The results are in, the winners for the 2010 Great American Beer Festival have been announced. I’ll post the full list here as soon as I get a chance, along with breakdowns of the medals. For now, you can see the full list here. One quick cool stat for California; 4 out of the 6 big awards for brewery of the year in different size categories were won by California breweries.
World Beer Awards 2010
I keep forgetting to write about this. Earlier this year I was asked to help judge for the World Beer Awards, which are put on by the former UK beer magazine Beers of the World, which is now published only online at Tasting Beers. They separated the beers into regions and Stan Hieronymus chaired the America’s region, along with me and Eric Warner.
We were each sent four large boxes filled with bubble-wrapped bottles or cans with a number assigned to each and the labels and even crowns obscured by labels and stickers. They were then separated into five broad categories: pale ale, dark ale, lager, stout & porter, and wheat beer. Then within each of those five, they were further subdivided by style. I don’t know how the rest of the judges did it, but I invited friends with judging experience and/or beer knowledge over to help taste them and bounce descriptors off one another and also had a volunteer steward to help keep the beers as blind as possible, but each beer’s numbered score came strictly from me.
The other two regions were Europe (chaired by Jeff Evans) and Asia (chaired by Bryan Harrell) with Roger Protz overseeing the entire process. In stage 2, the chairmen re-tasted all the regional winners and then a final round was held to determine the overall winners. It was great fun and the results are certainly interesting with a lot of beers with great reputations — and personal favorites — doing quite well. Because participation was not universal (that is, not every brewery submitted beers for judging) there are, of course, many beers not represented which may or may not have done as well or even better than the winners and I certainly hope more breweries will enter their beers next year. But within the group of what was submitted, it’s a pretty damn good list.
Here are the big winners in each of the Five main categories:
- Pale Ale: Deschutes Red Chair NWPA
- Dark Ale: Unibroue 17
- Lager: Primator Premium
- Stout & Porter: Minoh Beer Imperial Stout
- Wheat Beer: Weihenstephaner Vitus
The rest of the winners within each style and also the regional winners can be found on the Tasting Beers website.
I didn’t know this going in, but they actually published a small book with all the winners, including a mash-up of all the tasting notes for the beers. It’s a nice small-size (3-3/4″ x 8-1/4″) paperback. In 162 full-color pages, there are features about the winning breweries and listings for all the winning beers, including at least a bottle shot for each. If you’re keen you can buy one online at Amazon UK or directly from the Tastings Beers website. Amazon US also has a listing for the book, but I believe it’s from a vendor selling copies from overseas.
Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2010
Rodger Davis’ IPAX IPA, from Triple Rock in Berkeley, California, was chosen best in show at the 13th annual IPA Festival earlier today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.
- 1st Place: IPAX IPA (Triple Rock)
- 2nd Place: Chico IPA (Sierra nevada Brewing)
- 3rd Place: West Coast IPA (Green Flash Brewing)
- Honorable Mention: Head Hunter IPA (Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon)
- People’s Choice: The Hopfather (Russian River Brewing)
Me and Rodger Davis, brewer of the first place IPAX IPA at this year’s IPA Festival at The Bistro.
California State Fair Beer Competition Winners
On Monday, the results of this year’s California State Fair competition for “Commercial Craft Beer” were released. As usual, the winners are listed confusingly by county, with no overall list. Why they do this is beyond me. Also, the commercial competition is judged using the 23 BJCP categories, plus three for mead and two for hard cider. I have nothing against the BJCP guidelines, though they were developed primarily for homebrewing and often don’t fit commercial standards as well. The only standard that commercial beers need to satisfy is that of their customers, who could often care less what style a beer is as long as they like it.
At any rate, the top honors went to:
- Best of Show: Sudwerk Marzen
- Best of Show 1st Honorable Mention: Triple Rock IPAX
- Best of Show 2nd Honorable Mention: Lightning Brewery Elemental Pilsner
- Best of Show 3rd Honorable Mention: Fox Barrel Mulled Cider
- Best of Show 4th Honorable Mention: Sudwerk Dunkelweizen
And the “1st Gold” Awards in each category were as follows:
- 1A,B. Lite American Lager & Standard American Lager: Michelob Ultra
- 1C. Premium American Lager: Michelob
- 1D,E. Helles & Export: San Pedro Longshoreman Lager
- 2A. German Pilsner: Lightning Brewery Elemental Pilsner
- 2B,C. Bohemian & Classic American Pilsner: Sierra Nevada Summerfest
- 4. Dark Lager: Sudwerk Marzen
- 5A. Maibock/Helles Bock: San Pedro Welke Bock
- 5C,D. Doppelbock & Eisbock: Lodi Eisbock
- 6A,C: Cream Ale & Kolsch: River City Kolsch
- 6B. Blonde Ale: Eel River California Blonde
- 6D. American Wheat or Rye: Santa Cruz Ale Works Hefeweizen
- 7. Amber Hybrid Beer: Jack’s Gridiron Amber
- 8A,B. Bitter Ordinary/Special/Best: Faultline Pale Ale
- 8C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale): Anderson Valley Boont Extra Special Beer
- 9A,B,C. Scottish Ale: Devil’s Canyon Full Boar Scotch Ale
- 9D. Irish Red Ale: Taps Irish Red
- 10A. American Pale Ale: Auburn Alehouse American River Pale Ale
- 10B. American Amber Ale: Mad River Jamaica Red Ale
- 10C. American Brown Ale: Omaha Jack’s Up Town Rancho Brown
- 11. English Brown Ale: Tied House Ironwood Dark
- 12A. Brown Porter: Mammoth Lakes Double Nut Brown
- 12B,C. Robust & Baltic Porter: Uncommon Brewers Baltic Porter
- 13A,D,E. Dry, American & Foreign Stouts: Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout
- 13B,C. Sweet & Oatmeal Stout: Etna Brewing Grubstake Oatmeal Stout
- 13F. Russian Imperial Stout: Fifty-Fifty Brewing Totality Imperial Stout
- 14A. Engllish IPA: Eel River Organic IPA
- 14B. American IPA: Triple Rock IPAX
- 14C. Imperial IPA: Moylan’s Hopsickle Imperial XXX IPA
- 15A. Weizen: Sierra Nevada Kellerwiess
- 15B,C. Dunkleweizen & Weizenbock: Sudwerk Dunkelweizen
- 16A,C. Witbier & Saison: The Brewhouse Baseball Saison
- 16B,D,E. Belgian Pale Ale, Biere de Garde & Belgian Specialty Ale: River City Cap City Pale Ale
- 17. Sour Ale: Valley Brew “Bill Brand-Bic”
- 18A. Belgian Blonde Ale: Uncommon Brewers Siamese Twin Ale
- 18B. Belgian Dubbel: Anderson Valley Brother David’s Double Abbey Style Ale
- 18C. Belgian Tripel: Main Street Bishops Tipple Trippel
- 19A. Old Ale: Lightning Brewery Old Tempest Ale
- 19B. English Barleywine: Schooner’s Old Diablo Barleywine
- 19C. American Barleywine: The Brewhouse Big Johnson Barley Wine
- 20. Fruit Beer: Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat
- 21. Spice, Herb Vegetable & Winter Beers: Marin Hoppy Holidaze
- 22C. Wood-Aged Beer: Mayfield Iconoclast Nocturna
- 23. Specialty Beer: Drake’s Impinoir Stout
- 27. Apple Cider: Crispin Cider Crispin Light
- 28. Specialty Cider: Fox Barrel Mulled Cider
Short Pour Film Winner Announced
“The inaugural Short Pour Film Festival on the subject of beer, which was announced last August, was judged last weekend. The films will debut at the Monterey Beer Festival on June 5th, 2010, from 12:30pm to 5pm.” The Winning Film, along with the entire One Hour & Twenty Minute Program, will be shown in the historic ”King City Room”, a 10,000 square foot building at the Monterey Fairgrounds (home to The Monterey Jazz Festival & The Monterey Blues Festival).
The overall winner is “The Swagger Stagger” in San Francisco by Sayre Piotrkowski, which you can watch below.
The runner-up was by the Beer Nation Show and titled “Legend of Craft Beer Bandit” by Mike Winn & Seth Wright.
The winners will also be screened at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, September 16-18.
World Beer Cup Statistics 2010
Here’s some preliminary breakdowns of how the awards went down, who won the most by country and state. Of the 268 awards (2 medals were not awarded) from 3,351 beers by 642 breweries in 44 countries, here’s the results.
Awards by Country
- United States 204
- Germany 16
- TIE: 7
- Belgium 7
- Canada 7
- TIE: 5
- Japan 5
- UK 5
- TIE: 3
- Australia 3
- Czech Republic 3
- Denmark 3
- Singapore 3
- TIE: 2
- Sweden 2
- Lithuania 2
- Italy 2
Two years ago, the U.S. was again in first with 158, followed by Germany and Belgium. This year, Canada shares third with Belgium. 19 countries won at least one medal, down from 21 two years ago.
Awards by State
- California 45
- Oregon 13
- TIE: 12
- Illinois 12
- Washington 12
- TIE: 11
- Colorado 11
- Michigan 11
- Virginia 8
- TIE: 7
- Indiana 7
- Missouri 7
- Wisconsin 7
- TIE: 6
- Delaware 6
- Maryland 6
- Nevada 5
- TIE: 4
- Arizona 4
- Massachusetts 4
- New Mexico 4
- New York 4
- North Carolina 4
- Pennsylvania 4
- TIE: 3
- Alaska 3
- Tennessee 3
- Utah 3
- Wyoming 3
Last time California won 35, so we picked up 10 more awards this year. Oregon was in third place in 2008, but this time around moved into second. This year, third place was a tie between Illinois and Washington. Second in 2008 was Colorado, who dropped to a tie for fourth with Michigan.
World Beer Cup Awards 2010
Tonight a record crowd of 2,000 people attended the awards dinner for the World Beer Cup. It is believed to have been the world’s largest beer dinner, and the five course meal was created and prepared by Randy Mosher and Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef.
This year, 642 breweries from 44 countries and 47 U.S. states vied for awards with 3,351 beers entered in 90 beer style categories. The entries in each category were eligible for gold, silver and bronze awards. Judges presented a total of 268 awards.
Individual Beer Awards
Category 1: American-Style Cream Ale or Lager, 17 entries
Gold: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Lone Star, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Category 2: American-Style Wheat Beer, 16 entries
Gold: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Silver: Rockfish Wheat, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: DD Blonde, Hop Valley Brewing Co., Springfield, OR
Category 3: American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast, 24 entries
Gold: Point Horizon Wheat, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
Silver: UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
Bronze: Whitetail Wheat, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT
Category 4: Rye Beer, 22 entries
Gold: Harvest Moon Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery – Arlington, Arlington, VA
Silver: Rye Bob, The Grumpy Troll Brewery, Restaurant& Pizzeria, Mount Horeb, WI
Bronze: Hoss Rye Lager, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category 5: Fruit Beer or Field Beer, 86 entries
Gold: Da’ Yoopers, Rocky Mountain Brewery, Colorado Springs, CO
Silver: Lolita, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Bronze: Ephémère Apple, Unibroue, Chambly, Canada
Category 6: Herb and Spice Beer or Chocolate Beer, 109 entries
Gold: Coco Jones Porter, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA
Silver: Lemon Grass Wheat Ale, Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Bronze: Black Licorice Lager, Short’s Brewing Co., Bellaire, MI
Category 7: Coffee Flavored Beer, 47 entries
Gold: Dude! Where’s My Vespa?, Rock Bottom Brewery – Arlington, Arlington, VA
Silver: Addiction, Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, Boulder, CO
Bronze: Morning Bear, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Category 8: Specialty Beer, 27 entries
Gold: Country Girl Kabocha Ale, Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan
Silver: COEDO Beniaka, Coedobrewery Kyodoshoji Corp. Ltd., Kawagoe, Japan
Bronze: Maple Tripple, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Warren, VT
Category 9: Specialty Honey Beer, 27 entries
Gold: Tauras Alus su medumi, UAB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė”, Panevezys, Lithuania
Silver: Bracia, Thornbridge Brewery, Bakewell, United Kingdom
Bronze: Cable Car Amber Ale, World Brews, Novato, CA
Category 10: Session Beer, 28 entries
Gold: Polygamy Porter, Utah Brewers Co-Op, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Firestone Extra Pale Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Guppie Pale Ale, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Huntington Beach, CA
Category 11: Other Strong Beer, 44 entries
Gold: Imperial Jack, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Green Flash Stout, Green Flash Brewing Co., Vista, CA
Bronze: Doug’s Very Noddy 40th Birthday Lager, Buckbean Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Category 12: Experimental Beer, 51 entries
Gold: 100% Brett Autumn Maple, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Silver: Harvest, Snipes Mountain Brewing Co., Sunnyside, WA
Bronze: Red & White, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Category 13: Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer, 47 entries
Gold: Fathom IPL, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Hot Rocks Lager, Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA
Bronze: State Pen Porter, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM
Category 14: Gluten Free Beer, 10 entries
Gold: Celia Saison, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT
Silver: O’Brien Brown Ale, O’Brien Brewing, Bakery Hill, Australia
Bronze: RedBridge, Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, MO
Category 15: American-Belgo-Style Ale, 46 entries
Silver: Ommegang Biere de Mars, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Bronze: Hop God, Nebraska Brewing Co., Papillion, NE
Category 16: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 32 entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Piper Down, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Co., Lexington, KY
Bronze: Pullman’s Reserve, Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor, IL
Category 17: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 113 entries
Gold: The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Silver: Barrel Aged La Petite Mort, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA
Bronze: Rudolf’s Bourbon Scotch Ale, Rock Bottom Brewery – Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Category 18: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 39 entries
Gold: Creeper, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Silver: Rodenbach Vintage, Palm Breweries N.V., Steenhuffel, Belgium
Bronze: White Woods, Cisco Brewers Inc., Nantucket, MA
Category 19: Aged Beer, 20 entries
Gold: Alaskan Smoked Porter 1998, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Silver: Gonzo Imperial Porter Vintage 2007, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: Saint Bob’s Imperial Stout ’06, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Category 20: Kellerbier/Zwickelbier, 32 entries
Gold: Störtebeker Bio “1402”, Stralsunder Brauerei GmbH, Stralsund, Germany
Silver: VIAEMILIA, Birrificio del Ducato, Roncole Verdi, Italy
Bronze: Hell In Keller, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que, Austin, TX
Category 21: Smoked Beer, 35 entries
Gold: Caldera Rauch Ur Bock, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR
Silver: Smoke Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Bronze: Fujizakura Kogen Beer Rauch Bock, Fujikanko Kaihatsu Co. Ltd., Minamitsuru, Japan
Category 22: European-Style Low-Alcohol Lager/German-Style Leicht(bier), 16 entries
Gold: Falcon Extra Brew 3.5%, Carlsberg Sverige AB, Stockholm, Sweden
Silver: Distelhäuser Leichtes, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofshei, Germany
Bronze: Pripps Blå 3.5%, Carlsberg Sverige AB, Stockholm, Sweden
Category 23: German-Style Pilsener, 69 entries
Gold: Pilsner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Silver: Trumer Pils, Trumer Brauerei, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: Grünten-Pils, Engelbräu Rettenberg, Rettenberg, Germany
Category 24: Bohemian-Style Pilsener, 43 entries
Gold: Golden Pilsner, Morgan Street Brewery, St. Louis, MO
Silver: Gambrinus Excelent, Plzeňský Prazdroj a.s., Plzeň, Czech Republic
Bronze: Velkopopovický KOZEL Premium, Plzeňský Prazdroj a.s., Plzeň, Czech Republic
Category 25: Münchner-Style Helles, 48 entries
Gold: Hoepfner Export, Privatbrauerei Hoepfner GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany
Silver: Zipfer Märzen, Brau Union Österreich AG, Linz, Austria
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Golden Export, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Chattanooga, TN
Category 26: Dortmunder/European-Style Export or German-Style Oktoberfest/Wiesen (Meadow), 42 entries
Gold: Schönramer Gold, Private Landbrauerei Schönram, Petting / Schönram, Germany
Silver: Spezialbier Edel, Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren AG, Kaufbeuren, Germany
Bronze: Weihnachtsbier, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Glauner GmbH & Co. KG, Alpirsbach, Germany
Category 27: Vienna-Style Lager, 28 entries
Gold: Schild Brau Amber, Millstream Brewing Co., Amana, IA
Silver: Vienna Lager, The Covey Restaurant & Brewery, Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Heavy Seas Marzen, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Category 28: German-Style Märzen, 28 entries
Gold: Rocktoberfest, Rock Bottom Brewery – Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Gordon Biersch Marzen, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group, Chattanooga, TN
Bronze: Festus, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Category 29: European-Style Dark/Münchner Dunkel, 33 entries
Gold: Chuckanut Dunkel, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel, Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg GmbH, Kelheim, Germany
Bronze: Munich Dunkles, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS
Category 30: German-Style Schwarzbier, 38 entries
Gold: Black Forest Schwarzbier, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: TAPS Schwarzbier, TAPS Fish House & Brewery – Corona, Corona, CA
Bronze: Schwartz Bier, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Category 31: Traditional German-Style Bock, 25 entries
Gold: Troegenator, Troegs Brewery, Harrisburg, PA
Silver: Sidewinder Bock, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
Bronze: Kollaborator, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Category 32: German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock, 26 entries
Gold: Distelhäuser Frühlingsbock, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Silver: Kalnapilis 7.30, UAB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė”, Panevezys, Lithuania
Bronze: Kloster Starkbier, Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Glauner GmbH & Co. KG, Alpirsbach, Germany
Category 33: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock, 43 entries
Gold: Broken Skeg, Breakwater Brewing Co., Oceanside, CA
Silver: Dunkles Bock, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Dominator Dopplebock, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Category 34: American-Style Lager, 75 entries
Gold: Olympia, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: National Bohemian, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Coors Light, Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO
Category 35: American-Style Specialty Lager, 19 entries
Gold: Boulevard Pilsner, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Mickey’s Malt Liquor, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Colt 45, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Category 36: American-Style Amber Lager, 24 entries
Gold: Numazu Lager, Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan
Silver: Upland Oktoberfest, Upland Brewing Co., Bloomington, IN
Bronze: Riverwest Stein, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Category 37: American-Style Dark Lager, 12 entries
Gold: Session Black, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Silver: Durango Dark, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Bronze: Ben’s Brown, Golden Hills Brewing Co., Reardan, WA
Category 38: Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light Lager, 19 entries
Gold: Tiger Crystal, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., Singapore
Silver: Quilmes Cristal, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, Quilmes, Argentina
Bronze: Landshark, Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, MO
Category 39: International-Style Lager, 58 entries
Gold: Tiger Beer, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., Singapore
Silver: Gambrinus Svĕtlé, Plzeňský Prazdroj a.s., Plzeň, Czech Republic
Bronze: Egils Polar, Olgerdin Egill Skallagrímsson, Reykjavik, Iceland
Category 40: Baltic-Style Porter, 28 entries
Gold: Danzig, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Silver: 3 Dog Night, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Token, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA
Category 41: Belgian-Style Witbier, 47 entries
Gold: Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Ommegang Witte Wheat Ale, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Bronze: Whoop Ass Witbier, Great Basin Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Category 42: Belgian- and French-Style Ale, 57 entries
Gold: Saison Sayuri, Baird Brewing Co., Numazu, Japan
Silver: Saison du Bastone, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Bronze: Fluxus ‘09, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Category 43: Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale, 41 entries
Gold: Troubadour Blond, Brewery The Musketeers, Ursel, Belgium
Silver: Brugse Zot Blond, Brouwerij de Halve Maan, Brugge, Belgium
Bronze: Leffe Blonde, Anheuser-Busch InBev, St. Louis, MO
Category 44: Belgian-Style Sour Ale, 23 entries
Gold: Geuze Mariage Parfait, Brouwerij BOON N.V., Lembeek, Belgium
Silver: Oude Geuze Boon, Brouwerij BOON N.V., Lembeek, Belgium
Bronze: Lambic de Hill, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Category 45: Belgian-Style Flanders/Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale, 20 entries
Gold: Oude Tart, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Silver: Red Poppy, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Bronze: Le Serpent, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Category 46: Belgian-Style Dubbel, 29 entries
Gold: Ommegang Abbey Ale Dubbel, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Silver: Mad Monk Dubbel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Abbey Dubbel, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Category 47: Belgian-Style Tripel, 53 entries
Gold: Daisy Chain Tripel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Samuel Adams New World Triple, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Merry Monks’ Ale, Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA
Category 48: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale, 33 entries
Gold: Omer. Traditional Blond, Bockor Brewery, Bellegem, Belgium
Silver: Revelations, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Fin du Monde, Unibroue, Chambly, Canada
Category 49: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale, 46 entries
Gold: Witte Noire Imperial Amber Wheat Ale, De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi, Belgium
Silver: La Grivoise de Noel, Micro-Brasserie le Trou du Diable, Shawinigan, Canada
Bronze: Brooklyn Local 2, The Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
Category 50: Other Belgian-Style Ale, 35 entries
Gold: New Norcia Abbey Ale, Malt Shovel Brewery, Camperdown, Australia
Silver: Frozen Kriek, Sleeping Lady Brewing Co., Anchorage, AK
Bronze: Signature Quadruple, Choc Beer Company, Krebs, OK
Category 51: English-Style Summer Ale, 24 entries
Gold: Leghorn, Roosters Brewing Co. Ltd., Knaresborough, United Kingdom
Silver: Y.P.A., Roosters Brewing Co. Ltd., Knaresborough, United Kingdom
Bronze: Helios Pale Ale, Upland Brewing Co., Bloomington, IN
Category 52: Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 29 entries
Gold: Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN
Silver: Michelob Pale Ale, Michelob Brewing Co., St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Heavy Seas Pale Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Category 53: English-Style India Pale Ale, 32 entries
Gold: India Pale Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Brewer’s Alley India Pale Ale, Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery, Frederick, MD
Bronze: Russell IP’eh!, Russell Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada
Category 54: Ordinary Bitter, 12 entries
Gold: Drop Top, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Silver: Redoak Bitter, Redoak, Sydney, Australia
Bronze: Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Category 55: Special Bitter or Best Bitter, 30 entries
Gold: Bachelor Bitter, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Lumberyard Red, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze: Spitfire, Shepherd Neame Ltd., Faversham, United Kingdom
Category 56: Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter, 24 entries
Gold: Steep Trail Amber Ale, Black Diamond Brewing Co., Concord, CA
Silver: Organic Velvet ESB, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Extra Special Ale, Yards Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Category 57: Scottish-Style Ale, 29 entries
Gold: Highland Courage, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
Silver: MacPelican’s Scottish Style Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR
Bronze: Russell Wee Angry Scotch Ale, Russell Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada
Category 58: English-Style Mild Ale, 23 entries
Gold: Minerva Pale Ale, Cerveceria Minerva SA de CV, Zapopan, Mexico
Silver: London Tavern Ale, Valley Brewing Co., Stockton, CA
Bronze: Whistler Black Tusk Ale, Whistler Brewing Co., Vancouver, Canada
Category 59: English-Style Brown Ale, 46 entries
Gold: Red Hydrant Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Longboard Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Bronze: Mudslinger Ale, Redhook Ales Woodinville, Woodinville, WA
Category 60: Brown Porter, 37 entries
Gold: Tamerlane Brown Porter, Black Raven Brewing Co., Redmond, WA
Silver: Caldera Pilot Rock Porter, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland, OR
Bronze: Industrial Porter, Crown Brewing Co., Crown Point, IN
Category 61: Robust Porter, 64 entries
Gold: Pier Rat Porter, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: Founders Porter, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Russian River Porter, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Category 62: Sweet Stout, 25 entries
Gold: Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery Inc., Farmville, NC
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Bronze: Udder Goodness, Rock Bottom Brewery – Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ
Category 63: Oatmeal Stout, 34 entries
Gold: Oatmeal Stout, Gella’s Diner and LB Brewing Co., Hays, KS
Silver: Velvet Merkin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA
Category 64: Scotch Ale, 38 entries
Gold: AleSmith Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Three Heavy, Dry Dock Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Bronze: Reed’s Wee Heavy, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Category 65: British-Style Imperial Stout, 24 entries
Gold: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Crazy Ivan, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: Jay Walker, Walking Man Brewing, Stevenson, WA
Category 66: Old Ale, 15 entries
Gold: Fourth Dementia Olde Ale, Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, MI
Silver: Irish Walker, Olde Hickory Brewery, Hickory, NC
Bronze: Subzero, Rock Bottom Brewery – Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
Category 67: Strong Ale, 26 entries
Gold: Outback X, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver: Dirty Bastard, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Cabin Fever, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Category 68: Barley Wine-Style Ale, 58 entries
Gold: Little Korkny Ale Niepoort Barrel, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark
Silver: Thor’s Hammer, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, Canada
Bronze: Alaskan Barleywine 2009, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Category 69: German-Style Kӧlsch/Kӧln-Style Kӧlsch, 23 entries
Gold: Schlafly Kolsch Ale, The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Silver: Fox Light, Fox River Brewing Company, Oshkosh, WI
Bronze: Chaser Pale, Blackstone Brewing Co., Nashville, TN
Category 70: German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf, 26 entries
Gold: Lands End Amber, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand Junction, CO
Silver: The Detroit Dwarf, The Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI
Bronze: ALT, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Category 71: German-Style Sour Ale, 9 entries
Gold: Berliner Weisse, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Silver: Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse, Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Gose, Upright Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Category 72: South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier, 66 entries
Gold: Hefeweizen, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Baltika N°8 Wheat, Baltika Breweries, St. Petersburg, Russia
Bronze: Top Heavy Hefeweizen, Piece Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Category 73: German-Style Pale Wheat Ale, 13 entries
Gold: TAP 2 Mein Kristall, Schneider Weisse, Kelheim, Germany
Silver: Unertl Leichte Weisse, Weißbräu Unertl GmbH & Co. KG, Mühldorf, Germany
Bronze: Distelhäuser Kristallweizen, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Category 74: German-Style Dark Wheat Ale, 22 entries
Gold: VùDù, Birrificio Italiano, Lurago Marinone, Italy
Silver: Unertl Mühldorfer Weisse, Weißbräu Unertl GmbH & Co. KG, Mühldorf, Germany
Bronze: Distelhäuser Dunkles Weizen, Distelhäuser Brauerei, Tauberbischofsheim, Germany
Category 75: South German-Style Weizenbock/Weissbock, 27 entries
Gold: Plank Heller Weizenbock, Brauerei Michael Plank, Laaber, Germany
Silver: Old Harbor Taina, Old Harbor Brewery, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bronze: AleSmith Decadence 2009, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category 76: Irish-Style Red Ale, 26 entries
Gold: Red Trolley Ale, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Samuel Adams Irish Red, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Ragtop Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Category 77: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout, 22 entries
Gold: McLuhr’s Irish Stout, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO
Silver: Port Truck Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Porterhouse Plain Porter, The Porterhouse Brewing Co., Dublin, Ireland
Category 78: Foreign-Style Stout, 21 entries
Silver: Zonker Stout, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Bronze: Spetsnaz Stout, The Grumpy Troll Brewery, Restaurant & Pizzeria, Mount Horeb, WI
Category 79: Golden or Blonde Ale, 50 entries
Gold: Heavy Seas Gold Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD
Silver: Sunlight Cream Ale, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Aud Blonde, Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Category 80: American-Style Pale Ale, 77 entries
Gold: Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Drakes 1500 Pale Ale, Drakes Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Mission Street Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Category 81: American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 59 entries
Gold: O’Brien’s IPA, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA
Silver: Hop Bomb IPA, Rock Bottom Brewery – Bellevue, Bellevue, WA
Bronze: Lumberyard IPA, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Category 82: American-Style India Pale Ale, 104 entries
Gold: Norm’s Raggedy-Ass IPA, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI
Silver: Centennial IPA, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze: Duet, Alpine Beer Co., Alpine, CA
Category 83: Imperial India Pale Ale, 69 entries
Gold: Hardcore IPA, BrewDog, Fraserburgh, United Kingdom
Silver: Bonnie’s Raggedy-Ass Imperial IPA, Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, MI
Bronze: Imperial IPA, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Category 84: American-Style Amber/Red Ale, 66 entries
Gold: Rudolph’s Red, Rock Bottom Brewery – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Silver: Red Rock, Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse, Berkeley, CA
Bronze: Odell Red Ale, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Category 85: Imperial Red Ale, 32 entries
Gold: Behemoth, Three Floyds Brewing Co. LLC, Munster, IN
Silver: Lumberyard Imperial Red, Beaver St. Brewery, Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze: Shark Attack, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Category 86: American-Style Brown Ale, 40 entries
Gold: Nut Brown Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Silver: Hawai’i Nui Brewing Company Hapa, Hawai’i Nui Brewing Co., Hilo, HI
Bronze: Christmas Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Category 87: American-Style Sour Ale, 14 entries
Gold: Raspberry Torte, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Silver: Viking Oud Bruin, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark
Bronze: Wild Ale #4, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM
Category 88: American-Style Stout, 31 entries
Gold: Black Magic Stout, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Co., San Clemente, CA
Silver: Sticky Stout, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Terminal Stout, Rock Bottom Brewery – Chicago, Chicago, IL
Category 89: American-Style Imperial Stout, 37 entries
Gold: Seven Imperial Stout Niepoort Barrel, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark
Silver: Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem, NC
Bronze: Imperial Stout, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Category 90: International Pale Ale, 28 entries
Gold: Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Straits Pale, Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd., Singapore
Bronze: P.L. IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Champion Brewery and Brewer Awards
Large Brewing Company Category
Asia Pacific Breweries Limited, Singapore
APB Brewing Team
Mid-Size Brewing Company Category
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA
Matthew Brynildson
Small Brewing Company Category
Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, CA
Ballast Point Brewers
Large Brewpub Category
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Iron Hill Brewery Team
Small Brewpub Category
Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland, VA
Jason Oliver
Brewing Achievement Awards 2010
Yesterday at the opening session of the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago, the awards were given to “three successful members of the brewing community … for their dedication and service to the industry.” The three awards were as follows.
- The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and Owner of Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
- The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Ken Grossman, CEO/President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
- The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery.
Dick Cantwell, from Elysian Brewery in Seattle presented the awards.
The first award, from the press release:
The Brewers Association Recognition Award went to Larry Bell, Founder and Owner of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Bell started the Kalamazoo Brewing Company and Bell’s Brewery, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1985, the earliest craft brewery in the eastern half of the United States. Larry’s dedication to the industry includes serving as a former chair of the Brewers Association’s predecessor organization and acting as a driving force with current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper for the creation of American Beer Month (which evolved into American Craft Beer Week).
“Larry is a leader in our industry known for his innovative beers and the passion he brings to craft brewing,” said Brewers Association Board of Directors Chair Nick Matt, CEO of Matt Brewing Company. Mountain West Brewery Supply’s David Edgar noted in documents supporting Bell’s nomination that “Larry is continually pushing the envelope with experimenting with different grains, different yeast strains and plenty of hops.”
The second award, from the press release:
The Brewers Association presented the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing to Ken Grossman, CEO/President of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Grossman received this year’s award for his leadership in technical brewing science for craft brewers. He is still deeply involved in technical brewing projects at Sierra Nevada and has led numerous initiatives in the area of sustainability and beer quality.
“Ken Grossman founded Sierra Nevada Brewing Company 30 years ago based on one principle, to make the highest quality beer in America,” said Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. in a nominating document. “I think Ken’s never-ending quest in life is to make Sierra Nevada’s beers even better than they already are.”
The Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing was first given in 1997 to honor Russell Schehrer, who died in 1996 at 38 years old, for his contributions to the brewing industry. Schehrer was a founding partner and original head brewer at Colorado’s first brewpub, Wynkoop Brewing Co. He was also one of the first brewers to produce mead, doppel alt, cream stout and chili beer.
The third award, from the press release:
The Brewers Association presented the F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award to Steve Hindy, Chairman and President of The Brooklyn Brewery. Hindy recently testified in a Congressional hearing to communicate how state franchise laws can hinder the ability for small brewers to grow their businesses and how self-distribution is important to many small brewers to develop their access to market.
“Steve’s work on behalf of the industry is almost too great to list,” says Brewers Association Past Chair Richard Doyle of Harpoon Brewery. “His involvement on the Beer Institute board established credibility for craft brewers there and reaffirmed our place at the table.”
The F.X. Matt Award is given in honor of a champion of small brewers, F.X. Matt (1933-2001), president of the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, New York from 1980-1989 and chairman from 1989-2001.
Hard Liver Barleywine Fest Winners 2010
Here are the results from the 2010 Hard Liver Barleywine Fest in held at Brouwer’s Cafe in Seattle, Washington:
- 1st Place: Old Woody ’09; Glacier Brewhouse
- 2nd Place: Old Blue Hair ’08; Big Sky Brewing
- 3rd Place: Old Sebastes ’09; Anacortes Brewery
- Honorable Mention: Abacus; Firestone Walker Brewing
Congratulations to all the winners.
Alaskan Bill Howell Wins 2010 Beerdrinker Of The Year
Today at the Wynkoop Brewpub in Denver, Colorado the 2010 Beerdrinker of the Year was proclaimed. This year’s winner — Bill Howell — is a Sterling, Alaska college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator. One of three national finalists at Wynkoop competing for the 2010 title, Howell withstood 2 hours of difficult beer-related questions from a panel of national beer experts to win the 14th annual title. He wins free beer for life at Wynkoop, a $250 bar tab at his favorite brewpub, St. Elias Brewing in Soldotna, AK, unmatched beer-lover glory and other prizes for winning the title.
From Bill’s short beer resume:
William Howell, a Sterling, Alaska college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator. In 2007 he created a new course for Kenai Peninsula College entitled The Art and History of Brewing, and has traveled extensively across Alaska and the West in pursuit of great beer. He also serves as an ally for various beer retailers and journalists, and blogs about his state’s rich beer culture.
His beer philosophy: “I have been a lover of craft beers since 1984 and a homebrewer since 1989. Since my retirement from active duty I’ve been really been able to “get serious” about beer. I decided it was time to start giving something back to the world of craft beer that had given me so much.”
The newly crowned king with the judges. Congratulations, Bill.
The other two finalists were:
Phil Farrell, a Cumming, Georgia commercial pilot, homebrewer, beer judge and 2007 Beerdrinker finalist. He has tasted beer in every country in Europe, 1000 of the world’s pubs and 400 brewpubs. His basement beer pub features six taps, two refrigerators, and a 15-gallon brewing system.
Logan Perkins, a Denver, Colorado beer enthusiast who has tried nearly 5000 beers in 45 states, 21 European countries and 5 Asian nations. He has conducted extensive travels across then US since 2008, visiting America’s breweries and beer towns. Perkins was a 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year finalist and 2009 semifinalist.