brewing Company

Category 34 — Pale&Amber Ale: American IPA (Less Than 6.5 ABV)

  • Gold: Bird of Prey (Netherlands) Brewed by Uiltje Brewing Company
  • Silver: So Hoppy! (Belgium) Brewed by Dum’s Brew
  • Bronze: Jopen Hop Zij Met Ons (Netherlands) Brewed by Jopen BV
  • Bronze: La Conquereor (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Pit Caribou

Category 35 — Pale&Amber Ale: American Pale Ale

  • Gold: Dikke Lul 3 Bier (Netherlands) Brewed by Uiltje Brewing
  • Silver: Aero (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio della Granda
  • Silver: Day Job Pale Ale (United States) Brewed by Three Weavers Brewing, Co.
  • Bronze: Tiny Gangsta (China) Owned by Crafters Brewing Co.

Category 36 — Pale&Amber Ale: Belgian Style IPA

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Lumunus (Netherlands) Brewed by Stadsbrouwerij 013
    Bronze: Jack’s Precious IPA (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij The Musketeers
    Bronze: Viven Master IPA (Belgium) Owned by Brouwerij Viven

Category 37 — Pale&Amber Ale: Best Bitter

  • Gold: Roger Bitter (Italy) Brewed by Birra 100Venti
  • Silver: La Galipette (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Le Fou du Roi – E.L.T sprl
  • Bronze: Aubel Pure (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Grain d’Orge

Category 38 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bières De Garde Ambrée

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Gare de Roubaix (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Mezzavia
    Bronze: PAPITOU (Belgium) Owned by MV²O – LPDLT BV.
    Bronze: St Idesbald Rousse (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij L. Huyghe

Category 39 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bitter

  • Gold: Doom Bar (United Kingdom) Owned by Sharps Brewery
  • Silver: Bertinchamps Légère (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie de Bertinchamps
  • Bronze: Santé Maris Otter (Belgium) Owned by Sante Beer

Category 40 — Pale&Amber Ale: Double Saison

  • Gold: Moinette Blonde (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
  • Silver: Tank 7 (United States) Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company
  • Bronze: Saison Dupont Dry Hop (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
(Photo by Bart Van der Perre)

Category 41 — Pale&Amber Ale: English IPA

  • Gold: SUPER 8 IPA (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Haacht
  • Silver: NONNE IPA (France) Brewed by Les Brasseurs Savoyards
  • Bronze: Ninkasi French IPA (France) Brewed by Ninkasi Fabriques

Category 42 — Pale&Amber Ale: Golden Ale

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Wilderen Goud (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij & Distilleerderij Wilderen
    Bronze: St-Feuillien Five (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie St-Feuillien
    Bronze: Troubadour Blond (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij The Musketeers

Category 43 — Pale&Amber Ale: Imperial IPA

  • Gold: Thumper (Ireland) Brewed by Kinnegar Brewing
  • Silver: Azz (Italy) Brewed by Birra Gaia SrL
  • Bronze: Jopen Heavy Cross (Netherlands) Brewed by Jopen BV

Category 44 — Pale&Amber Ale: Kölsch

  • Gold: La Blonde du Pêcheur (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Pit Caribou
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 45 — Pale&Amber Ale: Light Bitter Blond/Golden Ale

  • Gold: Ename Pater (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Roman
  • Silver: Fientje (Belgium) Owned by Huisbrouwerij Fienneke- Ellen Winters
  • Bronze: 8 File (Italy) Brewed by La Collina Trattoria & Birrificio Artigianale
  • Bronze: Super Sanglier (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Minne

Category 46 — Pale&Amber Ale: Modern Saison

  • Gold: Funky Brett (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre
  • Silver: Blue Butterfly (United States) Brewed by Deschutes Brewery
  • Bronze: 28 Saison (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie 28

Category 47 — Pale&Amber Ale: New England IPA

  • Gold: Loup des Saules (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie La Souche
  • Silver: Disco Ninja (United States) Brewed by Revision Brewing
  • Bronze: Juice Punch V10 (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Frontaal
  • Bronze: Master Gao Birdland (China) Brewed by Master Gao Brewing Co. of Nanjing

Category 48 — Pale&Amber Ale: Pacific IPA

  • Gold: Crikey IPA (United States) Brewed by Reuben’s Brews
  • Silver: The Pupil (United States) Brewed by Societe Brewing Company
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 49 — Pale&Amber Ale: Session IPA

  • Gold: Jackie Dunn (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie La Souche
  • Silver: La Cristal IPA (France) Brewed by Brasserie du Mont Blanc
  • Bronze: Canaia (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Bradipongo S.r.l.
  • Bronze: Perroquet IPA (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Le Trou du diable

Category 50 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong Amber

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Pauwel Kwak (Belgium) Brewed by n.v. Brouwerij Bosteels Brasserie s.a.
    Bronze: Millican Extra (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Mezzopasso

Category 51 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong Blonde

  • Gold: Hapkin (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Alken-Maes
  • Silver: Duvel Tripel Hop Citra (Belgium) Brewed by Duvel Moortgat
  • Bronze: Bon Secours Blonde (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Caulier

Category 52 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong/Extra Special Bitter

  • Gold: Gatsby (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio La Villana – Centoundici srl
  • Silver: Royal Bitter (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Legnone
  • Bronze: El Dorado (Italy) Brewed by Ibeer

Category 53 — Pale&Amber Ale: Traditional Saison

  • Gold: Saison Dupont Bio (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
  • Silver: Saison Dupont (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont
  • Bronze: Biolégère (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie Dupont

Category 54 — Red Ale: American Red Ale

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: Apache (Italy) Brewed by Birra 100Venti
    Bronze: Scarlet Pimpernel (Ireland) Brewed by Killarney Brewing Company

Category 55 — Red Ale: Irish Red Ale

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Brú Red Ale (Ireland) Brewed by Brú Brewery
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 56 — Red Ale: Oud Rood (Flanders Red Ale)

  • Gold: No award.
    Silver: Tsai’s Flanders Red Ale (Taiwan) Brewed by Tsai’s Actual Brewing Co., Ltd.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 57 — Speciality Beer: Alcohol-Free

  • Gold: Ramon (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Roman
  • Silver: Amstel 0.0 (Netherlands) Brewed by Heineken
  • Bronze: Affligem 0.0% (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Alken-Maes

Category 58 — Speciality Beer: Barley Wine

  • Gold: Barley Wine Brune 2017 (France) Brewed by Cap d’Ona
  • Silver: Base Bohemia Reserva (Brazil) Brewed by Cervejaria Bohemia
  • Bronze: Troost Barleywine (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Troost

Category 59 — Speciality Beer: Brut Beer

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: Kessbier Belgian Mango Brut (Brazil) Brewed by Kessbier Cervejaria
    Bronze: Asparagus (Netherlands) Owned by Brouwerij Hommeles

Category 60 — Speciality Beer: Gluten Free

  • Gold: Brunehaut Triple (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie de Brunehaut
  • Silver: Biosfera (Italy) Brewed by Il Mastio ssa
  • Bronze: Blonde Bio Sans Gluten (France) Brewed by Cap d’Ona
  • Bronze: Grisette Blonde Bio gluten free (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie St-Feuillien

Category 61 — Speciality Beer: Low-Alcohol

  • Gold: BIIR – Lots off cry(o)hops almost no alcohol (Belgium) Owned by Biir Noble Brew Trading
  • Silver: Bakalár nealko za studena Chmelený (Czech Republic) Brewed by Tradicní Pivovar v Rakovníku, a.s.
  • Bronze: Maisel & Friends Alkoholfrei (Germany) Brewed by Brauerei Gebr. Maisel

Category 62 — Speciality Beer: Old Style Gueuze-Lambic

  • Gold: Oude Geuze Oud Beersel (Belgium) Brewed by Oud Beersel BVBA
  • Silver: Oude Geuze Vandervelden (Belgium) Brewed by Oud Beersel BVBA
  • Silver: Oude Gueuze Cuvée René (Belgium) Brewed by Lindemans Brewery
  • Bronze: Feral One (United States) Brewed by Firestone Walker

Category 63 — Speciality Beer: Other Sour Ale

  • Gold: Kriek Whiskey BA (Belgium) Brewed by Hof ten Dormaal
  • Silver: Praia do Meio (Brazil) Owned by Cervejaria Cozalinda
  • Bronze: Flower Power (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Angerik
  • Bronze: Summer Sour (United States) Brewed by New Glarus Brewing

Category 64 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer (Higher Than 7 ABV)

  • Gold: Apfelstrudel Doppelbock (Netherlands) Brewed by Uiltje Brewing Company
  • Silver: Tiramisù Imperial Stout (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio Lambrate
  • Bronze: Beer Van Brugge Single Malt Whiskey Infused (Belgium) Brewed by Beer Van Brugge
  • Bronze: Dama Oatmeal Golden Coffee Ale (Brazil) Brewed by Renato Bazzo

Category 65 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer (Less Than 7 ABV)

  • Gold: Gelders Graan Geluk (Netherlands) Owned by GraanGeluk
  • Silver: La Trappe Puur (Netherlands) Brewed by Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V.
  • Silver: Timmermans Lambicus Faro (Belgium) Brewed by Timmermans NV
  • Bronze: The Harlot (United States) Brewed by Societe Brewing Company

Category 66 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer: Italian Style Grape Ale

  • Gold: L’Equilibrista (Italy) Brewed by Birra del Borgo Srl
  • Silver: Bienne (Belgium) Owned by Aligenti BV
  • Bronze: Fèlsina Birrificio – White IGA (Italy) Brewed by Felsina S.p.a.

Category 67 — Speciality Beer: Winter Ales

  • Gold: Pietra Brassin d’Hiver (France) Brewed by Brasserie Pietra
  • Silver: Gouden Carolus Christmas (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Het Anker
  • Bronze: Evil Santa (United States) Brewed by The Virginia Beer Co.

Category 68 — Stout/ Porter: American Stout

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: All Black (Netherlands) Owned by Stanislaus Brewskovitch BV

Category 69 — Stout/ Porter: Baltic Porter

  • Gold: Teodorico (Italy) Brewed by Birra Mastino
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 70 — Stout/ Porter: Dry Stout

  • Gold: Le Sang d’Encre (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Le Trou du diable
  • Silver: Cheerday Stout (China) Brewed by Hangzhou Cheerday Brewery Co., Ltd.
  • Bronze: Mac Lomas Stout (United States) Brewed by Quarter Celtic Brewpub

Category 71 — Stout/ Porter: Oatmeal Stout

  • Gold: Panty (Netherlands) Brewed by Oedipus Brewing
  • Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 72 — Stout/ Porter: Porter

  • Gold: La Gaspésienne #13 (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Pit Caribou
    Silver: La Machurée (France) Brewed by SAS Brasserie Stéphanoise
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 73 — Stout/ Porter: Russian Imperial Stout

  • Gold: Dangerous (Italy) Brewed by Birrificio della Granda
  • Gold: Wrecking Ball (United States) Brewed by No-Li Brewhouse
  • Silver: B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout (United States) Brewed by Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co
  • Silver: Kollusion (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Maenhout
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 74 — Stout/ Porter: Stout Export

  • Gold: No award.
  • Silver: van Vollenhoven Extra Stout (Netherlands) Brewed by Brouwerij Poesiat & Kater
    Bronze: Dama Stout (Brazil) Brewed by Renato Bazzo

Category 75 — Wheat: Dubbel Wit/Imperial White

  • Gold: Bogaerden Dubbel Tarwe Tripel (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Sako
  • Gold: Jopen Witte Kerst (Netherlands)Brewed by Jopen BV
  • Bronze: Grosse Bertha (Belgium) Owned by Brussels Beer Project

Category 76 — Wheat: Dunkel Weizen(Doppel)Bock

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

Category 77 — Wheat: Gose

  • Gold: La Gose IPA du Barachois (Canada) Brewed by Microbrasserie Pit Caribou
    Silver: No award.
  • Bronze: No award.

Category 78 — Wheat: Weizen

  • Gold: TAP7 Original (Germany) Brewed by Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH
  • Silver: Primátor Weizen (Czech Republic) Brewed by Primátor A.s.
  • Bronze: Beluga Beer (China) Brewed by Hunan Beluga Beer Co. , Ltd
  • Bronze: Ketterer Ur-Weisse hell (Germany) Brewed by Familienbrauerei M. Ketterer GmbH & Co. KG

Category 79 — Wheat: White IPA/Hoppy Weizen

  • Gold: Blitz (Netherlands) Owned by Brouwerij Bliksem
  • Silver: No award.
    Bronze: Daobrew CDC Chengmsterdam White IPA (China) Brewed by Chengdu Fengshou Craft Beer Company, Ltd
    Bronze: Pearl of the Orient (China) Brewed by 18 Brewery

Category 80 — Wheat: Witbier

  • Gold: Hoegaarden White (Belgium) Brewed by Hoegaarden AB-Inbev
  • Silver: Blanche de Namur (Belgium) Brewed by Brasserie du Bocq
  • Bronze: Affligem Belgisch Wit (Belgium) Brewed by Brouwerij Alken-Maes
  • Bronze: La Blanche du Mont Blanc (France) Brewed by Brasserie du Mont Blanc
Tasting Director Luc De Raedemaeker (photo by Bart Van der Perre)

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, Just For Fun, News Tagged With: Awards, Belgium, International

The Battle of Gravensteen Castle

November 16, 2020 By Jay Brooks

One of the more majestic castles in Belgium is The Gravensteen (which in Dutch means the “Castle of the Counts”). It is a medieval castle built in 1180 and located in Ghent, East Flanders in Belgium. It was only occupied by anyone other than the owners one time, on November 16, 1949, when 138 students from the University of Ghent took over the castle to protest an increase in the price of beer.

Onlookers filled the streets outside the castle in downtown Ghent.

Here is a description of the day’s events from the University of Ghent website, as translated by Google:

On November 16, 1949, 138 students (including one girl) entrenched themselves in the Gravensteen in Ghent. The battlements are adorned with playful student slogans, while the police and fire brigade are treated to overripe fruit and smoke bombs. The student-like violence can only be contained with the greatest difficulty by the police. The student joke is front-page news in the international press. 

Firemen turned their hoses on the students.

In addition to protesting the new beer tax which caused the price to go up, the students also wanted to abolish the use of white helmets by the police. This helmet was replaced by a blue kepi so that the police officers would be less distinguishable from postmen, among others. I don’t know why that was important to the students, but apparently, it was.

Eventually, the police and fire brigade managed to charge the students, but despite this, the students still essentially won the day. Public opinion was on the side of the students and no students were prosecuted and they essentially got what they asked for. To this day, each year it’s commemorated with a parade and a cantus song; and is considered, by the city of Ghent at least, the greatest student prank in its history.

A caricature of the day’s events from shortly after it took place.

The song they sing every year is entitled, of course, “The Battle of the Gravensteen,” and is based on a poem by Flemish teacher and folk poet Eugeen De Ridder. Belgian composer and organist Armand Preud’homme wrote the music for it. Below are the lyrics:

1. In Ghent, the old city,
there was the Gravensteen
For centuries as forgotten,
Abandoned and alone.
Until suddenly student times,
Lust for fun and laughter,
With trickery to renovate the castle,
Without a blow or a blow.

Sprayers of Flanders!
Ghent roars with pleasure:
“‘t Gravenkasteel occupied by students!”
They’re in it! who gets z’er out.
They fear neither club nor water nor spray!
Besiegers if you want to attack.
Watch out, watch out, watch out, watch out!
Ulenspiegel, Ulenspiegel leads them!

2. ‘t Pandoerheir, sealike, Rolls
ladders by the wall,
And takes with water lances,
The ruin under fire.
But apples like grenades,
Explode on the ground,
And the slimey scraps sow, crushing,
Confusion all around.

3. The Student’s Guild, doggedly
Covered with dust and ashes,
Faded its last apple,
His last sod of grass.
Then their battle was over …
But, through the centuries,
Vlaadren’s laughter will commemorate,
The Battle of ‘t Gravensteen!

The Gravensteen Castle today.

Filed Under: Beers, Events, Just For Fun Tagged With: Belgium, History, Politics

GABF Winners 2020

October 16, 2020 By Jay Brooks

Earlier today, the winners of the 39th Great American Beer Festival were announced (and the 34th with judging). Given the world in 2020, an impressive 8,806 entries in 91 categories (or 170 different beer styles if you include the subcategories) were tasted by 115 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: 348 entries (This is the third year in a row that it’s been #1.
  • Top 5 Categories: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (377 entries); American-Style India Pale Ale (355 entries); German-Style Pilsener (200 entries); Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout (199 entries); and Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale (192 entries)
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 97
  • 1,720 breweries in the competition from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C.
  • 337 first-time breweries entered the competition
  • 19 first-time breweries won medals
  • Only one brewery won 4 medals, Sun King Brewery of Indianapolis, Indiana. Three won 3 medals apiece: Cannonball Creek Brewing of Golden, Colorado; Chuckanut Brewery of Bellingham, Washington; and Riip Beer Co., from Huntington Beach, California. In addition, 23 breweries won 2 medals.

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 62
  2. Colorado = 26
  3. Oregon = 22
  4. Washington = 16
  5. Virginia = 15
  6. North Carolina = 11
  7. TIE: Indiana = 10 / Texas = 10
  8. Ohio = 9
  9. TIE: Illinois = 6 / Michigan = 6
  10. TIE: IOWA = 5 / Missouri = 5 / Nevada = 5 / New York = 5
Print

The 2020 Great American
Beer Festival Winners

Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer – 59 Entries
Gold: Whoopty Whoop Wheat, Wild Ride Brewing, Redmond, OR
Silver: Emmer, Lost Worlds Brewing, Cornelius, NC
Bronze: 10 Barrel TWheat, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR

Category 2: American-Style Fruit Beer – 125 Entries
Gold: Strawberry Zwickelbier, Twin Sisters Brewing Co., Bellingham, WA
Silver: Everything But The Seeds, 1623 Brewing Co., Eldersburg, MD
Bronze: Berry, Berry, Quite Contrary, Territorial Brewing Co., Springfield, MI

Category 3: Fruit Wheat Beer – 107 Entries
Gold: Liliko’i Kepolo, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Silver: Grandma’s Favorite Recipe, Silver Harbor Brewing Co., Saint Joseph, MI
Bronze: Afternoon Delight, Storm Peak Brewing Co., Steamboat Springs, CO

Category 4: Field Beer – 107 Entries
Gold: Lime Cucumber Gose, Urban South Brewery – New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Silver: Coconut Bligh’s Barleywine, Dry Dock Brewing Co.- North Dock, Aurora, CO
Bronze: No Rules, Perrin Brewing Co., Comstock Park, MI

Category 5: Pumpkin Beer – 51 Entries
Gold: Gordgeous, NoDa Brewing Co. – NE, Charlotte, NC
Silver: 5 Phantoms 2018, Philipsburg Brewing Co., Philipsburg, MT
Bronze: Pumpkin Patch Ale, Rogue Ales & Spirits, Newport, OR

Category 6: Chili Beer – 76 Entries
Gold: 325 Pineapple Chili, Hoops Brewing, Duluth, MN
Silver: Poblano Pils, Cervecería Colorado, Denver, CO
Bronze: Hatch Chile Gatos, Fate Brewing Co., Scottsdale, AZ

Category 7: Herb and Spice Beer – 99 Entries
Gold: Allergeez, Panther Island Brewing, Fort Worth, TX
Silver: Yerba Buena, Del Cielo Brewing Co., Martinez, CA
Bronze: Powder Run, Living the Dream Brewing Co., Littleton, CO

Category 8: Chocolate Beer – 53 Entries
Gold: Weapon of Mash Destruction, Main & Six Brewing Co., Jacksonville, FL
Silver: Old Balltown Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Aged Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Brownie Milk Stout, PIVO Brewery, Calmar, IA
Bronze: Von Schrag, Mother’s Brewing Co., Springfield, MO

Category 9: Coffee Beer – 72 Entries
Gold: Daybreak, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing – Columbus, OH
Silver: Golden Stout, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. – Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: BJ’s Coffee Blonde, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Reno, Reno, NV

Category 10: Coffee Stout or Porter – 75 Entries
Gold: Super Tonic, Docent Brewing, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Silver: The Riizzo, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Venti is Large, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Half Moon Bay, CA

Category 11: Specialty Beer – 35 Entries
Gold: Coco Burrito Porter, Shoe Tree Brewing Co., Carson City, NV
Silver: Cookies & Cream Milk Stout, Waconia Brewing Co., Waconia, MN
Bronze: Cactus Warrior, Toltec Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category 12: Rye Beer – 52 Entries
Gold: Crazy Jackass Ale, Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater Tavern, Centreville, VA
Silver: Hugzilla, Gezellig Brewing Co., Newton, IA
Bronze: Chuckanut Rye, Chuckanut Brewery – North Nut, Bellingham, WA

Category 13: Honey Beer – 72 Entries
Gold: Honey Please, Armadillo Ale Works, Denton, TX
Silver: Tra La La, Grimm Artisanal Ales, Brooklyn, NY
Bronze: Grid City Honey Cream Ale, Grid City Beer Works, Salt Lake City, UT

Category 14: Session Beer or Non-Alcohol Beer – 89 Entries
Gold: Tip the Calf, SingleSpeed Brewing, Waterloo, IA
Silver: Guillaume, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Straight Drank N/A IPA, Two Roots Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 15: Session India Pale Ale – 94 Entries
Gold: Hefty Fee, Docent Brewing, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Silver: Pedal Pounder, LazyG Brewhouse, Prescott, AZ
Bronze: On Pins & Needles, Institution Ale Co., Camarillo, CA

Category 16: Other Strong Beer – 82 Entries
Gold: Rico, Chihuahua Cerveza, Costa Mesa, CA
Silver: Krimson King, Accomplice Beer Co., Cheyenne, WY
Bronze: Hello, Sabro!, Danville Brewing Co., Danville, CA

Category 17: Experimental Beer – 115 Entries
Gold: Barrel Aged Coco Piña, Coastal Empire Beer Co., Savannah, GA
Silver: Choco Tuesday, Lone Pine Brewing Co. – Gorham Tasting Room, Gorham, ME
Bronze: Get Artistic, Creature Comforts Brewing Co., Athens, GA

Category 18: Experimental India Pale Ale – 103 Entries
Gold: Pepper & Peaches, Claremont Craft Ales, Claremont, CA
Silver: Lazy Tiger, Lamplighter Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA
Bronze: Vladimir Brutin, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category 19: Historical Beer – 28 Entries
Gold: Decorah Nordic Gruit, PIVO Brewery, Calmar, IA
Silver: Seedstock Gratzer, Seedstock Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Fr. Bernard’s Grodziskie, New Magnolia Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 20: Gluten-Free Beer – 45 Entries
Gold: Aurochs Hazy IPA, Aurochs Brewing Co., Emsworth, PA
Silver: 1808, ALT Brew, Madison, WI

Category 21: American-Belgo-Style Ale – 34 Entries
Gold: Tank 7, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Dear You, Ratio Beerworks, Denver, CO
Bronze: Still Single, Light the Lamp Brewery, Grayslake, IL

Category 22: American-Style Sour Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Vice Sans Fruit, Wild Barrel Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA
Silver: Mirage, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Sour IPA, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO

Category 23: Fruited American-Style Sour Ale – 180 Entries
Gold: Guava Dreams, Del Cielo Brewing Co., Martinez, CA
Silver: Peach Afternoon, Port Brewing Co. / The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Bronze: Summer Sun, Stereo Brewing Co., Placentia, CA

Category 24: Brett Beer – 48 Entries
Gold: Bottle Conditioned Day Drinker, Lost Forty Brewing, Little Rock, AR
Silver: Touch of Brett, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Bronze: Saison de Walt, Flix Brewhouse, Carmel, IN

Category 25: Mixed-Culture Brett Beer – 74 Entries
Gold: Wild James, Coldfire Brewing, Eugene, OR
Silver: Déluge, Sanitas Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Gathering Red Currants & Peaches, Grimm Artisanal Ales, Brooklyn, NY

Category 26: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 65 Entries
Gold: Afternoon Delight, Sun King Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Amburana Graham Cracker Porter, Denver Beer Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: B.A.DUNKEL, TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room, Tustin, CA

Category 27: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 154 Entries
Gold: Amburana Dream, Denver Beer Co. – Olde Town Arvada, Arvada, CO
Silver: Bourbon B.A. Big Game, Bravery Brewing, Lancaster, CA
Bronze: Barrel-Aged Full Malted Jacket, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Category 28: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 199 Entries
Gold: A Night to End All Dawns, Kane Brewing Co., Ocean, NJ
Silver: Ruckus, Melvin Brewing – Thai Me Up, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Grasp of Oak, Moksa Brewing Co., Rocklin, CA

Category 29: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 54 Entries
Gold: Cuvee De Funk, Lone Pine Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Triad Blanc, IMBIB Custom Brews, Reno, NV
Bronze: Freedom 7, True Anomaly Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 30: Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 111 Entries
Gold: The Many Lives of Our Lives, Big aLICe Brewing Co., Long Island City, NY
Silver: Cleft, Little Fish Brewing Co., Athens, OH
Bronze: Cherry Busey, Sun King Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Category 31: Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 71 Entries
Gold: Safety Dance, Smartmouth Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Silver: Royal Bohemian Pilsner, Earth Rider Brewery, Superior, WI
Bronze: TF Brewing Granary Keller Bier, Templin Family Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT

Category 32: Smoke Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: O’Fallon Smoked Porter, O’Fallon Brewery, Maryland Heights, MO
Silver: Holy Smokes!, Santa Maria Brewing Co., Atascadero, CA
Bronze: Buchenrauch, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, Columbus, OH

Category 33: American Lager – 137 Entries
Gold: Lager at World’s End, Epidemic Ales, Concord, CA
Silver: Seismic Tremor, Seismic Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Lite Thinking, Pollyanna Brewing Co., Lemont, IL

Category 34: Light Lager – 85 Entries
Gold: Wander Litely, Wander Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Chuckanut Chuck Lite, Chuckanut Brewery – North Nut, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Pachanga, Sun King Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Category 35: American Pilsener – 120 Entries
Gold: Beachscape, Ventura Coast Brewing Co., Ventura, CA
Silver: Imagine a World with Beer Cellars Instead of 401ks, Freetail Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Bronze: Pilsner, Old Town Brewing, Portland, OR

Category 36: International Pilsener – 114 Entries
Gold: Japanese Lager, pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River, OR
Silver: Rioveza, Kern River Brewing Co. – The Backyard, Kernville, CA
Bronze: Little Wing, Horse Thief Hollow Brewing Co., Chicago, IL

Category 37: American-Style Cream Ale – 135 Entries
Gold: Moonlite, Moontown Brewing Co., Whitestown, IN
Silver: Cerveza, True North Ale Co., Ipswich, MA
Bronze: Let’s Talk About Mex, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category 38: American Amber Lager – 111 Entries
Gold: Volksbier Vienna, Wibby Brewing, Longmont, CO
Silver: Oktoberfest, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Amber Lager, Skipping Rock Beer Co., Staunton, VA

Category 39: German-Style Pilsener – 200 Entries
Gold: Sprockets, Gravely Brewing Co., Louisville, KY
Silver: Prost Pils, Prost Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Pils, Kansas City Bier Co., Kansas City, MO

Category 40: Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 137 Entries
Gold: Perle Haggard, Ex Novo Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Fortune & Glory, Precarious Beer Project – Precarious Beer Hall, Williamsburg, VA
Bronze: Tres Tres, Ocean Beach Brewery, San Diego, CA

Category 41: Munich-Style Helles – 131 Entries
Gold: Augenblick Light Lager, Masthead Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Silver: Nashville Lager, Nashville Brewing Co., Nashville, TN
Bronze: Helles, Kulshan Brewing Co. – K2, Bellingham, WA

Category 42: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 90 Entries
Gold: CounterWeight Fest Bier, Counter Weight Brewing Co., Hamden, CT
Silver: The Prince of DORTness, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Funfest, Bootlegger’s Brewery, Fullerton, CA

Category 43: Vienna-Style Lager – 109 Entries
Gold: RhinO’fest, Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA
Silver: Vienna Lager, East Rock Brewing Co., New Haven, CT
Bronze: Oktoberfest, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 44: German-Style Maerzen – 142 Entries
Gold: Amber’s Lager-Amber Lager, Irwin Brewing Co., Crested Butte, CO
Silver: White Rocktoberfest, White Rock Alehouse & Brewery, Dallas, TX
Bronze: Big Grove Oktoberfest, Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, IA

Category 45: German Dark Lager – 98 Entries
Gold: Maximilian, La Reforma, Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Dozer Line, Topa Topa Brewing Co., Ventura, CA
Bronze: Umbeereon, GameCraft Brewing, Laguna Hills, CA

Category 46: International Dark Lager – 89 Entries
Gold: Baltic Porter, Skipping Rock Beer Co., Staunton, VA
Silver: Murder Ballads, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Bronze: Public Enemy Baltic Porter, Dust Bowl Brewing Co., Turlock, CA

Category 47: Bock – 50 Entries
Gold: Chuckanut Maibock, Chuckanut Brewery – North Nut, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Maibock, NoDa Brewing Co. – NE, Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Skool House Bock, Moontown Brewing Co., Whitestown, IN

Category 48: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 40 Entries
Gold: Agent Provocator, Clandestine Brewing, San Jose, CA
Silver: Duck-Rabbit Duck-Rabbator, Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, Farmville, NC
Bronze: Doppelbock, Lupulin Brewing, Big Lake, MN

Category 49: Golden or Blonde Ale – 137 Entries
Gold: Carolinian, Columbia Craft Brewing Co., Columbia, SC
Silver: Salty Crew, Coronado Brewing Co., Coronado, CA
Bronze: Sunlight Cream Ale, Sun King Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Category 50: German-Style Koelsch – 162 Entries
Gold: Kolsch, pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River, OR
Silver: Kodiak Kolsch, Bear Chase Brewing Co., Bluemont, VA
Bronze: Kolsch Money, Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers, Framingham, MA

Category 51: English Ale – 93 Entries
Gold: Proper Beer, Proper Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Summer Lovin’, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Uncle Dave’s, Discretion Brewing, Soquel, CA

Category 52: International Pale Ale – 87 Entries
Gold: Locals Only, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Carlsbad Crush, Burgeon Beer Co., Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Inner Light, Our Mutual Friend Brewing, Denver, CO

Category 53: American-Style Pale Ale – 156 Entries
Gold: Featherweight Pale Ale, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Somewhere Golden, Institution Ale Co., Camarillo, CA
Bronze: Pantsless, Alarmist Brewing, Chicago, IL

Category 54: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 137 Entries
Gold: Moon Haze, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Hazy L IPA, Bale Breaker Brewing Co., Yakima, WA
Bronze: Mosaic Pale Ale, Random Row Brewing Co., Charlottesville, VA

Category 55: American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 149 Entries
Gold: Built For Speed, Grains of Wrath Brewing, Camas, WA
Silver: Superpower IPA, Comrade Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Mai Tai P.A., Alvarado Street Brewery & Tasting Room, Salinas, CA

Category 56: Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale – 145 Entries
Gold: Goofy Boots, Penrose Brewing Co., Geneva, IL
Silver: Reuben’s Crush, Reuben’s Brews – The Taproom, Seattle, WA
Bronze: Tight Quarters, Slice Beer Co., Lincoln, CA

Category 57: American-Style India Pale Ale – 355 Entries
Gold: IPA, Perry Street Brewing, Spokane, WA
Silver: Updrift India Pale Ale, Pelican Brewing Co. – Tillamook, Tillamook, OR
Bronze: Nothing Noble, Von Ebert Brewing – Pearl, Portland, OR

Category 58: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale – 377 Entries
Gold: Spellbinder, Wren House Brewing Co., Phoenix, AZ
Silver: Yojo, Moonraker Brewing Co., Auburn, CA
Bronze: Wicked Pawesome, Metazoa Brewing Co. – Stringtown Production Facility, Indianapolis, IN

Category 59: Imperial India Pale Ale – 166 Entries
Gold: Hammerland DIPA, El Segundo Brewing Co., El Segundo, CA
Silver: Double Cone, Alvarado Street Brewery & Tasting Room, Salinas, CA
Bronze: Freak of Nature Double IPA, Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, NC

Category 60: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale – 192 Entries
Gold: The Hopsplainer, Burke-Gilman Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Not A Scientist, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA
Bronze: Sugar on My Tongue, Highland Park Brewery, Los Angeles, CA

Category 61: American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 110 Entries
Gold: Avalon Amber Ale, Bowigens Beer Co., Casselberry, FL
Silver: Justin’s Easy Going Amber, Zuni Street Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Paulie’s Not Irish, Old Town Brewing, Portland, OR

Category 62: Strong Red Ale – 75 Entries
Gold: Happy Days, Claremont Craft Ales, Claremont, CA
Silver: Side Hike, Kern River Brewing Co., Kernville, CA
Bronze: Devil’s Path, El Segundo Brewing Co., El Segundo, CA

Category 63: English Mild or Bitter – 57 Entries
Gold: Deep Roots, Three Weavers Brewing Co., Inglewood, CA
Silver: English Pale Mild Ale, Wallenpaupack Brewing Co., Hawley, PA
Bronze: MSB (McFleshman’s Special Bitter), McFleshman’s Brewing Co., Appleton, WI

Category 64: Extra Special Bitter – 56 Entries
Gold: Wicket Awesome, Eureka Heights Brew Co., Houston, TX
Silver: Extra Special StormBreaker, StormBreaker Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: English Sporting Beer, Midwest Coast Brewing Co., Chicago, IL

Category 65: Scottish-Style Ale – 43 Entries
Gold: Back Country, Lewis & Clark Brewing Co., Helena, MT
Silver: It Takes a Tribe Red Ale, Goat Patch Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO
Bronze: Taildragger Clan-Destine, Saddle Mountain Brewing Co., Goodyear, AZ

Category 66: Irish-Style Red Ale – 78 Entries
Gold: Balefire Irish Red, Mirror Image Brewing Co., Frederick, CO
Silver: Crimson Lass, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Vixen, Old Bust Head Brewing Co., Vint Hill, VA

Category 67: English-Style Brown Ale – 55 Entries
Gold: Get Up Offa That Brown, Golden Road Brewing, Anaheim, CA
Silver: Bloodhound Brown Ale, Attic Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Brown Ale, Lowercase Brewing – Production Facility, Seattle, WA

Category 68: American-Style Brown Ale – 60 Entries
Gold: Brown Ale, Second Street Brewery, Santa Fe, NM
Silver: Wallops Island, Rocket Frog Brewing Co., Sterling, VA
Bronze: All-American Brown, Auburn Alehouse, Auburn, CA

Category 69: American-Style Black Ale or American-Style Stout – 69 Entries
Gold: Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. – The Propagator, Marina del Rey, CA
Silver: Black the Riipper, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: 1979 Stout, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Mills River, Mills River, NC

Category 70: German-Style Sour Ale – 54 Entries
Gold: Breakside Gose, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Silver: Slightly Sour, Second Chance Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: First Steps on a Sour Planet, Aeronaut Brewing Co., Somerville, MA

Category 71: Specialty Berliner-Style Weisse – 74 Entries
Gold: Razzle Fo Shazzle, Great Basin Brewing Co. – Reno, Reno, NV
Silver: Glitz & Glam, Eppig Brewing, Vista, CA
Bronze: Plumpricot, Beale’s, Bedford, VA

Category 72: Contemporary Gose – 81 Entries
Gold: Cruise to Nowhere, Town Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Silver: Haole Punch, Alvarado Street Brewery & Grill, Monterey, CA
Bronze: Steady As She Gose – P.O.G., Big Ugly Brewing, Chesapeake, VA

Category 73: German-Style Altbier – 44 Entries
Gold: Howitzer Amber, Red Leg Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO
Silver: Control ALT, Devil’s Logic Brewing, Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Altitude Alt, Altitude Chophouse & Brewery, Laramie, WY

Category 74: German-Style Wheat Ale – 145 Entries
Gold: Goggle Fogger Hefeweizen, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH
Silver: Hefeweizen, Kansas City Bier Co., Kansas City, MO
Bronze: Doc’s Dunkel, Gravely Brewing Co., Louisville, KY

Category 75: Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale – 74 Entries
Gold: First To Fall, The Good Society, Seattle, WA
Silver: Crazy Train, Fretboard Brewing Co., Blue Ash, OH
Bronze: III Belgian Blond, Third Window Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA

Category 76: Belgian-Style Witbier – 72 Entries
Gold: White, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Boeman Belgian White, Ogopogo Brewing, San Gabriel, CA
Bronze: Wolk, Lock 27 Brewing, Centerville, OH

Category 77: Classic Saison – 80 Entries
Gold: Beyond the Gnome World, Silver Branch Brewing Co., Silver Spring, MD
Silver: Tomorrow’s Verse, Urban Roots Brewing & Smokehouse, Sacramento, CA
Bronze: Meadowlark, Metazoa Brewing Co. – Taproom, Indianapolis, IN

Category 78: Specialty Saison – 74 Entries
Gold: Farmhouse Cuvée, Alesong Brewing & Tasting Room, Eugene, OR
Silver: Seeds of Infinity, Coldfire Brewing, Eugene, OR
Bronze: Obeisance, Von Ebert Brewing – Glendoveer, Portland, OR

Category 79: Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 108 Entries
Gold: Funk Yeah, Beachwood Blendery, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Peche, Block 15 Brewing Co., Corvallis, OR
Bronze: Cerise Morte, Wicked Weed – Funk House, Arden, NC

Category 80: Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 103 Entries
Gold: Cosmic Sloth, Pinthouse Pizza – South Lamar, Austin, TX
Silver: Qualified, Taxman Brewing Co., Bargersville, IN
Bronze: Hell Camino Belgian Quad, Dos Desperados Brewery, San Diego, CA

Category 81: Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 106 Entries
Gold: Dubbel or Nothing, Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend, OR
Silver: 228 Tripel, Stormcloud Brewing Co., Frankfort, MI
Bronze: Lux Mundi, Save The World Brewing Co., Marble Falls, TX

Category 82: Belgian-Style Specialty Ale – 47 Entries
Gold: Tangible Passion, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Goin’ Stag, Cabin Boys Brewery, Tulsa, OK
Bronze: Orange Diva, StillFire Brewing, Suwanee, GA

Category 83: Brown Porter – 54 Entries
Gold: Brown Claw, Kern River Brewing Co., Kernville, CA
Silver: FivePine Porter, Three Creeks Brewing Co., Sisters, OR
Bronze: Old Normal, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category 84: Robust Porter – 60 Entries
Gold: Tabula Rasa, Second Chance Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Porter, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Thriller Pillar Porter, Bron Yr Aur Brewing Co., Naches, WA

Category 85: Stout – 72 Entries
Gold: ODIS, O’Connor Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Silver: Void of Light, Gun Hill Brewing Co., Bronx, NY
Bronze: Dry Stout, The Post Brewing Co., Lafayette, CO

Category 86: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout – 39 Entries
Gold: Moozie Milk Stout, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Korova Milk Porter, Gnarly Barley Brewing Co., Hammond, LA
Bronze: Irish Prenup, Barley Naked Brewing Co., Stafford, VA

Category 87: Oatmeal Stout – 52 Entries
Gold: Settlers’ Oatmeal Stout, Vallensons’ Brewing Co., Pearland, TX
Silver: North Tower Stout, Earth Rider Brewery, Superior, WI
Bronze: Stagecoach Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA

Category 88: Imperial Stout – 88 Entries
Gold: The Snow, Community Beer Works, Buffalo, NY
Silver: Doggin Wrench, Five Branches Brewing, Tarpon Springs, FL
Bronze: Stoutacus, Shoe Tree Brewing Co., Carson City, NV

Category 89: Scotch Ale – 58 Entries
Gold: No. 17 Scotch Ale, The Freehouse, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: The Bruce, Überbrew, Billings, MT
Bronze: Wee Heavy HINDER, H.H. Hinder Brewing Co., Waupaca, WI

Category 90: Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine-Style Ale – 91 Entries
Gold: Miss Cleo’s Barkleywine, Sanford Brewing Co., Sanford, FL
Silver: Baby Maker, Triple C Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Waterline Wee Heavy, Waterline Brewing Co., Wilmington, NC

Category 91: Fresh Hop Beer – 58 Entries
Gold: Conelick’r, Three Creeks Brewing Co., Sisters, OR
Silver: Fresh Hop Ride the Pine, Belching Beaver Brewery – Tavern & Grill, Vista, CA
Bronze: Fresh Hop Hazealicious, Reuben’s Brews – Production Brewery, Seattle, WA

2020 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
The Good Society, Seattle, WA
Phil Cammarano & Nick Berger

Mid-Size Brewpub and Mid-Size Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend, OR
Todd Clement & Chris Dinsdale

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
The Freehouse, Minneapolis, MN
The Freehouse Team

Very Small Brewing Company and Very Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Five Branches Brewing, Tarpon Springs, FL
Jerry Brown

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Big aLICe Brewing Co., Long Island City, NY
Big aLICe Production Team

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Lost Forty Brewing, Little Rock, AR
Lost Forty Brewing Team

Brewery Group and Brewery Group Brewer of the Year
Three Creeks Brewing Co., Sisters, OR
Team Three Creeks

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, News Tagged With: Awards, Brewers Association, GABF, United States

NFL Football: Pick The Winners At Brookston Fantasy Games 2020: Pandemic Edition

September 9, 2020 By Jay Brooks

This is the fourteenth year for the Brookston Fantasy Football Games. We’ve had a lot of fun over the last thirteen, so if you love football and beer, consider joining us this year, whether you’ve played in past seasons or are a newcomer. The NFL season begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 10, so you’ve got just a few hours to sign up. And this year is the Pandemic Edition, which just means with so little else to do, everybody should sign up this year. Why not join us?

I’ve again set up two free Yahoo fantasy football games, one a simple pick ’em game and the other a survival pool. Up to 50 people can play each game (that’s Yahoo’s limit, not mine), so if you’re a regular Bulletin reader feel free to sign up for one or even both. It’s free to play, all you need is a Yahoo ID, which is also free. Below is a description of each game and the details on how to join each league and play.

Pro Football Pick’em

In this Pick’em game, just pick the winner for every game each week, with no spread, and let’s see who gets the most correct throughout the season. All that’s at stake is bragging rights, but it’s still great fun.

Also, like the last few years, we’ll be able to keep picking all through the playoffs, so the game will continue through to the Super Bowl, which is pretty cool.

In order to join the group, just go to Pro Football Pick’em, click the “Sign Up” button and look for a link or bottom that reads “Join Group.” From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information…

Group ID#: 33460 (Brookston Football Picks)
Password: brookston

Survival Football

If picking all sixteen football games every week seems like too much, then Survival Football is for you. In Survival Football, you only have to pick one game each week. The only catch is you can’t pick the same team to win more than once all season. And you better be sure about each game you pick because if you’re wrong, you’re out for the season. Actually a few years ago they added a new feature and I changed the game so to be kicked out you have to be wrong twice. In that way more people stand a better chance of lasting longer into the season. So get one wrong, and you’re still okay, get a second wrong, now you’re gone for the season. Last man standing wins.

Again, like the last few years, we can keep picking all through the playoffs, assuming our luck holds. So the game could even continue through to the Super Bowl.

This year it’s even easier to join, with a new streamlined sign-up process. Just click on this direct link and follow the instructions from there.

With 50 players allowed in each game, there’s plenty of room, so don’t be shy. Sign up for one or both games. In past seasons, I’ve posted the standings on the home page, but wasn’t able to figure out a way to do that recently. Hopefully, I’ll figure out something this year. Anyway, why not join us? Go head to head again me and my team, the Brookston Brew Jays.

Filed Under: Events, Just For Fun, Related Pleasures Tagged With: Announcements, Fantasy, Football, Games, Sports

Bistro Double IPA Winners 2020

February 8, 2020 By Jay Brooks

bistro

Earlier today, the 20th annual Double IPA Festival was held at the Bistro in Hayward, California. I got there early for judging again this year, and was sequestered in the dark, dank basement out of the view of the beautiful Bay Area sun for most of the morning. We judged over 100 Double and Triple IPAs for most of the morning.

Bistro-DIPA20-1
First rounds of Double IPAs being judged (Triples were on the other table).

Double IPAs

  • 1st Place: Kern River Double Church
  • 2nd Place: Revision Double IPA
  • 3rd Place: Riip Beer Co. Gimpier McGee
Bistro-DIPA20-2
The DIPA Fest judges.

Triple IPAs

  • 1st Place: Heretic Evil3
  • 2nd Place: Beachwood Hops of Fury
  • 3rd Place: Ghostwood Clearly Dangerous
Bistro-DIPA20-3
Beautiful downtown Hayward.

Peoples Choice Awards

  • People’s Choice Award — Double IPA: Slice Doobie Snacks
  • People’s Choice Award — Triple IPA: Slice Wombo

Congratulations to all the winners.

Bistro-DIPA20-4
And a special shout out to industry veteran Matt Sallie, who was surprised by an impromptu celebration of his 50th birthday at the Bistro today.

Filed Under: Beers, Events, News

Beer Birthday: The Beer Can

January 24, 2020 By Jay Brooks

beer-generic-can
Today is “Beer Can Appreciation Day,” because on this day 85 years ago — January 24, 1935 — the humble beer can was sold for the very first time. So join me in wishing the beer can a happy birthday.

Below is an article I wrote about beer cans alnost 15 years ago telling the story of their history.

The beer can debuted in 1935, when an otherwise obscure brewery from New Jersey — Gottfried Krueger Brewing Co. — test-marketed them in Virginia, as far from their home market as possible. Breweries may have been initially reluctant, but the public loved cans — they were an overnight sensation. By the end of that first year, Schlitz (then one of America’s biggest brewers) had their beer in cans and every other brewery quickly followed suit.

krueger-can

The beer can was invented by American Can, who patented “Vinylite,” a plastic lining for cans marketed under the brand name “Keglined.” Over the years, the technology continued to improve, from tin to all-aluminum, from cone tops to flat tops, from clumsy openers to pull tops, yet one seemingly intractable problem remained: metal turbity. That’s the technical term for metal leeching into the beer, and consumers increasingly complained about the tainted metallic flavor in canned beer.

krueger-can-back

But then craft beer became popular, and with it better beer evangelists preached that canned beer could never be good. And that remained conventional wisdom for decades, made virtually dogma. During that same time, however, research by the can companies solved the metal turbidity problem. Using an organic polymer — really a water-based epoxy acrylic — that was sprayed inside each can during manufacturing, it could now honestly be said that the beer never touched the metal.

Unfortunately, the only beer in cans was not the type that most beer geeks would willingly quaff. The other great hurdle to getting craft beer in a can was the cost. You could buy a cheap, used bottling line but canning lines were quite massive and very expensive. And the people who made cans were used to selling them to big breweries, and so the minimum run for a can was something on the order of a full railroad car, too many and too expensive for even the biggest microbreweries.

But then the bottom fell out of microbrewing, and by the late-1990s equipment suppliers were also feeling the pinch. Hoping to survive the economic downturn, Canada’s Cask Brewing Systems created an affordable solution. They designed a small manual canning line that was cheaper than the average bottling line and persuaded Ball Corporation (a leading can manufacturer) to significantly reduce their minimum orders. All they had to do was convince someone to try canning their beer.

And so Cask started appearing at trade shows and repeatedly sending literature to breweries. When Dale Katechis, of Oskar Blues, in Lyons, Colorado, first read the pitch, he “just laughed and laughed,” thinking there’s “no way this can be done.” But the more he looked into it, the less he laughed. A few months later — in 2002 — Dale’s Pale Ale was released, the first craft beer to be hand-canned. By 2005, Oskar Blues was the biggest brewpub in the U.S. and Dale’s was declared by the New York Times to be the best pale ale in America.

The Oskar Blues team became evangelists for canned beer with the slogan “the canned-beer apocalypse.” Other small breweries noticed Dale’s success and he was only too happy to show them the light. Today, there are nearly forty [in 2006] craft brewers hand-canning their beer.

There are almost as many kinds of beer in cans as there are styles these days, too, from extreme, strong offerings like Surly’s Furious (a 100-IBU Imperial IPA) and Old Chubb (a Scotch Ale) to more unusual beers like Maui Brewing’s CoCoNut Porter and 21st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon to lighter lagers like Sly Fox’s Pikeland Pils and Steamwoks Steam Engine Lager. And now that New Belgium Brewing, one of the largest American craft brewers, is canning their popular Fat Tire Amber Ale, expect to see many more beers in cans in the future.

The biggest challenge is unmaking the dogmatic perception of beer in cans as an evil. It’s a persistent prejudice, but is slowly beginning to change as the advantages to canned beer become more widely known. They keep out all UV light, avoiding the skunky taste of clear and green glass. Cans have lower oxygen levels, meaning longer shelf life. They won’t break; they chill faster and can be taken more places, especially where glass is prohibited. And they’re more environmentally friendly, using less packaging plus more of the can is recyclable, with more used in manufacturing recycled cans. Cans are also lighter, resulting in lower transportation costs and fewer fossil fuels needed.

But in the end, the only thing that matters is how the beer tastes. Side-by-side can vs. draft taste tests reveal that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference. That, coupled with the real advantages of the packaging, means that craft beer in cans is where the future of craft beer is heading.

shaun-cans
Shaun O’Sullivan, co-owner of 21st Amendment, showing off one of his early can designs. 21A was the third brewery in California to can their beer.

When I originally wrote that article, around two dozen small breweries were canning their beer, and when I first posted this in 2011 that number had quadrupled, with over 100 small brewers canning their beer. In 2015, the Canned Beer Database lists 480 breweries offering their beer in cans. It’s great to see good beer in cans become more and more common, and we should continue to see more canned beer from craft brewers in the future. Why not pick up some today and see for yourself how good it now is from a can, especially as we celebrate “Beer Can Appreciation Day.”

krueger-cream-ale-flat

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, Just For Fun Tagged With: Cans, History

Brussels Beer Challenge Winners 2019

November 25, 2019 By Jay Brooks

BBC-2

Last Monday, the winners of the 8th annual Brussels Beer Challenge were announced. A little over 1,650 beers were judged in 8 broad styles (Pale Ale, Dark Ale, Red Ale, Pils, Stout/Porter, White, Flavoured Beers, Specialty Beers) and then further subdivided into 83 smaller categories (lambic, abbey, chocolate beers, etc.) by 90 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. This year the competition was held in Mons, with entries from 35 countries. After three days of judging, the awards were announced last Monday, but it took me this long to go through and reformat the winners into a list. Congratulations to all the winners!

Brussels-Beer-Challenge_cmyk

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

Medals Won by Country:

  1. Belgium = 76
  2. United States = 46
  3. Italy = 24
  4. Netherlands = 21
  5. China = 18
  6. France = 16
  7. Germany = 15
  8. Brazil = 12
  9. Canada = 8
  10. Taiwan = 5
bbc2019-all-medals

The 2019 Brussels Beer Challenge Winners

Category 1 — Dark Ale: Abbey / Trappist Style Dubbel
Gold: AFFLIGEM DUBBEL (Brouwerij Alken-Maes; Belgium)
Silver: LA TRAPPE DUBBEL (Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V.; Netherlands)
Bronze: STEENBRUGGE DUBBEL BRUIN (Brouwerij Palm – Swinkels Family Brewers Belgium; Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: DELIRIUM NOCTURNUM (Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV; Belgium)

Category 2 — Dark Ale: Brown Ale
Gold: BRUGSE ZOT DUBBEL Brouwerij De Halve Maan (Belgium)
Silver: LA BRUNETTE Brasserie du Renard (Belgium)
Bronze: LA GERVOISE BRUNE SAS Brasserie Etienne (France)
Certificate of Excellence: TRIPLE SECRET DES MOINES BRUNE Brasserie Goudale (France)

Category 3 — Dark Ale: Dark/Black IPA
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: BLACK BUCKET Kinnegar Brewing (Ireland)
Certificate of Excellence: SABRO LASER Brasserie de la Pleine Lune (France)

Category 4 — Dark Ale: Oud Bruin (Flanders Brown Ale)
Gold: QUEUE DE CHARRUE VIEILLE BRUNE Brasserie Vanuxeem (Belgium)
Silver: LIEFMANS GOUDENBAND Duvel Moortgat (Belgium)
Bronze: WEST ODNAR Firestone Walker Brewing Company (United States)

Category 5 — Dark Ale: Strong Dark Ale
Gold: CHIMAY GRANDE RÉSERVE Bières de Chimay (Belgium)
Silver: DE POES BRUIN Brouwerij De Poes BVBA (Belgium)
Bronze: TÜBINATOR Cerveceria Principal (Chile)
Certificate of Excellence: BARLEY WINE BRUNE MILLÉSIME 2017 Cap d’Ona (France)
Certificate of Excellence: LEFORT Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste (Belgium)

Category 6 — Flavoured Beer: Chocolate
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: NOI CIOCCOLATO Noi Cervejaria (Brazil)

Category 7 — Flavoured Beer: Coffee
Gold: MACONDO COFFEE STOUT Cervecería BBC (Colombia)
Silver: BRIGADEIRO Jack’s Abby Brewing (United States)
Bronze: FOXTAIL DOUBLE STOUT Hourglass Brewing (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: PURPLE SAISON 18 Brewery (China)

Category 8 — Flavoured Beer: Field Beer
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: No Award
Certificate of Excellence: TOMATO GOSE NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)

Category 9 — Flavoured Beer: Fruit Beer
Gold: AMBAR IMPERIAL CITRUS La Zaragozana S.A. (Spain)
Silver: MANGO GOSE NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)
Bronze: LILLE RØDE Lindheim Ølkompani (Norway)
Certificate of Excellence: NIUBIC SOUR NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)
Certificate of Excellence: RODENBACH ALEXANDER Brouwerij Rodenbach – Swinkels Family Brewers Belgium (Belgium)

Category 10 — Flavoured Beer: Herb & Spice
Gold: SUPER 8 SAISON Brouwerij Haacht (Belgium)
Silver: IJZERHARD IPA Oproer (Netherlands)
Bronze: LOHN BIER CARVOEIRA Lohn Bier (Brazil)
Bronze: BAMBERG HABANERO RAUCHBIER Cervejaria Bamberg (Brazil)

Category 11 — Flavoured Beer: Honey Beer
Gold: BIÈRE DE MIEL Brasserie Dupont (Belgium)
Silver: MAJA HONEY ALE Jeb sas di Bau’ Chiara & C (Italy)
Bronze: MEXICAN HONEY Indeed Brewing Company (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: MAJA WINTER EDITION HONEY ALE Jeb sas di Bau’ Chiara & C (Italy)

Category 12 — Flavoured Beer: Old Style Fruit-Lambic
Gold: OLD KRIEK CUVÉE RENÉ Lindemans Brewery (Belgium)
Silver: OUDE KRIEK OUD BEERSEL Oud Beersel BVBA (Belgium)
Bronze: OUDE QUETSCHE TILQUIN À L’ANCIENNE Gueuzerie Tilquin S.A. (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: OUDE KRIEK BOON Brouwerij Boon (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: SELVA SOUR Birra dell’Eremo (Italy)

Category 13 — Flavoured Beer: Pumpkin Ale
Gold: BRANDY BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL PUMPKIN ALE Lakefront Brewery (United States)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: PUMPKIN ALE Low land Brewery di Elettromeccanica di Nicola Soldani (Italy)

Category 14 — Flavoured Beer: Russian Imperial Stout Barrel Or Oaked Aged
Gold: BOURBON BARREL AGED DARK STAR Fremont Brewing (United States)
Silver: FATHER OF ALL TSUNAMIS Pelican Brewing Company (United States)
Bronze: BLACK BUTTE XXXI Deschutes Brewery (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: BLACK CURRANT BARREL AGED IMPARIAL STOUT Suzhou City Guangtu Brewing Co. (China)

Category 15 — Flavoured Beer: Smoked Beer
Gold: OTHMAR RAUCH Ootmarsummer Bierbrouwerij Heupink & Co (Netherlands)
Silver: BUCKSKIN RAUCHBIER Buckskin, King Car Group (Taiwan)
Bronze: THE WALL KAMALEON RAUCH Evo Srl (Italy)

Category 16 — Flavoured Beer: Sweet/Milk Stout
Gold: No Award
Silver: STEEL TOE STOUT Ska Brewing Company (United States)
Bronze: LOCAL LEGEND Deep Ellum Brewing Company (United States)
Bronze: SAMUEL ADAMS CREAM STOUT Boston Beer Company (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: KOFI Brasserie Atrium S.A. (Belgium)

Category 17 — Flavoured Beer: Wood/Barrel Aged (Less Than 10% ABV)
Gold: MOLE MERKIN Firestone Walker Brewing Company (United States)
Silver: RODENBACH VINTAGE Brouwerij Rodenbach – Swinkels Family Brewers Belgium (Belgium)
Bronze: BRAVO Cervejaria Backer (Brazil)
Certificate of Excellence: RESERVA SOUR WOOD Cervejaria Backer (Brazil)

Category 18 — Flavoured Beer: Wood/Barrel Aged Higher Than 10% ABV)
Gold: DUVEL BARREL AGED Duvel Moortgat (Belgium)
Silver: BAKERY: COCONUT MACAROON The Bruery (United States)
Silver: SILLY SCOTCH PINOT BARREL AGED Brasserie de Silly (Belgium)
Bronze: No Award
Certificate of Excellence: BARLEY WINE MYSTÈRE MILLÉSIME 2017 Cap d’Ona (France)

Category 19 — Lager: American-Style Pilsner
Gold: No Award
Silver: LAGER Firestone Walker Brewing Company (United States)
Bronze: TRUE LOVE Champion Brewing Company (United States)

Category 20 — Lager: Bohemian-Style Pilsner
Gold: BERNARD CELEBRATION LAGER Rodinný Pivovar Bernard a.s. (Czech Republic)
Silver: PRIMÁTOR ANTONÍN Primátor A.s. (Czech Republic)
Bronze: BITTA VON TRESEN Muttermilch – Vienna Brewery (Austria)

Category 21 — Lager: Dark/Dunkel (Including Schwarzbier)
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: CERNOVAR CERNÉ Tradicní Pivovar v Rakovníku, a.s. (Czech Republic)
Certificate of Excellence: SCHWARZBIER 4 Pines Brewing Company (Australia)

Mons-1
The City Hall in Mons, Belgium.

Category 22 — Lager: German-Style Dunkel Bock/Doppelbock
Gold: MAESTRA DUNKEL Mahou San Miguel (Spain)
Silver: BROTAS BEER BOCK Brotas Beer Industria de Bebidas LTDA (Brazil)
Bronze: WEYERMANN BAMBERGER HOFBRÄU EXQUISATOR Mich. Weyermann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Certificate of Excellence: LINDEBOOM HERFSTBOCK Lindeboom Bierbrouwerij B.V. (Netherlands)

Category 23 — Lager: German-Style Eisbock
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: IJSBOK SNAB Bierbrouwers (Netherlands)

Category 24 — Lager: German-Style Helles-/MaiBock/Doppelbock
Gold: BUCKSKIN HELLER BOCK Buckskin, King Car Group (Taiwan)
Silver: WOW Soralama’ SRL (Italy)
Bronze: BOCK Birrificio Bradipongo S.r.l. (Italy)
Bronze: MAESTRA DOBLE LÚPULO Mahou San Miguel (Spain)

Category 25 — Lager: German-Style Märzen
Gold: SAMUEL ADAMS OCTOBERFEST Boston Beer Company (United States)
Silver: OKTOBERFEST Ninkasi Fabriques (France)
Bronze: OKTOBERFEST STYLE pFriem Family Brewers (United States)

Category 26 — Lager: German-Style Pilsner
Gold: KIRISHIMA BEER PILSNER Kirishima Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Silver: BUCKSKIN GERMAN PILSNER Buckskin, King Car Group (Taiwan)
Bronze: KETTERER PILS Familienbrauerei M. Ketterer GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Certificate of Excellence: PILS2 Birrificio Otus Srl (Italy)

Category 27 — Lager: Helles
Gold: BAYREUTHER HELL Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG (Germany)
Gold: WALDHAUS SPEZIAL GOLD Privatbrauerei Waldhaus Joh. Schmid GmbH (Germany)
Silver: BUCKSKIN MUNICH HELLES Buckskin, King Car Group (Taiwan)

Category 28 — Lager: Hoppy Lager
Gold: AMERICAN MAGUT Birrificio Lambrate (Italy)
Gold: JOPEN CRAFT PILSENER Jopen BV (Netherlands)
Silver: SUPER CADIX Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie (Belgium)
Bronze: NORTH ARCTIC LAGER Tornion Panimo Oy (Finland)
Certificate of Excellence: LAGER DES ÉTOILES Brasserie de la Pleine Lune (France)

Category 29 — Lager: International Style Pilsner
Gold: ALFA EDEL PILS Meens Brouwerij BV (Netherlands)
Silver: LISA Birra del Borgo (Italy)
Bronze: CORNELISSEN LUXURY LAGER Brouwerij Cornelissen (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: CASTEL Brasimba (Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The)

Category 30 — Lager: Light Lager
Gold: UTICA CLUB PILSENER Saranac Brewery / FX Matt Brewing Co. (United States)
Silver: YANJING U8 Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co.,Ltd. (China)
Bronze: PEARL RIVER DRAFT BEER Guangzhou Zhujiang Browery CO., LTD. (China)

Category 31 — Lager: Vienna Lager
Gold: KIRISHIMA BEER AMBER Kirishima Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Silver: LAGUNA BAJA North Coast Brewing Co Inc (United States)
Bronze: No Award

Category 32 — Pale&Amber Ale: (Belgian Style) Tripel
Gold: ST. BERNARDUS TRIPEL St. Bernardus Brouwerij (Belgium)
Silver: DELIRIUM TREMENS Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV (Belgium)
Bronze: GOUDEN CAROLUS TRIPEL Brouwerij Het Anker (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: BROEDER JACOB TRIPEL Brouwerij Broeder Jacob (Belgium)

Category 33 — Pale&Amber Ale: Abbey / Trappist Style Blond
Gold: TER DOLEN BLOND Brouwerij Ter Dolen (Belgium)
Silver: ST-FEUILLIEN BLONDE Brasserie St-Feuillien (Belgium)
Bronze: AFFLIGEM BLOND Brouwerij Alken-Maes (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: LA TRAPPE BLOND Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V. (Netherlands)

Category 34 — Pale&Amber Ale: Altbier
Gold: BAMBERG ALTBIER Cervejaria Bamberg (Brazil)
Silver: VENLOOSCH ALT Lindeboom Bierbrouwerij B.V. (Netherlands)
Bronze: SAMUEL ADAMS BOSTON ALE Boston Beer Company (United States)

Category 35 — Pale&Amber Ale: Amber
Gold: 1410 SNAB Bierbrouwers (Netherlands)
Silver: OBAA TWO Obaa Sprl (Belgium)
Bronze: CHIPIE Archibald Microbrasserie (Canada)
Bronze: LA BONNE AVENTURE Microbrasserie Pit Caribou (Canada)

Category 36 — Pale&Amber Ale: American IPA (Higher Than 6.5 ABV)
Gold: LUSH Fremont Brewing (United States)
Silver: WEEKEND VIBES Coronado Brewing (United States)
Bronze: IPA pFriem Family Brewers (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: MELVIN IPA Melvin Brewing (United States)

Category 37 — Pale&Amber Ale: American IPA (Less Than 6.5 ABV)
Gold: STAY WEST IPA Breakside Brewery & Taproom (United States)
Gold: WANDERLUST IPA Breakside Brewery & Taproom (United States)
Bronze: BIRD OF PREY Uiltje Brewing Company (Netherlands)
Certificate of Excellence: FUMO IPA Chengdu Fengshou Craft Beer Company, Ltd (China)

Category 38 — Pale&Amber Ale: American Pale Ale
Gold: VOLCELEST OATMEAL PALE ALE Brasserie de la Vallee de Chevreuse (France)
Silver: HOP.E Birra Mastino (Italy)
Bronze: RUDE Birrificio Artigianale La Villana (Italy)
Certificate of Excellence: LEISURE LAGOON Coronado Brewing (United States)

Category 39 — Pale&Amber Ale: Belgian Style IPA
Gold: DELIRIUM ARGENTUM Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV (Belgium)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: BAPTIST IPA Brouwerij Van Steenberge (Belgium)
Bronze: JACK’S PRECIOUS IPA Brouwerij The Musketeers (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: BSL006 Brasserie Saint-Lazare SA (Belgium)

Category 40 — Pale&Amber Ale: Best Bitter
Gold: BAMBERG SEPULTURA ALE Cervejaria Bamberg (Brazil)
Silver: SEA FURY Sharps Brewery (United Kingdom)
Bronze: AMBROSIA Ambrosia e.U. (Austria)

Category 41 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bières De Garde Ambrée
Gold: SILLY SAISON Brasserie de Silly (Belgium)
Silver: BRASSEURS SAVOYARDS AMBRÉE Les Brasseurs Savoyards (France)
Bronze: SINT IDESBALD ROUSSE Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: LA TRAPPE ISID’OR Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven B.V. (Netherlands)

Category 42 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bitter
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: No Award
Certificate of Excellence: KIRKE Corsaire Microbrasserie (Canada)

Mons-3
My awesome table for judging in Mons. A great group of tasters.

Category 43 — Pale&Amber Ale: Bitter Blond/Golden Ale
Gold: TER DOLEN ARMAND Brouwerij Ter Dolen (Belgium)
Silver: MALHEUR 6 Brouwerij Malheur (Belgium)
Bronze: REMI Brouwerij De Bock (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: HOUPPE Brasserie Artisanale de Namur (Belgium)

Category 44 — Pale&Amber Ale: Double Saison
Gold: SAISON DUPONT DRY HOP Brasserie Dupont (Belgium)
Silver: SAISON DU SABLIER Hourglass Brewing (United States)
Bronze: LA GUILLOTINE Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: AUBEOLE D’ESTINNES Marie-Jeanne Nolf (Belgium)

Category 45 — Pale&Amber Ale: English IPA
Gold: MARTIN’S DOUBLE IPA 55 John Martin ‘s (Belgium)
Silver: CIBOIRE Archibald Microbrasserie (Canada)
Bronze: BURTON ENGLISH IPA Juguetes Perdidos Cerveza Artesanal (Argentina)
Bronze: SAN BLAS Lord Chambray LTD (Malta)

Category 46 — Pale&Amber Ale: Imperial IPA
Gold: L’!! (DOUBLE EXCLAMATION) Noire et Blanche Inc. (Canada)
Silver: KNOTTY DOUBLE IPA Three Weavers Brewing, Co. (United States)
Bronze: 2×4 DOUBLE IPA Melvin Brewing (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: BURIED IN HOPS Anarchy Brew Co. (United Kingdom)
Certificate of Excellence: RETREAT (THIS IS A HAZY DOUBLE IPA) The Bruery (United States)

Category 47 — Pale&Amber Ale: Kölsch
Gold: BUCKSKIN KÖLSCH Buckskin, King Car Group (Taiwan)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: DRAUGHT 4 Pines Brewing Company (Australia)

Category 48 — Pale&Amber Ale: Light Bitter Blond/Golden Ale
Gold: STRANDGAPER Scheldebrouwerij BVBA (Belgium)
Silver: KOMPEL BOVENGRONDS Brouwerij Kompel (Belgium)
Bronze: KIWANDA CREAM ALE Pelican Brewing Company (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: HERKENRODE CISTER Brouwerij Cornelissen (Belgium)

Category 49 — Pale&Amber Ale: Modern Saison
Gold: LA SAISON DU TRACTEUR Microbrasserie Le Trou du diable (Canada)
Silver: PACIFICA Birrificio Artigianale La Villana (Italy)
Bronze: NOBLESSE OBLIGE Brasserie au Baron (France)
Certificate of Excellence: CLASSIC Blackberry Farm Brewery (United States)

Category 50 — Pale&Amber Ale: New England IPA
Gold: HAZEALICIOUS Reuben’s Brews (United States)
Silver: HAZY LITTLE THING Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (United States)
Bronze: LIUXI HAZY IPA Witchcraft Brewery (China)
Bronze: WHAT ROUGH BEAST Breakside Brewery & Taproom (United States)

Category 51 — Pale&Amber Ale: Pacific IPA
Gold: No Award
Silver: No Award
Bronze: BEAK BENDER HOPPINATED INDIA PALE ALE Pelican Brewing Company (United States)
Certificate of Excellence: TKO IPA Boxing Cat Brewery (China)

Category 52 — Pale&Amber Ale: Session IPA
Gold: PALM SESSION IPA Brouwerij Palm – Swinkels Family Brewers Belgium (Belgium)
Silver: BE ADORABLE Mister B Brewery (Italy)
Bronze: 24-JUIL Oproer (Netherlands)
Certificate of Excellence: SUMMER SESSION TROPICAL IPA Brouwerij Hoop (Netherlands)

Category 53 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong Blonde/Golden Ale
Gold: OMER. TRADITIONAL BLOND Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste (Belgium)
Silver: OMMEGANG Brouwerij Haacht (Belgium)
Bronze: HAPKIN Brouwerij Alken-Maes (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: ST-FEUILLIEN GRAND CRU Brasserie St-Feuillien (Belgium)

Category 54 — Pale&Amber Ale: Strong/Extra Special Bitter
Gold: SAWTOOTH ALE Left Hand Brewing Company (United States)
Silver: GATSBY Birrificio Artigianale La Villana (Italy)
Bronze: BRAUFACTUM PALOR Die Internationale Brau-Manufacturen GmbH (Germany)
Certificate of Excellence: MONSERRATE ROJA Cervecería BBC (Colombia)

Category 55 — Pale&Amber Ale: Traditional Saison
Gold: SAISON AVENA Brasserie Deseveaux (Belgium)
Silver: SAISON D’EPEAUTRE Scrl Brasserie De Blaugies (Belgium)
Bronze: SAISON 1900 Brasserie Lefebvre (Belgium)

Category 56 — Red Ale: American Red Ale
Gold: POTALA TIBETAN RED ALE NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)
Silver: KABREW GYEONGBOKGUNG Kabrew (South Korea)
Bronze: RED EYES Pravda Beer Theatre (Ukraine)

Category 57 — Red Ale: Irish Red Ale
Gold: No Award
Silver: RED & GO Birrificio Otus Srl (Italy)
Bronze: BROTAS BEER RED ALE Brotas Beer Industria de Bebidas LTDA (Brazil)

Category 58— Red Ale: Oud Rood (Flanders Red Ale)
Gold: RODENBACH GRAND CRU Brouwerij Rodenbach – Swinkels Family Brewers Belgium (Belgium)
Silver: VARVAR BREW CARMINE Varvar Brew (Ukraine)
Bronze: DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: OUD BRUNELLO Birrificio del Ducato (Italy)

Category 59 — Speciality Beer: Alcohol-Free And Low-Alcohol Beers
Gold: WANDERLUST Van Moll Craft Beer (Netherlands)
Silver: MAISEL & FRIENDS ALKOHOLFREI Brauerei Gebr. Maisel (Germany)
Bronze: BROWN ALE Big Drop (United Kingdom)
Bronze: STOUT Big Drop (United Kingdom)
Certificate of Excellence: FREAK KRIEK ZERO POINT THREE FEEL FREE MERRY CHERRY BEER The Flying Dutchman Nomad Brewing Company (Belgium)

Category 60 — Speciality Beer: Barley Wine
Gold: WEYERMANN NR. 10 BARLEY WINE Mich. Weyermann GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Silver: BARLEY WHAT? Brasserie Historique de l’Abbaye du Cateau (France)
Bronze: SCHWARZBRÄU AGED BOCK Schwarzbräu GmbH (Germany)
Certificate of Excellence: BREW 3000 Fremont Brewing (United States)

Category 61 — Speciality Beer: Brut Beer
Gold: MALHEUR BIÈRE BRUT Brouwerij Malheur (Belgium)
Silver: BRUT IPA Ninkasi Fabriques (France)
Bronze: DAME JEANNE “BRUT SUR LIE” Dame Jeanne (Belgium)

Category 62 — Speciality Beer: Gluten Free
Gold: No Award
Silver: GRISETTE TRIPLE BIO GLUTEN FREE Brasserie St-Feuillien (Belgium)
Bronze: CAULIER BLONDE GLUTEN FREE Brasserie 28 (Belgium)

Category 63 — Speciality Beer: Hybrid
Gold: No Award
Silver: NOORDTSINGLE Brouwerij Noordt (Netherlands)
Bronze: No Award

Mons-2
The famous Belfry of Mons.

Category 64 — Speciality Beer: Old Style Gueuze-Lambic
Gold: OLD GUEUZE CUVÉE RENÉ Lindemans Brewery (Belgium)
Silver: OUDE GEUZE VANDERVELDEN 137 Oud Beersel BVBA (Belgium)
Bronze: OUDE GEUZE BOON BLACK LABEL EDITION N°4 Brouwerij Boon (Belgium)
Bronze: OUDE GEUZE BRETT ELLE Lambiek Fabriek VOF (Belgium)

Category 65 — Speciality Beer: Other Sour Ale
Gold: LIMOILOU BEACH Microbrasserie La Souche (Canada)
Silver: VARVAR BREW D’RYE Varvar Brew (Ukraine)
Bronze: TIMMERMANS LAMBICUS BLANCHE John Martin’s (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: BODEBROWN BRUT SOUR BLANC Cervejaria Bodebrown (Brazil)

Category 66 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer (Higher Than 7 ABV)
Gold: DRUIF BLANC pFriem Family Brewers (United States)
Silver: DANDAO Chengdu Fengshou Craft Beer Company, Ltd (China)
Silver: GOUDALE Brasserie Goudale (France)
Bronze: ROTTEN SKULL PRUNE IMPERIAL STOUT Brasserie de la Vallee de Chevreuse (France)
Certificate of Excellence: BODEBROWN – CAVE COLINAS DE PEDRAS BLACK BRUT METODO ORIGINALE Cervejaria Bodebrown (Brazil)

Category 67 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer (Less Than 7 ABV)
Gold: PRUIM pFriem Family Brewers (United States)
Silver: VIVEN CHAMPAGNER WEISSE Brouwerij Viven (Belgium)
Bronze: BARREN SHOWER CHAMPAGNE IPA NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)
Certificate of Excellence: ENTRE NOUS BLONDE Brasserie de Hosdent (Belgium)

Category 68 — Speciality Beer: Speciality Beer: Italian Style Grape Ale
Gold: LIMES Brùton (Italy)
Silver: L’EQUILIBRISTA Birra del Borgo (Italy)
Bronze: ROÈ Birrificio Sagrin (Italy)
Certificate of Excellence: BODEBROWN LA GRISETTE SUPÉRIOR Cervejaria Bodebrown (Brazil)

Category 69 — Speciality Beer: Winter Ales
Gold: PIETRA BRASSIN D’HIVER Brasserie Pietra (France)
Silver: CUVÉE DE NOËL Juguetes Perdidos Cerveza Artesanal (Argentina)
Silver: DELIRIUM NOËL Brouwerij L. Huyghe NV (Belgium)
Bronze: No Award
Certificate of Excellence: ROUSSE DE NOËL Cap d’Ona (France)

Category 70 — Stout/ Porter: American Stout
Gold: OBSIDIAN STOUT Deschutes Brewery (United States)
Silver: ALL BLACK Stanislaus Brewskovitch BV (Netherlands)
Silver: MORE COMPLICATED THAN YOUR GIRLFRIEND STOUT The Flying Dutchman Nomad Brewing Company (Belgium)
Bronze: No Award

Category 71 — Stout/ Porter: Baltic Porter
Gold: NISSOS 7 BEAUFORT Cyclades Microbrewery at Tinos island (Greece)
Silver: PORTER Brouwerij Noordt (Netherlands)
Bronze: SPECIAL ONE IBEER (Italy)

Category 72 — Stout/ Porter: Dry Stout
Gold: KABREW DARK ALE Kabrew (South Korea)
Silver: NITRO STOUT 4 Pines Brewing Company (Australia)
Bronze: KIRISHIMA BEER STOUT Kirishima Shuzo Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Category 73 — Stout/ Porter: Oatmeal Stout
Gold: AMBRANERA Birrificio Otus Srl (Italy)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: THE POET New Holland Brewing (United States)

Category 74 — Stout/ Porter: Porter
Gold: YANNARODDY Kinnegar Brewing (Ireland)
Silver: GASPÉSIENNE #13 Microbrasserie Pit Caribou (Canada)
Bronze: UNCINO Birrificio Artigianale La Villana (Italy)

Category 75 — Stout/ Porter: Russian Imperial Stout
Gold: RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT Crooked Spider (Netherlands)
Silver: FROM SIAN TO DON Pravda Beer Theatre (Ukraine)
Bronze: RASKOLNIKOV IMPERIAL STOUT Craft Brew Riots (Russian Federation)
Certificate of Excellence: SINGULARITY Northern Light Brewery (Sweden)

Category 76 — Stout/ Porter: Stout Export
Gold: DUITS & LAURET WINTERSTOUT Brouwerij Duits & Lauret (Netherlands)
Silver: TSUNAMI STOUT Pelican Brewing Company (United States)
Bronze: ELBOW PATCHES The Virginia Beer Company (United States)

Category 77 — Wheat: Dubbel Wit/Imperial White
Gold: WITWIT 1975 sas di Nicola Grande e C (Italy)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: No Award

Category 78 — Wheat: Dunkel Weizen
Gold: TUMMA HEILI Panimo Honkavuori (Finland)
Silver: SCHWARZBRÄU WEISSBIER DUNKEL Schwarzbräu GmbH (Germany)
Bronze: WALDHAUS SCHWARZWALD WEISSE DUNKEL Privatbrauerei Waldhaus Joh. Schmid GmbH (Germany)

Category 79 — Wheat: Dunkel Weizen(Doppel)Bock
Gold: TAP6 AVENTINUS Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH (Germany)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: No Award

Category 80 — Wheat: Gose
Gold: SALT SHAKER GOSE Suzhou City Guangtu Brewing Co., Ltd (China)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: BEIJING GOSE MODERN NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)

Category 81 — Wheat: Weizen
Gold: 撕BEER WEIZEN Urbrew (China) Craft Beer Co., Ltd. (China)
Silver: TAP7 ORIGINAL Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH (Germany)
Bronze: MAISEL’S WEISSE ORIGINAL Brauerei Gebr. Maisel (Germany)
Certificate of Excellence: SCHWARZBRÄU WEISSBIER HELL Schwarzbräu GmbH (Germany)
Certificate of Excellence: WEISSBIER HELL Brauerei M.C. Wieninger (Germany)

Category 82 — Wheat: White IPA/Hoppy Weizen
Gold: NIUBI WHEAT NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)
Silver: No Award
Bronze: BROMEO HOPPY WHEAT Boxing Cat Brewery (China)
Certificate of Excellence: LAGUNITAS LITTLE SUMPIN’ SUMPIN’ Heineken Spain (United States)

Category 83 — Wheat: Witbier
Gold: BLANCHE DE NAMUR Brasserie du Bocq (Belgium)
Silver: HOEGAARDEN WHITE AB Inbev Hoegaarden (Belgium)
Bronze: VEDETT EXTRA WHITE Duvel Moortgat (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: BLANCHE DE THINES Belgo Sapiens Brewers / Brasserie Ceres Belgique SPRL (Belgium)
Certificate of Excellence: LOWLANDER WHITE ALE Lowlander Beer Co. (Netherlands)

The Comac Trophy: Best in Show

bbc2019-international-revelation-comac-trophy

International Revelation
CHIMAY GRANDE RÉSERVE Bières de Chimay (Belgium)

Best American Beer

bbc2019-both-american-revelation

American Revelation — Fermentis Trophy
BOURBON BARREL AGED DARK STAR Fremont Brewing (United States)

Best Belgian Beer

bbc2019-belgian-revelation

Belgian Revelation
TER DOLEN BLOND Brouwerij Ter Dolen (Belgium)

Best Chinese Beer

bbc2019-chinese-revelation

Chinese Revelation
POTALA TIBETAN RED ALE NBeer Craft Brewing Co. (China)

Best Dutch Beer

bbc2019-dutch-revelation

Dutch Revelation
WANDERLUST Van Moll Craft Beer (The Netherlands)

Best French Beer

bbc2019-french-revelation

French Revelation
VOLCELEST OATMEAL PALE ALE Brasserie de la Vallee de Chevreuse (France)

Best Italian Beer

bbc2019-italian-revelation

Italian Revelation
AMERICAN MAGUT Birrificio Lambrate (Italy)

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, Just For Fun, News Tagged With: Awards, Belgium, International

GABF Winners 2019

November 8, 2019 By Jay Brooks

gabf-2014

On Saturday, the winners of the 38th Great American Beer Festival were announced. A record 9,497 entries (plus 113 Pro-Am and 70 Collaboration entries were judged) in 107 (or 174 different beer styles if you include the subcategories), categories by 322 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. Here are some more factoids on the results and the festival:

  • Category with the most entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 348 entries (This is the second year in a row that it’s been #1, unseating American-style IPA, which had been number #1 since 2002)
  • Top 5 Categories: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (348 entries); American-Style India Pale Ale (342 entries); Fruited American-Style Sour Ale (215 entries); German-Style Pilsener (183 entries); and Imperial India Pale Ale (173 entries)
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 88
  • 2,295 breweries in the competition from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
  • 401 first-time breweries entered the competition
  • 37 first-time breweries won medals
  • Over 800 breweries in the festival hall
  • Over 4,000 beers served at the festival
  • 60,000 attendees
gabf-2019-glasses

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 68
  2. Colorado = 40
  3. Texas = 16
  4. TIE: Ohio = 15 / Oregon = 15
  5. Washington = 14
  6. Virginia = 13
  7. North Carolina = 12
  8. Illinois = 10
  9. TIE: Florida = 9 / Indiana = 9
  10. Arizona = 8
Print

The 2018 Great American
Beer Festival Winners

GABF19-awards-02
Charlie Papazian ready to hand out the awards.

Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer – 80 Entries
Gold: No medal awarded
Silver: Cumberland Punch, East Nashville Beer Works, Nashville, TN
Bronze: Termes Beer, Spearfish Brewing Co., Spearfish, SD

Category 2: American-Style Fruit Beer – 144 Entries
Gold: Salt River, Historic Brewing Co., Flagstaff, AZ
Silver: Quat, Tampa Bay Brewing Co. – Ybor City, Tampa, FL
Bronze: Boom Dynamite, O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery, Phoenix, AZ

Category 3: Fruit Wheat Beer – 109 Entries
Gold: Bitchin’ Berry, Great Basin Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Reno, NV
Silver: Cherry Wheat, Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Moriarty, NM
Bronze: Smash, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category 4: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer – 52 Entries
Gold: Foxy Lady, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA
Silver: All the Goodness, Gezellig Brewing Co., Newton, IA
Bronze: Cherry Valley Farmhouse, Heritage Hill Brewhouse & Kitchen, Pompey, NY

Category 5: Pumpkin/Squash Beer or Pumpkin Spice Beer – 51 Entries
Gold: Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
Silver: Pumpkin Rumble, Mistress Brewing Co., Ankeny, IA
Bronze: Pumpkinator, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 6: Field Beer – 104 Entries
Gold: Scoring Discrepancies, Listermann Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Dessert Station: Cherry Almond Cookie, Corporate Ladder Brewing Co., Palmetto, FL
Bronze: Grandma’s Pecan, The Dudes’ Brewing Co., Somis, CA

Category 7: Chili Beer – 96 Entries
Gold: Jalapeno Pineapple Pils, Brickway Brewery & Distillery, Omaha, NE
Silver: Bringin’ Da Heat, Devil’s Creek Brewery, Collingswood, NJ
Bronze: Oyster Jalapeno Porter, Bull Island Brewing Co., Hampton, VA

Category 8: Herb and Spice Beer – 119 Entries
Gold: Kveik Thai Tom Kha, Shades Brewing, Park City, UT
Silver: One Night in Bangkok Smoothie IPA, Midland Brewing, Midland, MI
Bronze: Deck Daze, Vail Brewing Co. – Vail Village Pilot, Vail, CO

Category 9: Chocolate Beer – 68 Entries
Gold: Old Balltown Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Aged Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Brownie Milk Stout, PIVO Brewery, Calmar, IA
Silver: Contains Chocolate, Corporate Ladder Brewing Co., Palmetto, FL
Bronze: Somebody Else’s Dream, Fort Myers Brewing Co., Fort Myers, FL

Category 10: Coffee Beer – 97 Entries
Gold: Duluth Coffee Pale Ale, Earth Rider Brewery, Superior, WI
Silver: Clear Sky Daybreak, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, Columbus, OH
Bronze: Central Perk, Ambitious Ales, Long Beach, CA

Category 11: Coffee Stout or Porter – 100 Entries
Gold: There is No Cow Level, GameCraft Brewing, Laguna Hills, CA
Silver: Portola Breakfast Stout, Tustin Brewing Co., Tustin, CA
Bronze: White Russian, SunUp Brewing Co., Phoenix, AZ

Category 12: Specialty Beer – 67 Entries
Gold: Rye Hipster Brunch Stout, Odd Side Ales, Grand Haven, MI
Silver: Agavemente, SouthNorte Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: I Did It All For The Cookie, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA

Category 13: Rye Beer – 53 Entries
Gold: Rye Dawn, Breakwater Brewing Co., Oceanside, CA
Silver: Unite the Clans, Third Space Brewing, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Suss it Out, Level Crossing Brewing Co., South Salt Lake, UT

Category 14: Honey Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: A&M Honey Bock, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Boulder, Boulder, CO
Silver: Honey Hole, SpindleTap Brewery, Houston, TX
Bronze: Jetty, Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore, NY

Category 15: Non-Alcohol Beer or Alcohol-Free Beer – 17 Entries
Gold: Enough Said N/A, Two Roots Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Bravus Oatmeal Stout, Bravus Brewing Co., Newport Beach, CA
Bronze: Bravus Barrel-Aged Bourbon Stout, Bravus Brewing Co., Newport Beach, CA

Category 16: Session Beer – 50 Entries
Gold: Texas Lager, Community Beer Co., Dallas, TX
Silver: Lite It!, Light the Lamp Brewery, Grayslake, IL
Bronze: Peacekeeper, Launch Pad Brewery, Aurora, CO

Category 17: Session India Pale Ale – 94 Entries
Gold: Gravity Check, Kern River Brewing Co. – The Backyard, Kernville, CA
Silver: Trump Hands, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: That IPA, Community Beer Works, Buffalo, NY

Category 18: Other Strong Beer – 29 Entries
Gold: Northstar Imperial Porter, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Silver: False Hope, Spilled Grain Brewhouse, Annandale, MN
Bronze: Double Brown Ale, Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, Santa Fe, NM

Category 19: Experimental Beer – 124 Entries
Gold: Fungus Shui, Meadowlark Brewing, Sidney, MT
Silver: Shibbleshabble, Primitive Beer, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Fluffernutter, Kings Brewing Co., Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Category 20: Fresh Hop Beer – 40 Entries
Gold: Fresh Hop Green Battles, Pinthouse Pizza North, Austin, TX
Silver: Hop Stalker, Fat Head’s Brewery – Canton, Canton, OH
Bronze: Aqua Seafoam Shame, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA

GABF19-awards-Cloudburst
Cloudburst Brewing.

Category 21: Historical Beer – 47 Entries
Gold: No medal awarded
Silver: Afterburner Smoked Lager, Four Day Ray Brewing, Fishers, IN
Bronze: Decorah Nordic Gruit, PIVO Brewery, Calmar, IA

Category 22: Gluten-Free Beer – 59 Entries
Gold: Boombastic Hazy IPA, Holidaily Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Co-Conspirator Apricot Sour, Revelation Craft Brewing Co., Rehoboth Beach, DE
Bronze: Grandpa’s Nap, Evasion Brewing – Production Facility, McMinnville, OR

Category 23: American-Belgo-Style Ale – 41 Entries
Gold: Wit-Tington, Central District Brewing, Austin, TX
Silver: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Bronze: White Rainbow, Red Rock Brewery – Production, Salt Lake City, UT

Category 24: American-Style Sour Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Low pHunk, MobCraft Beer, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Alegria, Millersburg Brewing, Millersburg, OH
Bronze: Citra Acid Test, Triple C Brewing, Charlotte, NC

Category 25: Fruited American-Style Sour Ale – 215 Entries
Gold: Roxanne, St. Elmo Brewing Co., Austin, TX
Silver: Hoochie Mama, Storm Peak Brewing Co., Steamboat Springs, CO
Bronze: Sour Blackberry Raspberry, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co., Charleston, SC

Category 26: Brett Beer – 58 Entries
Gold: Who’s Brett?, The Hold By Revelry Brewing, Charleston, SC
Silver: St. Eldritch, Cellar Works Brewing Co., Sarver, PA
Bronze: C’Mon Sunshine, Birds Fly South Ale Project, Greenville, SC

Category 27: Mixed-Culture Brett Beer – 94 Entries
Gold: Standard Issue, Central Standard Brewing, Wichita, KS
Silver: Farmer’s Reserve No. 5, Almanac Beer Co., Alameda, CA
Bronze: Côte d’Or – Double Cerise, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, NM

Category 28: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Amburana Dream, Denver Beer Co. – Olde Town Arvada, Arvada, CO
Silver: Gran Muckle, Sun King Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Bourbon Barrel Aged Lady In Red, Bombshell Beer Co., Holly Springs, NC

Category 29: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 155 Entries
Gold: Knotty Dog, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Double Barrel Louie, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs, CO
Bronze: Bourbon Legend, Great Heights Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 30: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 172 Entries
Gold: Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas, Begyle Brewing, Chicago, IL
Silver: Ales from the Crypt: Te Quiero, O.H.S.O. Brewery – Gilbert, AZ
Bronze: Señor Rhino, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR

Category 31: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 82 Entries
Gold: Sour Brown Aged on Palo Santo, Hi-Wire Brewing – South Slope, Asheville, NC
Silver: Agent Orange – Apple Brandy Barrel, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, NM
Bronze: Reserve Doree, The Chamber By Wooden Robot Brewery, Charlotte, NC

Category 32: Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 128 Entries
Gold: Midnight Choir, Sun King Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Crimson Cherry Variant, Upland Brewing Co. – Bloomington Brewpub, Bloomington, IN
Bronze: Rossano, Kings Brewing Co., Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Category 33: Aged Beer – 38 Entries
Gold: A Creator’s Calling, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Silver: Belgian Quad, Green Mountain Beer Co., Lakewood, CO
Bronze: Mob Barley, Meadowlark Brewing, Sidney, MT

GABF19-awards-Lost-Abbey
The Lost Abbey.

Category 34: Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 96 Entries
Gold: German Pilsner, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Silver: Loral Zwickelbier, Haas Innovations Brewing, Yakima, WA
Bronze: Stand By, Rockwell Beer Co., St. Louis, MO

Category 35: Smoke Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: Red-Fish Rauchbock, Sockeye Brewing, Boise, ID
Silver: TF Brewing Rauch Bier, Templin Family Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Up In Smoke, Fat Head’s Brewery – Canton, Canton, OH

Category 36: American-Style Lager or American-Style Pilsener – 153 Entries
Gold: Lite Reading, Pollyanna Brewing Co., Lemont, IL
Silver: Valley Beer, Wren House Brewing Co., Phoenix, AZ
Bronze: Schaben’s, Thunderhead Brewing Co., Kearney, NE

Category 37: Contemporary American-Style Pilsener – 61 Entries
Gold: Lazy River Pils, New Trail Brewing Co., Williamsport, PA
Silver: Citra Pils, Saint Archer Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Citraveza, Alvarado Street Brewery, Salinas, CA

Category 38: International-Style Pilsener – 108 Entries
Gold: Torcido, Barebottle Brewing Co., San Francisco, CA
Silver: Upslope Craft Lager, Upslope Brewing Co. Boulder, CO
Bronze: Party, MAP Brewing Co., Bozeman, MT

GABF19-awards-Barebottle
Barebottle Brewing Co.

Category 39: Light Lager – 90 Entries
Gold: Altitude Banquet, Altitude Chophouse and Brewery, Laramie, WY
Silver: Sif’s Light Lager, Odin Brewing Co., Tukwila, WA
Bronze: Lightner Creek Lager, Carver Brewing Co., Durango, CO

Category 40: India Pale Lager or Malt Liquor – 55 Entries
Gold: Timbo Pils, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Go Kart Mozart, MotoSonora Brewing Co., Tucson, AZ
Bronze: Yeah Buoy IPL, Logboat Brewing Co., Columbia, MO

Category 41: American-Style Cream Ale – 87 Entries
Gold: Sea Señor! Mex Lager, SouthNorte Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Los Dudes’ Cerveza Lager Mexicana, Dudes’ Brewing Co., Somis, CA
Bronze: Gold Style, Ballast Point Brewing Co. – Chicago, Chicago, IL

Category 42: American-Style Amber Lager – 101 Entries
Gold: Märzen, Sudwerk Brewing Co., Davis, CA
Silver: Oktoberfest, Huss Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ
Bronze: Grist Maerzen, Grist Brewing Co., Highlands Ranch, CO

Category 43: German-Style Pilsener – 183 Entries
Gold: Parliament Drive, Blind Owl Brewery, Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Golden Age Pilsner, Family Business Beer Co., Dripping Springs, TX
Bronze: Pils, Hardywood West Creek, Richmond, VA

Category 44: Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 123 Entries
Gold: Bohemian Shine, Castle Island Brewing Co., Norwood, MA
Silver: Bo Pils, East Brother Beer Co., Richmond, CA
Bronze: The People’s Pilsner, Sudwerk Brewing Co., Davis, CA

GABF19-awards-East-Bros
East Brother Beer Co.

Category 45: Munich-Style Helles – 138 Entries
Gold: Altstadt Lager, Altstadt Brewery, Fredericksburg, TX
Silver: Florida Sunshine, Crooked Can Brewing Co., Winter Garden, FL
Bronze: Wayfinder Hell, Wayfinder Beer, Portland, OR

Category 46: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 96 Entries
Gold: Schnitzengiggles, New England Brewing Co., Woodbridge, CT
Silver: Lindauer Lager, Wit’s End Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Chuckanut Fest Bier, Chuckanut Brewery, Burlington, WA

GABF19-awards-Chuckanut
Chuckanut Brewery.

Category 47: Vienna-Style Lager – 93 Entries
Gold: Jomo, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Silver: Vienna Lager, Grains of Wrath Brewing, Camas, WA
Bronze: Moonlight Sonata, Chilly Water Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN

Category 48: German-Style Maerzen – 165 Entries
Gold: Oktoberfest, Bear Chase Brewing Co., Bluemont, VA
Silver: Rocktoberfest, Hutton & Smith Brewing Co., Chattanooga, TN
Bronze: Festie, Starr Hill Pilot Brewery & Side Stage, Roanoke, VA

Category 49: German-Style Dark Lager – 127 Entries
Gold: Pious Monk Dunkel, Church Brew Works, Lawrenceville, PA
Silver: Black Lager, Bingo Beer Co., Richmond, VA
Bronze: Don’t Drop That Dun Dun Dunkel, TAPS Brewery, Tustin, CA

Category 50: International-Style Dark Lager – 31 Entries
Gold: Dark Horse, Snake River Brewing Co., Jackson, WY
Silver: El Corn, The Post Brewing Co., Lafayette, CO
Bronze: Schwarzbier, Hofbräuhaus Cleveland, Cleveland, OH

Category 51: Bock – 45 Entries
Gold: Tackle Bock, Bobbing Bobber Brewing Co., Hutchinson, MN
Silver: Maibock, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – South Dock, Aurora, CO
Bronze: Dunkel Bock, Pilot Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC

Category 52: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 57 Entries
Gold: Eis Nine, Sun King Brewing – Fishers Small Batch, Fishers, IN
Silver: Doppelbock, Scorched Earth Brewing Co., Algonquin, IL
Bronze: Eis Vienne, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

GABF19-awards-DAB
Sun King Brewing.

Category 53: Baltic-Style Porter – 51 Entries
Gold: Snap Yo’ Baltics, Freetail Brewing Co. – Brewpub, San Antonio, TX
Silver: Dark Reckoning, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Bronze: Murder Ballads, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH

Category 54: Golden or Blonde Ale – 150 Entries
Gold: 1956 Golden Ale, Bootstrap Brewing, Longmont, CO
Silver: MadeWest Standard, MadeWest Brewing Co., Ventura, CA
Bronze: Luke’s Original, Lucky Luke Brewing Co., Palmdale, CA

Category 55: German-Style Koelsch – 167 Entries
Gold: Altstadt Kolsch, Altstadt Brewery, Fredericksburg, TX
Silver: Ice Cutter Kölsch, Joyride Brewing Co., Edgewater, CO
Bronze: Dry Creek Blonde Ale, Santa Clara Valley Brewing, San Jose, CA

GABF19-awards-Santa-Clara-Valley
Santa Clara Valley Brewing.

Category 56: English-Style Summer Ale – 39 Entries
Gold: Organic California Blonde Ale, Eel River Brewing Co., Scotia, CA
Silver: Quid, Rhinegeist – Innovation Brewery, Cincinnati, OH
Bronze: Breakside Wentworth by the Sea, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR

Category 57: English-Style or International-Style Pale Ale – 104 Entries
Gold: Ferment Pale Ale, Ferment Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Annadel Pale Ale, Third Street AleWorks, Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: Endless Summer Nights, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA

Category 58: Australian-Style Pale Ale – 61 Entries
Gold: Australian For Pale, Green Cheek Beer Co., Orange, CA
Silver: Mountain Standard IPA, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Pete’s Stash, Vail Brewing Co. – Vail Village Pilot, Vail, CO

Category 59: American-Style Pale Ale – 169 Entries
Gold: Johnny Utah, Georgetown Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Acclimated APA, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Breakside Woodlawn Pale Ale, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR

GABF19-awards-Breakside
Breakside Brewery.

Category 60: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 114 Entries
Gold: Gulp, Tribus Beer Co., Milford, CT
Silver: Itsy Bits, WeldWerks Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Bronze: Mo-Haze-Ic, Migration Brewing Co. – Wilkes, Portland, OR

Category 61: American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 131 Entries
Gold: Superpower IPA, Comrade Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: NoPac IPA, Crossbuck Brewing, Walla Walla, WA
Bronze: JAF IPA, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster, OH

Category 62: Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale – 106 Entries
Gold: Breakside What Rough Beast, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Silver: Kaaterskill, West Kill Brewing, West Kill, NY
Bronze: Goofy Boots, Penrose Brewing Co., Geneva, IL

Category 63: American-Style India Pale Ale – 342 Entries
Gold: More Dodge Less RAM, Comrade Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Radiant Beauty, Green Cheek Beer Co., Orange, CA
Bronze: Weekend Vibes IPA, Coronado Brewing Co. – Production Facility, San Diego, CA

GABF19-awards-Coronado
Coronado Brewing.

Category 64: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale – 348 Entries
Gold: Beezer, Old Irving Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Hazy IPA, City Lights Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Devil’s Gulch, Pond Farm Brewing Co., San Rafael, CA

Category 65: Emerging India Pale Ale – 124 Entries
Gold: Pure Tropics, Parish Brewing Co., Broussard, LA
Silver: Vladimir Brutin, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: No medal awarded

Category 66: Imperial India Pale Ale – 173 Entries
Gold: Double Cone, Alvarado Street Brewery, Salinas, CA
Silver: Westbound Double IPA, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs, CO
Bronze: Sharrow, Brew Hub, Lakeland, FL

GABF19-awards-Alvarado-St
Alvarado Street Brewing.

Category 67: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale – 165 Entries
Gold: Extra Extra Juicy Bits, WeldWerks Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Silver: Juice Jockey, Phantom Ales, Anaheim, CA
Bronze: Chaos Emeralds, Lone Pine Brewing Co. – Gorham, Gorham, ME

Category 68: American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 127 Entries
Gold: Diablo Rojo, Boneyard Beer, Bend, OR
Silver: 1890 Founder’s Ale, Grayton Beer Co., Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Bronze: Red Alert, Aftershock Brewing Co., Temecula, CA

Category 69: Double Hoppy Red Ale – 49 Entries
Gold: Station 101, Claremont Craft Ales, Claremont, CA
Silver: Side Hike, Kern River Brewing Co., Kernville, CA
Bronze: Cannon Ball, Migration Brewing Co. – Glisan, Portland, OR

Category 70: Imperial Red Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: Bone Head Imperial Red, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH
Silver: Frogs Like Possum, King’s Court Brewing Co., Poughkeepsie, NY
Bronze: Gifted Gunslinger, Big Sexy Brewing Co., Sacramento, CA

Category 71: English-Style Mild Ale – 40 Entries
Gold: Hold The Reins, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Sliding Rock, BearWaters Brewing Co., Canton, NC
Bronze: Saddle Bronc Brown, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY

Category 72: Ordinary or Special Bitter – 41 Entries
Gold: Chronic Amber Ale, Pizza Port – Bressi Ranch, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Cousin Jack, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO
Bronze: Milford Pub Ale, River’s Edge Brewing Co., Milford, MI

Category 73: Extra Special Bitter – 63 Entries
Gold: ESB, Hillman Beer, Asheville, NC
Silver: Bridgeview, Henderson Brewing Co., Henderson, KY
Bronze: Red Ale, The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery, Hampton, VA

Category 74: English-Style India Pale Ale – 39 Entries
Gold: Hop’lin IPA, Southbound Brewing Co., Savannah, GA
Silver: Shanghai’d IPA, Old Town Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Hoppy Poppy, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. – Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Category 75: Scottish-Style Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: Taildragger Clan-Destine, Saddle Mountain Brewing Co., Goodyear, AZ
Silver: Yarmouth, Arkane Aleworks, Largo, FL
Bronze: Thistle Dew, Ursa Minor Brewing, Duluth, MN

Category 76: Irish-Style Red Ale – 82 Entries
Gold: Outraged Daughters, Wise Man Brewing, Winston-Salem, NC
Silver: Balefire Irish Red, Mirror Image Brewing Co., Frederick, CO
Bronze: Red Molly Irish Red Ale, Pale Fire Brewing Co., Harrisonburg, VA

Category 77: English-Style Brown Ale – 67 Entries
Gold: Bobcat Brown Ale, Bridger Brewing, Bozeman, MT
Silver: Eclipse Brown Ale, Equinox Brewing, Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Mischievous Brown, Helltown Brewing, Export, PA

Category 78: American-Style Brown Ale – 99 Entries
Gold: Naked Sunbather, Mad Swede Brewing Co., Boise, ID
Silver: Bull Creek Brown Ale, Springfield Brewing Co., Springfield, MO
Bronze: Browner Than Ivan, Chula Vista Brewery, Chula Vista, CA

Category 79: American-Style Black Ale – 35 Entries
Gold: Alpha Force Double Tap, Überbrew, Billings, MT
Silver: Bowie Knife, Thunderhawk Alements, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Turmoil, Barley Brown’s Beer, Baker City, OR

Category 80: German-Style Sour Ale – 63 Entries
Gold: Meier, Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, NM
Silver: Meersalz, Narrow Gauge Brewing Co., Florissant, MO
Bronze: And the Award Gose to…, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV

Category 81: Specialty Berliner Weisse – 82 Entries
Gold: Midwestern Exotic, Barrel Theory Beer Co., St. Paul, MN
Silver: Jungalow Juice, Arrow Lodge Brewing, Covina, CA
Bronze: Raspberry Vermonter Weiss, 14th Star Brewing, Saint Albans, VT

Category 82: Contemporary Gose – 102 Entries
Gold: Cruise to Nowhere, Town Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Silver: Mimosa Gose, Pilot Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Galactic Minotaurt, True Vine Brewing Co., Tyler, TX

Category 83: German-Style Altbier – 64 Entries
Gold: Rhine Heights ALT, Vintage Brewing Co. – Madison, Madison, WI
Silver: Howitzer Amber, Red Leg Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO
Bronze: Jeremy Altbier, The Royal Oak Brewery, Royal Oak, MI

Category 84: South German-Style Hefeweizen – 150 Entries
Gold: Prosperity Wheat, Market Garden Brewery, Cleveland, OH
Silver: Hug Deal Gone Sideweiss, Gezellig Brewing Co., Newton, IA
Bronze: Leisel Weapon, Noon Whistle Brewing Co., Lombard, IL

Category 85: German-Style Wheat Ale – 37 Entries
Gold: Krystal Clear, TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room, Tustin, CA
Silver: Dunkelweisse, Swashbuckler Brewing Co., Manheim, PA
Bronze: HefeWeizen, Live Oak Brewing Co., Austin, TX

Category 86: Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale – 51 Entries
Gold: Nènette, Kern River Brewing Co. – The Backyard, Kernville, CA
Silver: Hell’s Keep, Squatters Craft Beers, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Suddenly a Saint, Moonraker Brewing Co., Auburn, CA

Category 87: Belgian-Style Witbier – 94 Entries
Gold: Way West Wit, Zuni Street Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Boeman Belgian White, Ogopogo Brewing, San Gabriel, CA
Bronze: Under a Blood Orange Sky, Temblor Brewing Co., Bakersfield, CA

Category 88: Classic Saison – 106 Entries
Gold: Meadowlark, Metazoa Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Summer Opal, Firestone Walker Propagator, Marina Del Rey, CA
Bronze: Gray Matter, Aspetuck Brew Lab, Bridgeport, CT

Category 89: Specialty Saison – 91 Entries
Gold: Obeisance, Von Ebert Brewing – Glendoveer, Portland, OR
Silver: Westfield, Cellar West Artisan Ales, Lafayette, CO
Bronze: Palisade #2, Fortside Brewing Co., Vancouver, WA

Category 90: Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 47 Entries
Gold: Junebug, Echo Brewing Co., Erie, CO
Silver: Swingin’ Single, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Industrial Gris, Resident Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

GABF19-awards-Revolution
Piece Brewery.

Category 91: Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 95 Entries
Gold: Get The Funk Out, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Denver, CO
Silver: Olly, Free Will Brewing Co., Perkasie, PA
Bronze: Saison Apothēca, Yeast of Eden, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA

Category 92: Belgian-Style Dubbel – 26 Entries
Gold: Dedication, Vintage Brewing Co. – Madison, Madison, WI
Silver: Belgian Dubbel, Sugar Creek Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Bronze: OB Bubble Dubbel, Kilowatt Brewing, San Diego, CA

Category 93: Belgian-Style Tripel – 83 Entries
Gold: Princeps Pacis, Save The World Brewing Co., Marble Falls, TX
Silver: Marvella, Red Rock Brewery – Production, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Triple-Whirl, 217 Brew Works, Wilson, NC

Category 94: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale – 44 Entries
Gold: Fu Fighter, Good River Beer, Denver, CO
Silver: Sandy Dunes Saison, River Bluff Brewing, St. Joseph, MO
Bronze: Stay Gold, Bluebird Brasserie, Sherman Oaks, CA

Category 95: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale or Belgian-Style Quadrupel – 62 Entries
Gold: Quad Damn It, Chicago Brewing Co. – Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Séréneté Grand Cru, Bruz Beers, Denver, CO
Bronze: Sisters Quad, Bitter Sisters Brewing Co., Addison, TX

Category 96: Other Belgian-Style Ale – 30 Entries
Gold: Very, Very Far, Off Color Brewing, Chicago, IL
Silver: Conquer Then Divide, Barrage Brewing Co., Farmingdale, NY
Bronze: Pentuple, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing, Akron, OH

Category 97: Brown Porter – 61 Entries
Gold: Maduro Brown Ale, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
Silver: Brown Claw, Kern River Brewing Co. – The Backyard, Kernville, CA
Bronze: Honey Porter, Cape May Brewing Co. – Rio Grande, Cape May, NJ

Category 98: Robust Porter – 87 Entries
Gold: Tabula Rasa, Second Chance Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Powell Street Porter, Bartlett Hall, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Shadowcaster Porter, Folklore Brewing & Meadery, Dothan, AL

Category 99: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 43 Entries
Gold: SeaSide Stout, Pizza Port – Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: Shooter McMunn’s, Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA
Bronze: O’Dark Thirty, 6 Bears & A Goat Brewing Co., Fredericksburg, VA

Category 100: Export Stout – 42 Entries
Gold: Correspondent, Wander Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Thor’s Shadow Imperial Stout, Odin Brewing Co., Tukwila, WA
Bronze: Void of Light, Gun Hill Brewing Co., Bronx, NY

GABF19-awards-Stone
Stone Brewing.

Category 101: American-Style Stout – 55 Entries
Gold: Black Cliffs, Boise Brewing, Boise, ID
Silver: Liberty Station Cimmerian Portal, Stone Brewing, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Kilgore, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

GABF19-awards-Beachwood
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing.

Category 102: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout – 67 Entries
Gold: Moozie, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Emperor Norton’s Sweet Stout, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Volcano Mudslide Sweet Stout, Feather Falls Brewing, Oroville, CA

GABF19-awards-21A
21st Amendment Brewery.

Category 103: Oatmeal Stout – 69 Entries
Gold: 80 Chain Stout, MAP Brewing Co., Bozeman, MT
Silver: Yonder Mountain Stout, Vine Street Pub & Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Shaman Stout, Toltec Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category 104: Imperial Stout – 93 Entries
Gold: The Russian, 2SP Brewing Co., Aston, PA
Silver: Black Cauldron Imperial Stout, Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, ID
Bronze: Rescue Buoy Imperial Stout, Rip Current Brewing, San Marcos, CA

GABF19-awards-Rip-Current
Rip Current Brewing.

Category 105: Scotch Ale – 52 Entries
Gold: Knuckle Dragger, Dueces Wild Brewery, Colorado Springs, CO
Silver: Real Heavy, Real Ale Brewing Co., Blanco, TX
Bronze: Wee Heavy Metal, Hutton & Smith Brewing Co., Chattanooga, TN

Category 106: Old Ale or Strong Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Private Stock Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Old Scrooge, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA
Bronze: Last Will & Testament, Monday Night Brewing, Atlanta, GA

GABF19-awards-AleSmith
AleSmith Brewing.

Category 107: Barley Wine-Style Ale – 59 Entries
Gold: Old Diablo, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Silver: Freebooter Barleywine, Coronado Brewing Co., Coronado, CA
Bronze: Three Ryes Men, Reuben’s Brews – The Taproom, Seattle, WA

GABF19-awards-Morgan-Territory
Morgan Territory Brewing.

Pro-Am Competition – 113 Entries
Gold: Distemper, IMBĪB Custom Brews, Reno, NV
Brewmaster: IMBĪB Brew Crew
AHA Member: Lance Newlin
Silver: Leicht, Precarious Beer Project – Beer Hall, Williamsburg, VA
Brewmaster: Greg Fleehart
AHA Member: Joel Miller
Bronze: Chess with Checkers, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Brewmaster: The Employee Owners of New Belgium
AHA Member: Erich Purcell

Collaboration Competition – 70 Entries
Gold: Getting By on Central Time, Sun King Brewing, Indianapolis, IN
Indiana Brewers Guild Beer Brigadiers
Silver: Are You Pricklish?, Taft’s Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Against the Grain Brewing, Louisville, KY
Bronze: Willie Big Dog, Public Coast Brewing Co., Cannon Beach, OR
Big Dog’s Brewing CO., Las Vegas, NV

2019 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Rowley Farmhouse Ales, Santa Fe, NM
Rowley Farmhouse Ales

Mid-Size Brewpub and Mid-Size Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs, CO
Westbound & Down Brewery Team

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Vintage Brewing Co. – Madison, Madison, WI
Drinking Fresh Thinking

Very Small Brewing Company and Very Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Brink Brew Crew

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Comrade Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Marks Lanham & David Lin

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA
Silver City Brew Team

Brewery Group and Brewery Group Brewer of the Year
Kern River Brewing Co., Kernville, CA

GABF19-awards-Kern-River-BOtY
Kern River Brewing.

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, News Tagged With: Awards, Brewers Association, GABF, United States

California Craft Brewers Cup 2019

September 20, 2019 By Jay Brooks

ccba

Last month, I participated in judging a new beer competition in California: the California Craft Brewers Cup, put on by the California Craft Brewers Association. Over four days, 80 judges evaluated nearly 1,300 beers in 61 categories from 194 breweries in the state. The winners were announced at the annual California Beer Summit, held this year in Long Beach, September 12-14.

REVISED FINAL CCBC LOGO_PDF

Below are the results of the 2019 inaugural California Craft Brewers Cup:

Winners – California Craft Brewers Cup

Category 1: Standard American Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAlvarado Street BreweryMonterey Beer
2ndUrban Roots BrewingSidework
3rdTaps BreweryLight

Category 2: International Lager

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stKnee Deep Brewing CompanyHola Señor
2ndDust Bowl Brewing CoTaco Truck Amber
3rdDust Bowl Brewing CoTaco Truck Lager

Category 3: Pilsner

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stDiscretion BrewingShimmer Pils
2ndDust Bowl Brewing CoHobo
3rdSecret Trail Brewing CompanyComanche Creek

Category 4: Bohemian-Style Pilsner (Czech Lager)

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stEast Brother Beer CoBo Pils
2ndTen Mile BrewingSwarthy Czechsman
3rdRip Current BrewingChoppy Surf Czech-Style Pilsner

Category 5: Pale European Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAngel City BreweryEastside Export Lager
2ndDevice Brewing CompanyDas Crispy
3rdAlaro Craft BreweryLa Boheme

Category 6: Munich-Style Helles

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBike Dog Brewing Co.Summer Is Always Helles
2ndSmog City Brewing Co.South Bay Lager
3rdThe Original 40 Brewing CompanyChrispy Boi

Category 7: German/Vienna-Style Marzen

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stCrooked Lane Brewing CoOktoberfest
2ndDust Bowl Brewing CoOktoberfest
3rdFiftyfifty BrewingOktoberfest

Category 8: European-Style Dark Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stTaps BreweryDon’t Drop That Dun Dun Dunkel
2ndCrooked Lane Brewing CoThirsty Pretzels
3rdAngel City BreweryBlack Lager

Category 9: Bock

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stRip Current BrewingBreakline Bock
2ndFaultline Brewing CoSpring Bock
3rdMain Street BreweryMain Street Maibock

Category 10: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stCrooked Lane Brewing CoOreamnos
2ndMorgan Territroy BrewingLubricator
3rdPhantom AlesPhantom Doppelbock

Category 11: American Style Cream Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stUnsung Brewing CompanyBuzzman
2ndClaremont Craft AlesNorman
3rdSouth Park BrewingJenny

Category 12: Kölsch

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stIndie Brewing CompanyPacific Kolsch Highway
2ndStandard Deviant BrewingKolsch
3rdKetch BrewingKetch Kolsch

Category 13: Altbier/CA Common

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stFiftyfifty BrewingAlternate Ending
2ndRedwood Curtain Brewing CompanyDusseldorf Altbier
3rdAngel City Brewery45rpm

Category 15: Baltic-Style Porter

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAngel City BreweryBaltic Porter
2ndMorgan Territroy BrewingDark Reckoning
3rdEppig BrewingNatural Bridge: Baltic Porter

Category 16: American-Style Wheat Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stYorkshire Square BreweryWater-Upon-Sea
2ndInc 82 BrewingFor Hef’s Sake
3rdNew Glory Craft BreweryGummy Worms

Category 17: German-Style Wheat Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stTaps BreweryKrystal Clear
2ndBeachwood Bbq & BrewingLa Cabra
3rdIsland Brewing CompanyPch – Pacific Coast Hefeweizen

Category 18: Berliner-Style Weisse

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stCrooked Lane Brewing CoStreet Weisse
2ndStereo Brewing CompanySummer Sun
3rdBeachwood Bbq & BrewingTart Simpson

Category 19: Gose

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stPorchlight Brewing CoPatio Smooches
2ndAlesmith Brewing CompanyAlesmith Gose
3rdMraz Brewing Company LlcPurple Plum

Category 20: Rye Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBurning Beard BrewingRoggen the Lightning

Category 21: Fruit Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stDel Cielo BrewingGuava Dreams
2ndUrban Roots BrewingChocolate Moustache Coconut Imperal Stout
3rdFort Rock BrewingGose the Destroyer

Category 23: Herb & Spice Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stMoksa Brewing CoIntemperance
2ndMoksa Brewing CoSummerthyme
3rdGarage Brewing CoToasted Marshmallow Milk Stout

Category 24: Coffee Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stGamecraft Brewing CompanyThere Is No Cow Level
2ndAmbitious AlesCentral Perk
3rdPizza Port Brewing Co- Bressi RanchBacon and Eggs

Category 25: Chocolate Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBelching Beaver BreweryViva la Beaver
2ndBeachwood Bbq & BrewingVanilla Fudge
3rdPizza Port San ClementeDusk Til Dawn

Category 26: Smoked Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stSouth Park BrewingBread & Smoke
2ndHop Dogma Brewing CompanySmoke On the Lager

Category 27: Historical

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAnaheim BreweryAnaheim 1888 (R)
2ndAngel City BreweryAdambier

Category 28: Blonde or Golden Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stMountain Rambler BreweryVenusian Blonde Ale
2ndDos Desperados BrewerySurfeza Blonde Ale
3rdTrack 7 Brewing Co.Bee Line Blonde

Category 29: British Mild & Bitters

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBurning Beard BrewingBanksy
2ndThorn Brewing Co.West Kensington
3rdThe Monk’s CellarCrooked Bridge Esb

Category 30: Standard British Ales

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stPeter B’s BrewpubInclusion Amber
2ndPorchlight Brewing CoThe O.P.
3rdStandard Deviant BrewingPorter

Category 31: British Strong Ales

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stMorgan Territroy BrewingHighland Marauder
2ndAlesmith Brewing CompanyAlesmith Private Stock Ale 2017
3rdCrooked Lane Brewing CoGnarly Goat

Category 32: Irish/Scottish Ales

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stKarl Strauss Brewing CompanyRed Trolley Ale
2ndTriple Rock Brewing Co.Cleverpenny
3rdIsland Brewing CompanyJubilee Ale

Category 34: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stCrooked Lane Brewing CoDark Bent
2ndPocock Brewing CompanyIt’s My Island
3rdSociete Brewing CompanyThe Pugilist

Category 35: Stouts (Dry)

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stDel Cielo BrewingSmooth Ride
2ndSeismic Brewing CompanyOatmeal Stout
3rdIsland Brewing CompanyStarry Night Stout

Category 36: Stouts (Sweet)

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stSuper Owl BrewingUdder Nonsense
2ndFeather Falls Brewing CompanyVolcano Mudslide Sweet Stout
3rdRiley’s BrewingCowlifornia

Category 37: Imperial Stouts

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stRip Current BrewingRescue Buoy Imperial Stout
2ndRouleur Brewing CompanyNiterideur Imperial Stout

Category 38: American Amber & Brown Ales

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stTortugo BrewingBaltra Red
2ndInstitution Ale Co.Restraint
3rdCrooked Lane Brewing CoHard Headed Red

Category 39: American Porter & Stout

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stRock Bottom Brewery la JollaPadfoot Porter
2ndFiftyfifty BrewingDonner Party Porter
3rdKern River Brewing CompanyBrown Claw

Category 40: American Pale Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAlesmith Brewing CompanyAlesmith San Diego Pale Ale .394
2ndFigueroa Mountain Brewing CoFigueroa Mountain Mosaic
3rdSociete Brewing CompanyThe Publican

Category 41: English-Style India Pale Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAlaro Craft BreweryCastillo
2ndLoomis Basin Brewing Co.,incVindicator IPA
3rdFigueroa Mountain Brewing CoHoppy Poppy

Category 42: American-Style India Pale Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stGamecraft Brewing CompanyPay To Win
2ndAuburn AlehouseGold Digger IPA
3rdOut of Bounds Brewing CompanyJoyrider

Category 43: New England-Style India Pale Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stResident BrewingChasing Mosaic
2ndNorth Park Beer Co.Art Is Hard
3rdKnee Deep Brewing CompanyOopsie d’Hazy

Category 44: American Imperial IPA

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stMoksa Brewing CoSticky Sips
2ndTarantula Hill Brewing CompanyBatch 002
3rdTaps BreweryPoseidon

Category 45: Specialty IPA

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stAlvarado Street BreweryChampagne Hopi
2ndDrake’s Brewing Co.Aroma Coma
3rdKnee Deep Brewing CompanyMan Juice

Category 46: Strong American Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBravery Brewing CompanyCentennial Barleywine
2ndKnee Deep Brewing CompanyImperial Tanilla
3rdMraz Brewing Company LlcOperias

Category 47: Belgian-Style Witbier

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stTemblor Brewing CoUnder A Blood Orange Sky
2ndMain Street BreweryKatarina Wit
3rdTarantula Hill Brewing CompanyT.O. Wit

Category 48: Classic Saison

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stResident BrewingGolden Kiss
2ndHillenbrand Farmhaus BreweryFarmhaus
3rdAlaro Craft BreweryRabbit Hole

Category 49: Specialty Saison

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stGilman Brewing CompanyChamp Rochaux
2ndInnovation Brew WorksCattle Rancher
3rdFerment.Drink.Repeat – Fdr Brewing CompanyBarbados Grapefruit Saison

Category 50: Belgian & French-Style Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBarmhaus Brewing Co.Batch #4
2ndResident BrewingIndustrial Gris
3rdTriple Rock Brewing Co.Bid Adieu

Category 51: Belgian Strong Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stSecond Chance Beer CompanyGlorious
2ndAlesmith Brewing CompanyAlesmith Grand Cru
3rdRiip Beer CompanyMarooned 12

Category 52: Trappist Style Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stMain Street BreweryBishop’s Tipple Trippel
2ndFaction Brewing CompanyDefcon I
3rdSociete Brewing CompanyThe Debutante

Category 53: Belgian Sour Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stSoquel Fermentation ProjectRed #2 -With Raspberry
2ndAlesmith Brewing CompanyAlesmith Obk
3rdPort Brewing and the Lost AbbeyRed Poppy

Category 54: Belgian-Style Lambic

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stThorn Brewing Co.Framboise d’Tatas
2ndMraz Brewing Company LlcBlack Creek
3rdFlatland Brewing CompanyUnwritten Stories

Category 55: American Wild Ale

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stOriginal Pattern Brewing CompanyBerrya 51
2ndChapman Crafted BeerAbsofruitly! Raspberry
3rdSoquel Fermentation ProjectGolden Sour #4 With Mango and Passionfruit

Category 56: Wood (Wine)

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stDuck Foot Brewing Co.Sour Blonde
2ndFiftyfifty BrewingOld Digs Malbec
3rdSeismic Brewing CompanySteinstrasse

Category 57: Wood (Spirit)

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stBravery Brewing CompanyBourbon Barrel-Aged the Shroud
2ndDrake’s Brewing Co.Santa’s Brass
3rdSilva BrewingSilva Stout

Category 58: Alternative Fermentable Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stMorgan Territroy BrewingBees Better Have My Honey
2ndAngel City BreweryRap On the Beezer
3rdDiscretion BrewingTen Million Flowers

Category 59: Experimental Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stKings Brewing CompanyFluffernutter
2ndBurgeon Beer CompanyBird’s Milk
3rdSilva BrewingThe Pink Stuff

Category 60: Session Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stPizza Port Brew Co. – Ocean BeachGuillaume
2ndEppig BrewingNatural Bridge: Vienna Lager
3rdNoble Ale WorksNose Candy

Category 61: Chili Beer

PlaceOrganizationEntry Name
1stDuck Foot Brewing Co.Slow Burn
2ndStereo Brewing CompanyI Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
3rdGarage Brewing CoHatch Chile IPA
CCBC LOGO clear background

In addition to the individual awards, there were also two big awards, “Best in Show,” taken from the individual gold medal winners, and “Californa Brewery of the Year.”

CCBC: Best of Show

Rip Current Brewing’s Breakline Bock, a Traditional German-Style Bock.

California Brewery of the Year

Crooked Lane Brewing Company, located in Auburn.

CCBC LOGO clear background

In addition to the two big brewery awards, they also gave a Pioneer’s Award and the California Guild of the Year.

California Guild of the Year

Sacramento Area Brewers Guild.

2019 Pioneer

Tom McCormick.

CCBC LOGO clear background

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Events, Just For Fun Tagged With: Awards, California, CCBA

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