Here are the winners from this weekend’s Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival in Anchorage, Alaska.
And the Best Winter Beer:
Congratulations to all the winners. Thanks to Tom Dalldorf from the Celebrator Beer News, for sending me the winners.
On Saturday, the 6th annual West Coast Barrel Aged Beer Fest took place at the Bistro in Hayward. 67 different barrel-aged beers were served to a packed house on a beautiful fall day. Festival goers voting for their favorites chose the following three for the People’s Choice Awards:
Congratulations to all the winners.
The November 2011 standings have just been released for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. Beervana increased his streak at the top to three consecutive months, with the rest of the Top 10 shuffling around. Here’s what happened to the Top 20 over last month:
Ranking made by Wikio
As usual, I included the relative movements of each blog from last month. Four new blogs emerged in the Top 20 that weren’t there last month, which is exactly what happened last month. Otherwise, there were a number of moderate swings, with movement 4 or 6 places being the most common. As always, I continue to stress that this is just a bit of fun and that we shouldn’t take it too seriously. Until the final month of 2011 ….
The October 2011 standings have been released for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. No changes at the Top 2 spots, with Jeff, from Beervana and The New School at 1 and 2 again. Here’s what happened to the Top 20 over last month:
| 1 | Beervana (=) |
| 2 | The New School (=) |
| 3 | Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home (+6) |
| 4 | Brookston Beer Bulletin (+1) |
| 5 | Washington Beer Blog (+3) |
| 6 | Drink With The Wench (-3) |
| 7 | Brewpublic (-1) |
| 8 | Hoosier Beer Geek (+2) |
| 9 | Beer 47 (Not in Top 20 in September) |
| 10 | The Daily Pull (+4) |
| 11 | Road Trips for Beer (Not in Top 20 in September) |
| 12 | It’s Pub Night (+1) |
| 13 | BetterBeerBlog (+4) |
| 14 | A Good Beer Blog (-7) |
| 15 | The Brew Site (-4) |
| 16 | Beer PHXation (Not in Top 20 in September) |
| 17 | The Session Beer Project™ (-1) |
| 18 | Seen Through a Glass (-3) |
| 19 | KC Beer Blog (-7) |
| 20 | San Diego Beer Blog (Not in Top 20 in September) |
Ranking made by Wikio
As usual, I included the relative movements of each blog from last month. Four new blogs emerged in the Top 20 that weren’t there last month. Otherwise, only a few moderate swings. For the most part, things to move around too much this month. As always, I continue to stress that this is just a bit of fun and that we shouldn’t take it too seriously. Until next month ….
This is pretty cool, an R. Lewis created a Google Map of all the GABF gold medal winners from this year.
The 30th Great American Beer Festival is now in the history books, with some pretty impressive statistics. A record 3,930 beers were judged in 83 categories by 167 judges from 9 nations. Some more factoids on the results and the festival:
The Breweries That Won the Most Medals:
The Most Gold Medals Won:
Medals Won by State:
Category: 1 American-Style Wheat Beer – 20 Entries
Gold: SchWheat, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Silver: Shredders Wheat, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Bronze: Wagon Box Wheat, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY
Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer With Yeast – 38 Entries
Gold: Leavenworth Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen, Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA
Silver: Tumblewheat, Altitude Chophouse and Brewery, Laramie, WY
Bronze: Leavenworth Whistling Pig Hefeweizen, Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA
Category: 3 Fruit Beer – 56 Entries
Gold: Raspberry Tart, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Silver: Brainless on Peaches, Epic Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Derailed Black Cherry Ale, Erie Brewing Co., Erie, PA
Category: 4 Fruit Wheat Beer – 48 Entries
Gold: 5 Lizard, 5 Rabbit Cerveceria, Chicago, IL
Silver: Mr. Pineapple Wheat, SanTan Brewing Co., Chandler, AZ
Bronze: Vintage Blonde Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Category: 5 Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer – 37 Entries
Gold: Upslope Pumpkin Ale, Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Silver: Pumpkin Ale, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Chandler, Chandler, AZ
Bronze: Turnip the Beets, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Category: 6 Herb and Spice Beer – 92 Entries
Gold: Mexican Chocolate Stout, Copper Kettle Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: LSD, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: CBC Heather Ale, Cambridge Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA
Category: 7 Chocolate Beer – 30 Entries
Gold: Chocolate Beer, Barley Brothers Brewery and Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ
Silver: Samuel Adams Chocolate Chili Bock, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Bronze: Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Category: 8 Coffee Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: Java Mac, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Coffee Monster, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Coffee Milk Stout, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Category: 9 Specialty Beer – 24 Entries
Gold: Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
Silver: Chateau Jiahu, Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Bronze: Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter, Denver Beer Co., Denver, CO
Category: 10 Rye Beer – 36 Entries
Gold: Three Flowers IPA, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA
Silver: Bock in Bock, Tequesta Brewing Co., Tequesta, FL
Bronze: Crank Tank, SweetWater Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
Category: 11 Specialty Honey Beer – 32 Entries
Gold: Sixteen, Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, PA
Silver: Eye of the Storm, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Bronze: Midas Touch, Dogfi sh Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Category: 12 Session Beer – 44 Entries
Gold: Provo Girl Pilsner, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Twerp, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Firestone Walker Extra Pale Ale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Category: 13 Other Strong Beer – 53 Entries
Gold: Wheat Wine Ale, Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, NH
Silver: Saison du Summer, Backcountry Brewery, Frisco, CO
Bronze: Totality Imperial Stout, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA
Category: 14 Experimental Beer – 83 Entries
Gold: Mangalitsa Pig Porter, Right Brain Brewery, Traverse City, MI
Silver: Petit Obscura, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Belgorado, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category: 15 Indigenous Beer – 31 Entries
Gold: Hqt, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Monticello Reserve Ale, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Bronze: Hot Rocks Lager, Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA
Category: 16 Gluten-Free Beer – 15 Entries
Gold: Gluten-Free Lemon Pale, Strange Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: New Grist, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Seeley Axe White, Kettlehouse Brewing Co., Missoula, MT
Category: 17 American-Belgo-Style Ale – 43 Entries
Gold: Angry Birds, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Chicago, IL
Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Boulevard Collaboration #2, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Category: 18 American-Style Sour Ale – 21 Entries
Gold: Le Terroir, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Framboise de Amorosa, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
Bronze: Ching Ching, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Category: 19 American-Style Brett Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: Confl uence, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Super Friends IPA, Ithaca Beer Co., Ithaca, NY
Bronze: Grimalkin – Super Kitty Fantastico, Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, IN
Category: 20 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 40 Entries
Gold: Velvet Merkin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Wee Pogue, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Pinot Jubel, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Category: 21 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 118 Entries
Gold: Melange a Trois, Nebraska Brewing Co., Papillion, NE
Silver: BBJ (Bourbon Barrel Johan), Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH
Category: 22 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 74 Entries
Gold: Bourbon Murder, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: 2010 Bourbon Barrel Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout, Foothills Brewing, Winston-Salem, NC
Bronze: Grand Inquisitor, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Category: 23 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 75 Entries
Gold: Friek, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: The Wanderer, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Bronze: Le Serpent Cerise, Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Category: 24 Aged Beer – 36 Entries
Gold: Expedition Stout, Bell’s Brewery, Galesburg, MI
Silver: Release the Hounds, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: 2004 Triple Exultation, Eel River Brewing Co., Fortuna, CA
Category: 25 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 48 Entries
Gold: Kolsch Kellerbier, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA
Silver: Bottle Rocket Lager, Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que – Lake Travis, Austin, TX
Bronze: B3K Schwarzbier, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category: 26 Smoke Beer – 43 Entries
Gold: Smoke Ale, Rogue Ales, Portland, OR
Silver: Smoke Out, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Bronze: Alaskan Smoked Porter 2010, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Category: 27 American-Style or International-Style Pilsener – 31 Entries
Gold: BEER, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Popcorn Pilsner, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Legacy Lager, Silver Moon Brewing, Bend, OR
Category: 28 German-Style Pilsener – 42 Entries
Gold: Pavlov’s Pils, C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery – Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Sunshine Pils, Tröegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA
Bronze: Pilsner, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
Category: 29 Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 42 Entries
Silver: Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Pilsner, McCoy’s Public House and Brewkitchen, Kansas City, MO
Category: 30 Munich-Style Helles – 38 Entries
Gold: Chuckanut Helles, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Where in the Helles Gunner?, Emmett’s Brewing Co., West Dundee, IL
Bronze: Órale, Del Norte Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category: 31 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 20 Entries
Gold: Move Back, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Silver: Tommy Two Fists, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA
Bronze: Dog Days Lager, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL
Category: 32 American-Style Lager, Light Lager or Premium Lager – 55 Entries
Gold: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: Busch Light, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, MO
Bronze: Pabst Blue Ribbon Light, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Category: 33 American-Style Lager or Cream Ale or Lager – 31 Entries
Gold: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Rainier, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Category: 34 Vienna-Style Lager – 32 Entries
Gold: Jomo Lager, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA
Silver: Cityfest, Brewzzi, West Palm Beach, FL
Bronze: Vienna Red Lager, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Category: 35 German-Style Märzen – 58 Entries
Gold: Stein Knocker, Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co., Midvale, UT
Silver: Munster Fest, Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN
Bronze: Samuel Adams Octoberfest, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Category: 36 American-Style Amber Lager – 58 Entries
Gold: Uberbrau, Humperdink’s Restaurant and Brewery, Dallas, TX
Silver: Colorado Native, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Florida Beer Florida Lager, Florida Beer Co., Melbourne, FL
Category: 37 European-Style Dunkel – 23 Entries
Gold: Dunkel Lager, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Chuckanut Dunkel, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Penn Dark, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Category: 38 American-Style Dark Lager – 16 Entries
Gold: Durango Dark, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Session Black, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, OR
Bronze: Schwarzbier, AC Golden Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Category: 39 German-Style Schwarzbier – 26 Entries
Gold: TAPS Schwarzbier, TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Corona, CA), Brea, CA
Silver: Nevermore Lager, Rock Bottom Brewery (King of Prussia, PA), Louisville, CO
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Seattle, WA), Chattanooga, TN
Category: 40 Bock – 34 Entries
Gold: Troegenator, Tröegs Brewing Co., Harrisburg, PA
Silver: PrePro Bock, Coors Archive Brewery, Golden, CO
Bronze: Maibock, Stewart’s Brewing Co., Bear, DE
Category: 41 German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 22 Entries
Gold: Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI
Silver: St. Nik Brewer’s Reserve, Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Bronze: Eisphyre, Capital Brewery Co., Middleton, WI
Category: 42 Baltic-Style Porter – 19 Entries
Gold: Battle Axe Baltic Porter, Fat Head’s Brewery, North Olmsted, OH
Silver: White Eagle Baltic Porter, Montana Brewing Co., Billings, MT
Bronze: Puddy Porter, Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse, Berkeley, CA
Category: 43 Golden or Blonde Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: Blonde, Ram Restaurant & Brewery – Seattle, Seattle, WA
Silver: Alaskan Pale Ale, Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, AK
Bronze: Kent Lake Kolsch, Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Fairfax, CA
Category: 44 German-Style Kölsch – 48 Entries
Gold: Chuckanut Kolsch, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Great Adirondack Kölsch, Great Adirondack Brewing Co., Lake Placid, NY
Bronze: Capital City Kolsch, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS
Category: 45 English-Style Summer Ale – 33 Entries
Gold: Summer Lovin’, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Silver: Peacemaker, Austin Beerworks, Austin, TX
Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company English Summer Ale, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA
Category: 46 Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 25 Entries
Gold: Clear Creek Pale Ale, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA
Silver: MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale, MacTarnahan’s Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Bronze: Prime Time Pale Ale, Big Time Brewery, Seattle, WA
Category: 47 English-Style India Pale Ale – 46 Entries
Gold: Samuel Adams Latitude 48 Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA
Silver: Napa Smith Organic IPA, Napa Smith Brewery, Napa, CA
Bronze: Down ‘n’ Dirty IPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Category: 48 International-Style Pale Ale – 20 Entries
Gold: Boulevard Pale Ale, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Intercontinental Pale Ale, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL
Bronze: Radiant, Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene, OR
Category: 49 American-Style Pale Ale – 105 Entries
Gold: Pale 31, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: Mission St. Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Ute Trail Pale Ale, Amicas, Salida, CO
Category: 50 American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 103 Entries
Gold: Pako’s Eye P.A., Snake River Brewing, Jackson, WY
Silver: AleSmith IPA, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Hop Knot, Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe, AZ
Category: 51 American-Style India Pale Ale – 176 Entries
Gold: Elevated IPA, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Deviant Dale’s, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO
Bronze: Head Hunter IPA, Fat Head’s Brewery, North Olmsted, OH
Category: 52 Imperial India Pale Ale – 102 Entries
Gold: Citra Double IPA, Kern River Brewing, Kernville, CA
Silver: Double Jack, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Imperial IPA, Epic Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Category: 53 American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 82 Entries
Gold: Amber Waves, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Jamaica Red Ale, Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, CA
Bronze: Rocket Red, Big River Grille and Brewing (Chattanooga, TN), Chattanooga, TN
Category: 54 Imperial Red Ale – 57 Entries
Gold: 547 Haight – The Toronado San Francisco’s 20th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Rhino Chaser Imperial Red Ale, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Organic Deranger, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Portland, OR
Category: 55 English-Style Mild Ale – 25 Entries
Gold: Skidmark Brown Ale, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Silver: Dawn Patrol Dark, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Bronze: Bird and Baby Mild, The Public House Brewing Co., Rolla, MO
Category: 56 Ordinary or Special Bitter – 28 Entries
Gold: DBA, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Silver: New Speedway Bitter, Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Bonnie Lee’s Best Bitter, Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, San Francisco, CA
Category: 57 Extra Special Bitter – 43 Entries
Gold: Minaret ESB, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL
Silver: Colorado Kind, Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery, Boulder, CO
Bronze: Harvest Ale, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Category: 58 Scottish-Style Ale – 27 Entries
Gold: Hope and King Scotch Ale, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Naughty Scot, Rock Bottom Brewery (College Park – Indianapolis, IN), Louisville, CO
Bronze: Brown Bear Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery (Bethesda, MD), Louisville, CO
Category: 59 Irish-Style Red Ale – 31 Entries
Gold: O’Rion Irish Red, Equinox Brewing, Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Copperhead Red, Ghost River Brewing, Memphis, TN
Bronze: Colorado Boy Irish Ale, Colorado Boy Brewing Co., Ridgway, CO
Category: 60 English-Style Brown Ale – 45 Entries
Gold: Good Grief Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Rock Bottom Brown Ale, Rock Bottom Brewery (San Diego, CA), Louisville, CO
Bronze: Molly’s Titanic Brown, Rock Bottom Brewery (Westminster, CO), Louisville, CO
Category: 61 American-Style Brown Ale – 49 Entries
Gold: Great American Brown, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Silver: Redrock Nut Brown Ale, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Brave American, American Brewing Co., Edmonds, WA
Category: 62 American-Style Black Ale – 74 Entries
Gold: Blacktop IPA, New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI
Silver: Blackened CDA, Carter’s Brewing, Billings, MT
Bronze: Black Racer, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Healdsburg, CA
Category: 63 German-Style Altbier – 30 Entries
Gold: Little Red Cap, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, Loveland, CO
Silver: TAPS Alt, TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Brea, CA), Brea, CA
Bronze: Chuckanut Alt, Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Category: 64 German-Style Sour Ale – 13 Entries
Gold: Berliner Weisse, Crabtree Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Silver: Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Goze, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Rockville, MD), Chattanooga, TN
Category: 65 South German-Style Hefeweizen – 64 Entries
Gold: Hefeweizen, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Silver: Wild Pitch Hefe Weizen, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: EOS, Nebraska Brewing Co., Papillion, NE
Category: 66 German-Style Wheat Ale – 23 Entries
Gold: Boscos Hefeweizen, Boscos Brewing Co., Memphis, TN
Silver: Weizenbock, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
Bronze: Dark-n-Curvy, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Category: 67 Belgian-Style Witbier – 53 Entries
Gold: Witte, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Silver: La Perouse White, Maui Brewing Co. – Brewpub, Maui, HI
Bronze: ZON, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Category: 68 French- and Belgian-Style Saison – 65 Entries
Gold: Saison-Brett, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Funkwerks Saison, Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Sofi e, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
Category: 69 Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: California Ale, Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Silver: TAPS Biere de Garde, TAPS Fish House & Brewery (Corona, CA), Brea, CA
Bronze: Pin-Up Blonde, Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, MI
Category: 70 Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 51 Entries
Gold: Fifth Element 2008, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Blue Sunday, New Holland Brewing Co., Holland, MI
Bronze: Barton Kriek, North by Northwest, Austin, TX
Category: 71 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 76 Entries
Gold: Brother David’s Double, Anderson Valley Brewing Co., Boonville, CA
Silver: Wild-Westmalle Tripel, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Two Tortugas, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category: 72 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 59 Entries
Gold: Buffalo Slumber, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Revelations, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: The Twelve, Black Diamond Brewing Co., Concord, CA
Category: 73 Brown Porter – 32 Entries
Gold: Out of Order Porter, Wind River Brewing Co., Pinedale, WY
Silver: FireHouse Porter, FireHouse Grill & Brewery, Sunnyvale, CA
Bronze: Porter, Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville, NC
Category: 74 Robust Porter – 62 Entries
Gold: Moonlight Porter, Rock Bottom Brewery (La Jolla, CA), Louisville, CO
Silver: DeadEye Jack Porter, LoneRider Brewing Co., Raleigh, NC
Bronze: Pier Rat Porter, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Category: 75 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 24 Entries
Gold: Ring of Dingle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Breakside Dry Stout, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Bronze: Shaft House Stout, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO
Category: 76 Foreign-Style Stout – 23 Entries
Gold: Dark Side Stout, Silver Moon Brewing, Bend, OR
Silver: Malpais Stout, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Z-Man Stout, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Category: 77 American-Style Stout – 37 Entries
Gold: Jules Winnfi eld, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA
Silver: Achievement Beyond Life’s Experiences American Stout, Brit Antrim Benefi t Beer,
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Bronze: Disorder Stout, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City, OR
Category: 78 Sweet Stout – 19 Entries
Gold: Steel Toe Stout, Ska Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Cream Stout, Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, MI
Bronze: Outlaw Oatmeal Stout, Great Basin Brewing Co., Sparks, NV
Category: 79 Oatmeal Stout – 36 Entries
Gold: Back Road Stout, Millstream Brewing Co., Amana, IA
Silver: Oatmeal Stout, Crabtree Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
Bronze: Stagecoach Stout, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA
Category: 80 Imperial Stout – 56 Entries
Gold: BORIS The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co., Akron, OH
Silver: Russian Imperial Stout, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Wilmington, DE
Bronze: IMOS, Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery, Atlanta, GA
Category: 81 Scotch Ale – 39 Entries
Gold: Wee Muckle, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Silver: Wee Heavy, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Bronze: Old Chub Scotch Ale, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO
Category: 82 Old Ale or Strong Ale – 35 Entries
Gold: Papier, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Silver: AleSmith Decadence ‘10 Old Ale, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Arctic Alchemy, Fegley’s Brew Works, Allentown, PA
Category: 83 Barley Wine-Style Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Barleywine, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
Silver: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze: Johan the Barleywine, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
2011 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition
Gold: Before Capone, C.B. & Potts Restaurant & Brewery, Westminster, CO
Brewmaster: Dennis O’Harrow, AHA Member: Tom Gardner
Silver: Schwarzherz, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Brewmaster: Uinta Beer Team, AHA Member: Travis Grimm
Bronze: Kriek, Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora, CO
Brewmaster: Dry Dock Brewers, AHA Member: Ted Manahan
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA
Brewer: Will Kemper
Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company
Brewer of the Year
Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles, CA
Brewer: Matthew Brynildson
Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company
Brewer of the Year
Pabst Brewing Company, Woodridge, IL
Brewer: Bob Newman
Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Brewer: Yiga Miyashiro
Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA
Brewer: Pizza Port Brew Guys
Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group Brewer of the Year
TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA
Brewer: Victor Novak
While GABF judging is done, we won’t know the results until tomorrow. But we do know one winner, the 2011 Alpha King. If you’re unfamiliar with the Alpha King Challenge, it’s a side contest during GABF week to find America’s hoppiest — but still drinkable — beer that’s been going since 1999, and was inspired by Three Floyd Brewing‘s own hop bomb, named The Alpha King. These days it’s sponsored by HopUnion and the Brewing News. After finishing GABF judging this morning, I hightailed it over to the Falling Rock to take part in the Alpha King judging.
The 2011 winner of the Alpha King Challenge was Poor Man’s IPA, brewed by Jeff Bagby at Pizza Port in San Diego. This is the second win in a row for Poor Man’s IPA and the third win by a beer brewed by Jeff.
Jeff Bagby, the 2011 Alpha King
Here’s a list of the winners:
The September 2011 standings have been released for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. I got an e-mail about them while I was on my way to Chile, and responded, but never heard back. The person who compiled the rankings, Florian, apparently had his contract coming up for renewal and wasn’t sure if he’d be back or not.
Jeff, from Beervana, overtaking The New School who had reached thetop spot for the first time last month. Here’s what happened to the Top 20 over last month:
| 1 | Beervana (+2) |
| 2 | The New School (-1) |
| 3 | Drink With The Wench (+3) |
| 4 | The Stone Blog (+7) |
| 5 | Brookston Beer Bulletin (-1) |
| 6 | Brewpublic (-4) |
| 7 | A Good Beer Blog (=) |
| 8 | Washington Beer Blog (+1) |
| 9 | Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home (-4) |
| 10 | Hoosier Beer Geek (+7) |
| 11 | The Brew Site (+5) |
| 12 | KC Beer Blog (+2) |
| 13 | It’s Pub Night (+8) |
| 14 | The Daily Pull (-6) |
| 15 | Seen Through a Glass (+7) |
| 16 | The Session Beer Project™ (+4) |
| 17 | BetterBeerBlog (-5) |
| 18 | Oakshire Brewing (=) |
| 19 | The Not So Professional Beer Blog (-9) |
| 20 | Brewer’s Log (Blog) (-7) |
Ranking made by Wikio
As usual, I included the relative movements of each blog from last month. Movement seems to have started to accelerate somewhat, there’s a lot more blogs changing places up and down the list. As always, I continue to stress that this is just a bit of fun and that we shouldn’t take it too seriously. Until next month ….
Family commitments kept me from attending this year’s Bistro IPA Festival, but owner Vic Kralj was kind enough to send me the list of the winners. Craig Cauwels’ IPA, from Schooner’s in Antioch, California, was chosen best in show at the 14th annual IPA Festival yesterday at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full list of winners is below.
The August 2011 standings will soon be released for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. This month there’s a new sheriff in town, who leapfrogged over Jeff, from Beervana, and me as we were do si do-ing around the beer blogging dance floor earlier this year. Congratulations to the folks at The New School as they ascend to the top spot. Here’s what happened to the Top 30 over last month:
| 1 | The New School (+2) |
| 2 | Brewpublic (+2) |
| 3 | Beervana (-1) |
| 4 | Brookston Beer Bulletin (-3) |
| 5 | Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home (+2) |
| 6 | Drink With The Wench (+4) |
| 7 | A Good Beer Blog (-2) |
| 8 | The Daily Pull (+1) |
| 9 | Washington Beer Blog (-1) |
| 10 | The Not So Professional Beer Blog (+6) |
| 11 | The Stone Blog (-5) |
| 12 | BetterBeerBlog (+11) |
| 13 | Brewer’s Log (Blog) (+8) |
| 14 | KC Beer Blog (=) |
| 15 | The Brew Lounge (+2) |
| 16 | The Brew Site (+16) |
| 17 | Hoosier Beer Geek (+8) |
| 18 | Oakshire Brewing (-5) |
| 19 | Seattle Beer News (+9) |
| 20 | The Session Beer Project™ (-5) |
| 21 | It’s Pub Night (-10) |
| 22 | Seen Through a Glass (-10) |
| 23 | Craft Austin (-4) |
| 24 | Top Fermented (+5) |
| 25 | The Potable Curmudgeon (-3) |
| 26 | San Diego Beer Blog (-8) |
| 27 | Beer at 6512 (-3) |
| 28 | Musings Over a Pint (-2) |
| 29 | Beer-Stained Letter (+13) |
| 30 | I Love Beer (+11) |
Ranking made by Wikio
As usual, I included the relative movements of each blog from last month. Last month — and for the past few — movement among the top of the list was limited and things were fairly static. All that’s changed this month, as only one of the top 30 is in the same position as last month, and only three moved up or down only one spot. That means of the remaining 26, each one moved at least two spots along the continuum. Things are shaking up.
This month’s champion mover was The Brew Site, who jumped 16 places. As always, I continue to stress that this is just a bit of fun and that we shouldn’t take it too seriously. Until next month ….