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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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GABF Winners 2013

October 12, 2013 By Jay Brooks

gabf-2012
Earlier today, the winners of the 32nd Great American Beer Festival were announced. A record 4,809 beers were judged in 84 categories by 201 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. Some more factoids on the results and the festival:

  • Category with the most entries: American-style IPA: 252 entries
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 51
  • 745 breweries in the competition from 49 states, plus Washington, D.C.
  • 230 breweries entered for the first time
  • 24 first-time breweries won medals
  • 2 breweries tied for most gold medals won; Firestone Walker and Left Hand Brewing
  • 624 breweries in the festival hall
  • Over 3,100 beers served at the festival
  • 49,000 attendees

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 52
  2. Colorado = 45
  3. Oregon = 25
  4. Virginia = 14
  5. Pennsylvania = 12
  6. Texas = 10
  7. TIE: New Mexico, Ohio = 8
  8. TIE: Missouri, New York = 7
  9. TIE: Arizona, Utah, Wisconsin = 5
  10. TIE: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Washington = 4

gabf-2012

The 2013 Great American Beer Festival Winners

Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer, 31 Entries
Gold: Shredders Wheat, Baker City Brewing Co., Baker City , OR
Silver: American Wheat , Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Bronze: Super 77 Wheat, Wiley Roots Brewing Co., Greeley, CO

Category 2: American-Style Wheat Beer With Yeast, 32 Entries
Gold: American Hefeweizen, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Silver: Wheatfi sh, Great Northern Brewing Co., Whitefi sh, MT
Bronze: Helio Hefeweizen, Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co., Red Lodge, MT

Category 3: Fruit Beer, 73 Entries
Gold: Golden Knot – Chardonnay, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Serendipity, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Bronze: Sparkleberry Ale, Bell’s Brewery, Galesburg, MI

Category 4: Fruit Wheat Beer, 48 Entries
Gold: Peachy Peach, Pagosa Brewing & Grill, Pagosa Springs, CO
Silver: Bitchin’ Berry, Great Basin Brewing Co. – Reno, Reno, NV
Bronze: Lilikoi Kepolo, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

Category 5: Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer, 91 Entries
Gold: Elektrick Cukumbahh, Trinity Brewing Co., Colorado Springs, CO
Silver: Anaheim IPA, Ram Restaurant and Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Splashing Pumpkin, Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore, NY

Category 6: Herb and Spice Beer, 134 Entries
Gold: Bitterama, Namaste Brewing at the Whip In, Austin, TX
Silver: Chai Milk Stout, Yak & Yeti Restaurant & Brewpub, Arvada, CO
Bronze: Elba, Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery, Austin, TX

Category 7: Chocolate Beer, 39 Entries
Gold: Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: The Fix, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Bronze: Chocolate Meltdown, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA

Category 8: Coff ee Beer, 92 Entries
Gold: Panama Joe’s Coff ee Stout, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Barrel-Aged Sump Coff ee Stout, Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO
Bronze: System of a Stout, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Category 9: Specialty Beer, 31 Entries
Gold: Warmer, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery, Redlands, CA
Silver: Fate Candy Bar Milk Stout, Fate Brewing Co. – Scottsdale, AZ, Scottsdale, AZ
Bronze: Pack Dog Peanut Butter Ale, Marley’s Brewery & Grille, Bloomsburg, PA

Category 10: Rye Beer, 63 Entries
Gold: LowRyeDer, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Silver: Rye Smile, Triple Rock Brewery, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: RastafaRye, Blue Point Brewing Co., Patchogue, NY

Category 11: Specialty Honey Beer, 40 Entries
Gold: Buzzed Bee Honey Ale, High Sierra Brewing Co., Carson City, NV
Silver: Midas Touch, Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: West Bound Braggot, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

Category 12: Session Beer, 56 Entries
Gold: Beer Hunter, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, Ocean Beach, CA
Silver: MCA, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Torque, Kinetic Brewing Co., Lancaster, CA

Category 13: Other Strong Beer, 51 Entries
Gold: Mass Rising, Jack’s Abby Brewing, Framingham, MA
Silver: Power Wagon, Big Sky Brewing Co., Missoula, MT
Bronze: XX Dwarf, Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI

Category 14: Experimental Beer, 66 Entries
Gold: Hops n’ Roses, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Elmsford, NY
Silver: Dragon’s Milk Reserve – Smaug’s Breath, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI
Bronze: Redrock Paardebloem, Redrock Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category 15: Fresh Hop Ale, 46 Entries
Gold: Cent’s and Censability, Old Town Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Trail Head, Fat Heads Brewery, Middleburg Heights, OH
Bronze: Fresh Hop Pallet Jack, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR

Category 16: Indigenous Beer, 28 Entries
Gold: Vinland 2, Mystic Brewery, Chelsea, MA
Silver: Sage Fight Imperial IPA, Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House, Bend, OR
Bronze: Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce, Yards Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA

Category 17: Gluten-Free Beer, 14 Entries
Gold: Harvester Brewing IPA No. 1, Harvester Brewing, Portland, OR
Silver: Gluten Free, Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House, Bend, OR
Bronze: Gluten-Free Brown Ale, New Planet Beer Co., Boulder, CO

Category 18: American-Belgo-Style Ale, 81 Entries
Gold: BrickStone Belgo-APA, BrickStone Brewery, Bourbonnais, IL
Silver: Belgo Hoptologist, Knee Deep Brewing Co., Lincoln, CA
Bronze: Little Green, Flat Tail Brewing Co., Corvallis, OR

Category 19: American-Style Sour Ale, 31 Entries
Gold: Ching Ching, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: Myrtle, The Commons Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Red Poppy, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA

Category 20: American-Style Brett Beer, 38 Entries
Gold: Serenity, Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, NC
Silver: Sanctifi cation, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Bronze: HopSavant, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Denver, CO

Category 21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 49 Entries
Gold: Hellshire III, Oakshire Brewing, Eugene, OR
Silver: Barrel-Aged Frostbite Lager, Ram Restaurant and Brewery – Illinois, Wheeling, IL
Bronze: Rum Barrel Belgian Dubbel Style Ale, Three Brothers Brewing, Harrisonburg, VA

Category 22: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 117 Entries
Gold: Afternoon Delight, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Twisted Trace, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: Barrel-Aged Full Malted Jacket, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA

Category 23: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout, 89 Entries
Gold: Blot Out the Sun, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN
Silver: Barrel-Aged Narwhal, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Barrel Aged BORIS The Crusher, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH

Category 24: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 76 Entries
Gold: Love Child No. 3, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Dark and Stormy, McKenzie Brew House, Glen Mills, PA
Bronze: Pentagram, Surly Brewing Co., Brooklyn Center, MN

Category 25: Aged Beer, 31 Entries
Gold: Lovely, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: 2009 Big Black Voodoo Daddy, Voodoo Brewery, Meadville, PA
Bronze: COLOSSAL ONE, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 26: Kellerbier or Zwickelbier, 30 Entries
Gold: Keller Pils, Prost Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Surfl iner Lager, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Progress Pilsner, Market Garden Brewery, Cleveland, OH

Category 27: Smoke Beer, 79 Entries
Gold: Second Hand Smoke, SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Smokin’ Handsome, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs, OH
Bronze: COLOSSAL TWO, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA

Category 28: American-Style or International-Style Pilsener, 29 Entries
Silver: Gold Leaf Lager, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Bronze: Gold Country Pilsner, Auburn Alehouse, Auburn, CA

Category 29: German-Style Pilsener, 56 Entries
Gold: Pivo, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Pilsner, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Sunshine Pils, Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA

Category 30: Bohemian-Style Pilsener, 53 Entries
Gold: Bohemian Pilsner, Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene, OR
Silver: Czech Pilsner, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, Broomfield, CO
Bronze: Bohemian Pilsner, Mother Earth Brewing, Kinston, NC

Category 31: Munich-Style Helles, 42 Entries
Gold: Helles Festbier, Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co., Midvale, UT
Silver: Saint Arnold Summer Pils, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Bronze: TAPS Helles, TAPS Fish House & Brewery – Brea, Brea, CA

Category 32: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest, 29 Entries
Gold: Move Back, SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Oktoberfest, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Thunder from Dortmunder, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM

Category 33: American-Style Lager or Light Lager, 42 Entries
Gold: Budweiser Select, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO
Silver: Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Special Export, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA

Category 34: American-Style Cream Ale, 37 Entries
Gold: Natural Ice, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO
Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA
Bronze: Rainier, Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA

Category 35: Vienna-Style Lager, 30 Entries
Gold: Churchville Lager, Neshaminy Creek Brewing, Croydon, PA
Silver: Oktoberfest, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Bronze: Octoberfest , Sly Fox Brewing Co., Pottstown, PA

Category 36: German-Style Märzen, 51 Entries
Gold: Rhinofest, Lost Rhino Brewing Co., Ashburn, VA
Silver: Octoberfest, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
Bronze: Dogtoberfest, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Category 37: American-Style Amber Lager, 61 Entries
Gold: Rod’s Steam Bitter, Second Street Brewery, Santa Fe, NM
Silver: OktoberFish, Flying Fish Brewing Co., Somerdale, NJ
Bronze: Schell’s Oktoberfest, August Schell Brewing Co., New Ulm, MN

Category 38: European-Style Dunkel, 19 Entries
Gold: Munich Dunkel, Carver Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Heart of Darkness Dunkel, Springfi eld Brewing Co., Springfield, MO
Bronze: The Fearless Youth, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, Loveland, CO

Category 39: American-Style Dark Lager, 22 Entries
Gold: Old Virginia Dark, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Silver: Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
Bronze: Black Diamond, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Category 40: German-Style Schwarzbier, 26 Entries
Gold: Black Thunder, Austin Beerworks, Austin, TX
Silver: Black Knight, Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH
Bronze: TAPS Schwarzbier, TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Corona, CA

Category 41: Bock, 28 Entries
Gold: Troegenator Double Bock, Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA
Silver: Andygator, Abita Brewing Co., Abita Springs, LA
Bronze: Goat Rancher, SandLot, Denver, CO

Category 42: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock, 32 Entries
Gold: Samuel Adams Double Bock, Samuel Adams,Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Christian Moerlein Emancipator, Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Bronze: Resurrection Doppelbock, Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co., Red Lodge, MT

Category 43: Baltic-Style Porter, 16 Entries
Gold: Black Eagle Baltic Porter, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY
Silver: The Hammer, Rock Bottom Brewery, Broomfi eld, CO
Bronze: Danzig, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 44: Golden or Blonde Ale, 69 Entries
Gold: Foam Top, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA
Bronze: Kiwanda Cream Ale, Pelican Brewing Co., Pacific City, OR

Category 45: German-Style Kölsch, 60 Entries
Gold: Leinenkugel’s Canoe Paddler, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
Silver: Tailgater Kölsch, Flat Tail Brewing Co., Corvallis, OR
Bronze: Potential Blonde, Kinetic Brewing Co., Lancaster, CA

Category 46: English-Style Summer Ale, 27 Entries
Gold: True Blonde Ale, Ska Brewing, Durango, CO
Silver: Hanging Lake, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Bronze: Sum’r, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category 47: Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 29 Entries
Gold: 5 Barrel Pale Ale, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Extra Pale Summer Ale, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – North Dock, Aurora, CO
Bronze: Breakside ESB, Breakside Brewery – Pub Brewery, Portland, OR

Category 48: English-Style India Pale Ale, 31 Entries
Gold: Taproom IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Silverspot IPA, Pelican Brewing Co., Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Enterprise IPA, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – North Dock, Aurora, CO

Category 49: International-Style Pale Ale, 30 Entries
Gold: Hand Truck, Baker City Brewing Co., Baker City , OR
Silver: Amazeballs, Peekskill Brewery, Peekskill, NY
Bronze: IPL, AC Golden, Golden, CO

Category 50: American-Style Pale Ale, 124 Entries
Gold: Lumberyard American Pale Ale, Lumberyard Brewing Co., Flagstaff , AZ
Silver: Featherweight Pale, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Citra Rye Pale Ale, Joseph James Brewing Co., Henderson, NV

Category 51: American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 120 Entries
Gold: Bonobos, Monkey Paw Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Hop Knot, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ
Bronze: Kung Fu Elvis, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, Ocean Beach, CA

Category 52: American-Style India Pale Ale, 252 Entries
Gold: Pallet Jack IPA, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Silver: Union Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Project Dank: Operation Pharoah’s Return, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category 53: Imperial India Pale Ale, 149 Entries
Gold: Hop JuJu, Fat Heads Brewery, Middleburg Heights, OH
Silver: Permanent Funeral, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN
Bronze: Notch 9 Double IPA, Smartmouth Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA

Category 54: American-Style Amber/Red Ale, 89 Entries
Gold: Prohibition Ale, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Red Rock, Triple Rock Brewery, Berkeley, CA

Category 55: Imperial Red Ale, 56 Entries
Silver: Rhino Chaser, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, Ocean Beach, CA
Bronze: Bombay Rouge Red IPA, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA

Category 56: English-Style Mild Ale, 35 Entries
Gold: S.S. Minnow Mild, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – South Dock, Aurora, CO
Silver: Brawler, Yards Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Ale of Fergus, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA

Category 57: Ordinary or Special Bitter, 37 Entries
Gold: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Silver: HMS Victory Amber, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – North Dock, Aurora, CO
Bronze: Men’s Room Original Red, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

Category 58: Extra Special Bitter, 56 Entries
Gold: Public Ale, Community Beer Co., Dallas, TX
Silver: True Brit IPA, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN
Bronze: Fed, White & Brew, American Brewing Co., Edmonds, WA

Category 59: Scottish-Style Ale, 42 Entries
Gold: Scottish Ale, Campbell Brewing Co., Campbell , CA
Silver: Kilt Lifter, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ
Bronze: Redhawk Ale, Rockyard Brewing Co., Castle Rock, CO

Category 60: Irish-Style Red Ale, 48 Entries
Gold: Red Trolley Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Colorado Boy Irish Ale, Colorado Boy Brewing Co., Ridgway, CO
Bronze: Ragtop Red, Rock Bottom Brewery, Broomfield, CO

Category 61: English-Style Brown Ale, 41 Entries
Gold: Bandit Brown, City Star Brewing, Berthoud, CO
Silver: Sierra Blanca Nut Brown Ale, Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Moriarty, NM
Bronze: Longboard Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery, Broomfield, CO

Category 62: American-Style Brown Ale, 66 Entries
Gold: Davy Brown Ale, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. – Buellton, Buellton, CA
Silver: End Of The Trail Brown Ale, Blue Corn Brewery, Santa Fe, NM
Bronze: Doryman’s Dark Ale, Pelican Brewing Co., Pacifi c City, OR

Category 63: American-Style Black Ale, 73 Entries
Gold: Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Black Sails, Coronado Brewing Company Brewpub, Coronado, CA
Bronze: Oxymoron, Oceanside Ale Works, Oceanside, CA

Category 64: German-Style Altbier, 32 Entries
Gold: Tree Hugger, Terrapin Beer Co., Athens, GA
Silver: Brewers Cut Altbier, Real Ale Brewing Co., Blanco, TX
Bronze: Echo Amber, Echo Brewing Co., Frederick, CO

Category 65: German-Style Sour Ale, 46 Entries
Gold: German Sparkle Party Berliner Weiss, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: Berliner Metro Weiss, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Bronze: Passionfruit Sour, Breakside Brewery – Milwaukie Brewery, Milwaukie, OR

Category 66: South German-Style Hefeweizen, 77 Entries
Gold: Big Horn Hefeweizen, CB and Potts Restaurant and Brewery, Highlands Ranch, CO
Silver: Ebel’s Weiss, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL
Bronze: Brooklyner Weisse, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Category 67: German-Style Wheat Ale, 28 Entries
Gold: Slam Dunkel, Steamworks Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Bavarian Sun, Ram Restaurant and Brewery, Wheeling, IL
Bronze: Saint Arnold Weedwacker, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 68: Belgian-Style Witbier, 66 Entries
Gold: Optimal Wit, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Silver: Wasatch White Label, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: ZON, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO

Category 69: French & Belgian-Style Saison, 119 Entries
Gold: Liopard Oir Farmhouse Saison, Lavery Brewing Co., Erie, PA
Silver: Urban Farmhouse Ale, The Commons Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale, Crossroads Brewing Co., Athens, NY

Category 70: Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 71 Entries
Gold: Azreal, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Outpost, Lexington, VA
Silver: Grisette, Sly Fox Brewing Co., Pottstown, PA
Bronze: California Ale, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA

Category 71: Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale, 47 Entries
Gold: American Blackberry Sour Ale, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Silver: Squatters Fifth Element, Squatters and Wasatch Beers, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Atrial Rubicite, Jester King Brewery, Austin, TX

Category 72: Belgian-Style Abbey Ale, 88 Entries
Gold: Cedar Creek Belgian Style Dubbel, Cedar Creek Brewery, Seven Points, TX
Silver: AleSmith Decadence 2012 Quadrupel, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Ommegang Three Philosophers, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown , NY

Category 73: Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale, 80 Entries
Gold: Stumblin’ Monk, Stewart’s Brewing Co., Bear, DE
Silver: Quad Damn It, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: The Twelve – Belgian Quad, Black Diamond Brewing Co., Concord, CA

Category 74: Brown Porter, 30 Entries
Gold: Old Tom Porter, Piney River Brewing Co., Bucyrus, MO
Silver: St. Charles Porter, Blackstone Brewing Co., Nashville, TN
Bronze: Blind Jake, Pinthouse Pizza, Austin, TX

Category 75: Robust Porter, 74 Entries
Gold: Moonlight Porter, Rock Bottom Brewery, Broomfi eld, CO
Silver: Black Robusto Porter, Drake’s Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Genuine Oatmeal Porter, Carolina Brewery, Pittsboro, NC

Category 76: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 31 Entries
Gold: Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: Stearns Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout, Moylan’s Brewing Co., Novato, CA

Category 77: Foreign-Style Stout, 31 Entries
Gold: Fade to Black Volume 1, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Silver: Don Vanuchi “The Killer”, Baker City Brewing Co., Baker City , OR
Bronze: Tsunami Stout, Pelican Brewing Co., Pacific City, OR

Category 78: American-Style Stout, 40 Entries
Gold: Kilgore Stout, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Battlecat Stout, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Stumpy Ridge Stout, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY

Category 79: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout, 39 Entries
Gold: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Silver: Udder Love, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Bronze: Dark Lightning Milk Stout, Thunder Canyon Brewery, Tucson, AZ

Category 80: Oatmeal Stout, 48 Entries
Gold: Stagecoach Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. – Buellton, Buellton, CA
Silver: Gold Medal Stout, Blue Corn Brewery, Santa Fe, NM
Bronze: Oats., Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA

Category 81: Imperial Stout, 59 Entries
Gold: Ale Epeteios, Left Coast Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA
Silver: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Hammer and Sickle, Renegade Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category 82: Scotch Ale, 44 Entries
Gold: Wee Heavy, Dry Dock Brewing Co. – South Dock, Aurora, CO
Silver: Loose Lucy Scotch Ale, Seabright Brewery, Santa Cruz, CA
Bronze: Heritage, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA

Category 83: Old Ale or Strong Ale, 41 Entries
Gold: Pilgrim’s Dole, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI
Silver: Irish Walker, Olde Hickory Brewery, Hickory, NC
Bronze: Mule Kick, City Star Brewing, Berthoud, CO

Category 84: Barley Wine-Style Ale, 55 Entries
Gold: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Old Bounder, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Release the Hounds Barley Wine, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

2013 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition
Gold: Poblano, Cigar City Brewing
Brewmaster: Wayne Wambles, Cigar City, and AHA member Jeff Gladish
Silver: Charlie’s Brown, New Belgium Brewing Co.
Brewmaster: Peter Bouckaert/Grady Hull, New Belgium Brewing Co., and AHA member Mike Formisan
Bronze: Oatmeal Stout, Upslope Brewing Co.
Brewmaster: Alex Violette, Upslope Brewing Co., and AHA member Derek Ordway

The 2013 Great American Beer Festival Brewery & Brewer of the Year Awards

Very Small Brewing Company and Very Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Baker City Brewing Company
Brewer: Marks Lanham and Eli Dickison

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Basecamp
Brewer: Jason Oliver

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Brewer: Matt Brynildson

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sandlot
Brewer: John, Tom, Bill & Addison

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Gella’s Diner & Lb Brewing Company
Brewer: Gerald Wyman

Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Brewer: Julian Shrago and Ian McCall

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Pelican Brewing Company
Brewer: Darron Welch and Steve Panos

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group Brewer of the Year
Rock Bottom Brewery
Brewer: Team Rock Bottom

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

Who Imports Beer?

October 12, 2013 By Jay Brooks

world-map
Today’s infographic is an interesting treemap created by the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a collaboration between M.I.T. and Harvard. This one shows the amount of beer imported by the nations of the world, with the size of their relative amount of importing shown by the size of the rectangle.

who-imports-beer
Click here to see the treemap full size.

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Food & Beer, Related Pleasures Tagged With: Business, Economics, Infographics, International, Statistics

NAGBW Beer Writing Awards Announced

October 11, 2013 By Jay Brooks

nagbw
The North American Guild of Beer Writers is pleased to announced the winners of the 2013 Beer Writing Contest. Awards in six categories were announced earlier today at the McNichols Civic Center Building in Denver, Colorado. The awards were for work that was published between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. This was the first awards for the newly reformed writer’s guild, who received just over 100 entries for this year’s awards. Congratulations to each of the winners.

Best Brewspaper/Free Zine Writing

1. Randy Clemens, “Drinking on the Job: Traditional Belgian & French Farmhouse Ales”
2. Brian Yaeger, “An Oral History of Widmer Hefeweizen”
3. Ken Weaver, “The Big Show: Local brewers prepare for the Great American Beer Festival”

Best Beer Blog

1. Oliver Gray, Literature and Libation
2. Alan McCormick, Growler Fills: Craft Beer Enthusiasm
3. Terry Lozoff, Drink Insider

Best Beer and Food Writing

1. Ken Weaver, “Genesis of a Beer Dinner”
2. Kurt Epps, “Now Batting: Ted Williams at Tapastre”
3. No award

Best Newspaper (Paid Circulation) Writing

1. Evan Rail, “In London, A Flood of Pints”
2. Josh Noel, “The Best Beer in the World”
3. No award

Best Magazine Writing

1. Martin Thibault, “Top Secret – The Farmhouse Brewing Traditions of Lithuania”
2. Joe Stange, “Alt Reality”
3. Aleszu Bajak, “Brewing in Thin Air”

Best Book

1. Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont, “The World Atlas of Beer”
2. Janet Fletcher, “Cheese and Beer”
3. Tom Acitelli, “The Audacity of Hops”

nagbw-logo

Filed Under: Just For Fun, News, Related Pleasures Tagged With: Announcements, Awards, Beer Writers Guild

Beer In Ads #996: More Duck Hunting

October 11, 2013 By Jay Brooks


Friday’s ad is still another one for Rheingold Beer, from 1958, and features Miss Rheingold from that year, Madelyn Darrow. This time Miss Rheingold is in the boat with her rifle, with woman’s best friend and a few duck decoys.

Rheingold-1958-boat

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History

Animated Beer Production In The Czech Republic

October 11, 2013 By Jay Brooks

czech_republic
Today’s infographic is slick animated graphic showing the brewing process. It’s a pretty cool graphic. There’s different panels for brewing, basic types of beer, production by European countries, and some beer history. The only thing that would make it cooler would be if I could read Czech. But click on the image below to see it in all its glory.

by Newslab.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

Filed Under: Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: Czech Republic, Infographics, Science of Brewing

Beer In Ads #995: Night Grilling

October 10, 2013 By Jay Brooks


Thursday’s ad is yet another for Rheingold Beer, from 1951, and again features Miss Rheingold from that year, Elise Gammon. She’s still outside but this time she’s cooking on a cement grill, lit by paper lanterns. That’s one seriously big fork she’s wielding.

Rheingold-1951-dry

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History

GABF 1982 Vs. 2011

October 10, 2013 By Jay Brooks

gabf-2011
Today’s infographic, on the first day of this year’s Great American Beer Festival, is a comparison of statistics from GABF in 1982 vs. 2011, two years ago on the festival’s 30th anniversary. It was created by Joey McDaniel, one-half of the Bay Area blog Wet Your Whistles.

gabf-1982-2011

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: GABF, History, Infographics, Statistics

Beer In Ads #994: Feeding The Squirrels

October 9, 2013 By Jay Brooks


Wednesday’s ad is another for Rheingold Beer, from 1951, and features Miss Rheingold from that year, Elise Gammon. She’s on a city street, with an odd-looking hat — are those ears? — feeding peanuts to a squirrel. Is she wearing the gloves as a fashion statement or to avoid getting rabies?

Rheingold-1951

Filed Under: Art & Beer, Beers Tagged With: Advertising, History

It’s October: Time To Make The Beer Community Feel Guilty

October 9, 2013 By Jay Brooks

ribbon-pink
Ah, it’s October again, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and right on cue, it’s time to be insulted once more by the anti-alcohol bunch that can’t let any good deed go unpunished. This time around it’s Alcohol Justice — boy, have they been busy lately — who’s telling us how hypocritical we are for wanting to do anything to support the quest to find a cure for breast cancer. Alcohol Justice calls any such efforts a “mockery of public health, breast cancer advocacy, and alcohol policy,” and most importantly, a “mockery of breast cancer survivors and their loved ones.” Well, given that I lost my own mother to breast cancer and I love the fact that so many breweries, many of whom are my friends, take the time and effort to raise money for that cause, I have only two words for Alcohol Justice: “fuck you.”

You don’t get to decide how people spend their money, where they make their charitable donations or how. In the example highlighted in “If It Makes You Wealthy: Sheryl Crow & Treasury Wine Estates Sell Out Women’s Health,” the promotion they’re objecting to is a large wine conglomerate raising money for breast cancer research with Sheryl Crow’s support and participation, something that was announced this past July. Crow herself is a breast cancer survivor so they’re really thumbing their nose at her, too. If a cancer survivor chooses to try and do some good to raise money for a cause she feels personally invested in, it’s pretty shameless of you to try to grab headlines by calling her names and publicly telling her not to support that cause unless she does it the way they think it should be done.

They also take issue with Crow because the promotion is promising to “donate up to $100,000 to breast cancer charities,” an amount that Alcohol Justice derisively has decided is not nearly enough. I guess their first choice would be for her not to raise any money for breast cancer, but if she does, it had better be a large enough amount to satisfy them. They’re taking this page out of the playbook of Breast Cancer Action, who a few years ago declared that everyone of us in the alcohol industry trying to do good, and raise money for breast cancer, should be “ashamed of ourselves.” I wrote about that when they went on television and insulted us, in Biting the Hand That Feeds You.

In the paragraph before Alcohol Justice calls me, and the rest of us in the alcohol industry who care about breast cancer, a mockery, they claim that “[p]romoting alcohol as a healthy product is a harmful public relations tactic,” and suggest that the problem is “cancer advocate Crow is applying her considerable celebrity capital to increase sales of a product that contributes to the incidence of breast cancer in women.” The study they cite is from 2011, Moderate alcohol consumption during adult life, drinking patterns, and breast cancer risk, which did indeed conclude that “[l]ow levels of alcohol consumption were associated with a small increase in breast cancer risk,” which other studies have also shown, but that’s not the entire story, of course. One thing these incidents tend to have in common is relying on just one particular study as the foundation for why we in the alcohol industry should be feeling guilty for trying to help raise awareness or money for breast cancer. But what about the bigger picture? Here’s what I wrote about this three years ago.

[A]t least one [study] done by Kaiser Permanente shows that it’s the amount that matters, the higher the intake the greater the risk, meaning moderate drinking has less risk.

Still others show just the opposite. For example, a 2008 study at the Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal showed that Compounds in Beer and Wine Slow Breast Cancer Cell Growth. Still another suggests that “xanthohumol found in hops [has] the potential to lower the risk of prostate cancer, [and] researchers believe it could also reduce breast cancer risk in a similar manner — by binding to the receptors on breast cancer cells and blocking the effects of estrogen which stimulates the growth of certain types of breast cancer.” That’s about the discovery that xanthohumol, a Cancer-fighting agent found in beer.

In a fact sheet about the relationship between Alcohol and the Risk of Breast Cancer at Cornell University, there’s this sage advice:

Researchers have reported that women who consume light to moderate amounts of alcohol have a decreased risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease. Since more women are affected by and may die from cardiovascular diseases than breast cancer, the recommendations regarding alcohol and breast cancer may seem to contradict the reports regarding cardiovascular disease. The 1996 Guidelines on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Prevention from the American Cancer Society suggest that most adults can drink, but they should limit their intake. Given the complex relationship between alcohol consumption and different diseases, any recommendations should be based on information about all health risks and benefits.

Exactly. Of course women should make individual decisions based upon their family history and/or other personal factors, but making a pronouncement for everyone is wrong. The overall positive effects of moderate alcohol consumption have to be weighed against individual risk factors. For example, total mortality is effected positively by moderate alcohol consumption, that is numerous studies and meta-studies have shown that people who drink in moderation will most likely live longer than people who abstain completely or who regularly binge drink. And that’s taking into account both the negative and positive risks and rewards.

So once again Alcohol Justice is bending the truth for their own purposes, and making the world black and white, in which it’s their way or the highway. They know best. You don’t have to worry about thinking for yourself, not when they can do the thinking for you. I love that they refer to the wine company as “posing as a health advocate,” as if anyone is “anti-health.” As if the people, and yes those of us in the alcohol industry are indeed people, even if Alcohol Justice paints us as less than human, wanted people to get breast cancer. Even if it were true that everyone who drank alcohol would get cancer (it’s not) why would anyone object to us donating money to finding a cure for it or helping to build awareness? So many people’s lives have been touched by cancer generally, and breast cancer in specific, but the way Alcohol Justice frames it, none of us should have anything to do with alcohol, or we’re mocking our loved ones. How many other professions or industries would they want to ban people from engaging in if they might result a potential danger. Should people who work for gun companies be ashamed of themselves because others may use a gun in a crime or to murder someone? Should fast food workers feel guilty because the people who buy their food might be eating the wrong kinds of food, leading to health problems, obesity and disease, and might place a burden on the healthcare system. Do you know what the ultimate cause of death is? Living. As R.D. Laing quipped. “Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent.” We all make choices about how we use the time that’s afforded each of us. And Alcohol Justice can jump down off their high horse and stop telling the rest of how to live our lives. That would certainly improve the time I have left on this world, so I can get back to enjoying myself with a good beer.

Filed Under: Editorial, Politics & Law Tagged With: Anti-Alcohol, Charity, Prohibitionists

The Magnificent Multitude of Beer

October 9, 2013 By Jay Brooks

beer-graphic
Today’s infographic is the latest from Pop Chart Lab, this time it’s The Magnificent Multitude of Beer. The poster features “ales and lagers into over 100 delicious styles from hoppy IPAs to fruity lambics, and including over 500 individual beers as notable examples of each style as well as glassware recommendations. The Magnificent Multitude of Beer captures the proud work of hundreds of breweries around the world, clocks in at a staggering 60 inches by 40 inches, and is the perfect finishing touch for your man cave or lady lair.” You can buy the poster for $90 at Pop Chart Lab.

P-MegaBeer_0926
Click here to see the poster full size.

Filed Under: Beers, Just For Fun Tagged With: Beer Styles, Infographics

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