Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Bob Pease

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ba
Today is the 63rd birthday of Bob Pease. Bob is the CEO of the Brewers Association and has been integral to their growth. He’s been with the BA since 1993 and was made V.P. in 1999. A few years ago he was promoted to COO, and in August of 2014 was promoted yet again. He’s worked directly on the Export Development Program and also on Government Affairs, especially with respect to Federal Excise Tax legislation. Join me in wishing Bob a very happy birthday.

On the floor at GABF in 2007, with Ray Daniels, Mark Dorber, publican extraordinaire, and John Mallet, from Bell’s Brewery.

With Nancy Johnson at CBC in New Orleans.

bob-pease-rick-lyke
Bob with Rick Lyke at a Pints For Prostates event.

The BA Staff
The BA staff at CBC a few years ago in Chicago. That’s Bob second to the right of the tuxedo (which is Charlie Papazian) and next to Julia Herz.

GABF Winners 2024

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Last weekend, the winners of the Great American Beer Festival were announced. While the number of entries did not go up significantly from previous years, there was still an impressive 8,836 entries in 102 categories (or 176 different beer styles if you include the subcategories), plus — for the first time — 233 ciders in five broad categories. In addition, there was the Pro-Am Competition (where a homebrewer makes his own beer at a commercial brewery) and the Collaboration Competition (which is a beer created by a collaboration between two or more breweries). These were tasted by 285 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. Here are some more factoids on the results:

  • Category with the most entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 349 entries (This category has been #1 for a at least 7 years)
  • Top 5 Categories: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (349 entries); West Coast IPA (292 entries); American-Style India Pale Ale (217 entries); Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest (210 entries); and German-Style Maerzen (195 entries). The most-entered cider category was Fruited and Botanical Cider (74 entries)
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 85
  • 1,869 breweries & cideries in the competition from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico
  • 280 first-time breweries entered the competition
  • 25 first-time breweries won medals
  • Two breweries won 4 medals, and both were from California; they were Apogee Brewing, in Grover Beach, and Highland Park Brewery, in Los Angeles.

Medals Won by State:

  1. California = 71
  2. Colorado = 40
  3. Oregon = 38
  4. Washington = 26
  5. Virginia = 13
  6. TIE: Illinois / Texas = 9
  7. TIE: Georgia / North Carolina = 8
  8. TIE: Nevada / Ohio = 7
  9. TIE: New York / Tennessee = 6
  10. TIE: Connecticut / Pennsylvania / South Carolina / Utah / Wisconsin = 5
Print

The 2024 Great American
Beer Festival Winners

Category 1: American Wheat Beer – 50 Entries
Gold: Fuzztail, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Silver: Mercy Cloud, Hobcaw Brewing Co., Mount Pleasant, SC
Bronze: Hoppla, NewSylum Brewing Co., Newtown, CT
Category 2: American Fruit Beer – 108 Entries
Gold: Hey Girl, Hey!, Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop – Richmond, VA
Silver: A La Playa, Trademark Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Bronze: Bird Light Yuzu, Strangebird, Rochester, NY
Category 3: Fruit Wheat Beer – 89 Entries
Gold: Yankee Doodle Shandy, River Bluff Brewing, Saint Joseph, MO
Silver: Enduro, Cheluna Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Bronze: Bear Bait, Schussboom Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Category 4: Field Beer – 57 Entries
Gold: Fennel Rye Ale, Denver Beer Co. – Canworks, Denver, CO
Silver: Cucumber Lime Blonde, Third Space Brewing, Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: That Coconut Porter, Cherry Street Brewing, Cumming, GA
Category 5: Pumpkin Beer – 100 Entries
Gold: Great Pumpkin, Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Pumpkin Spice J. Marie, River North Brewery – RiNo, Denver, CO
Bronze: Boo Ya!, Ocean View Brewing Co., Ocean View, DE
Category 6: Chili Beer – 76 Entries
Gold: El Poblano Borracho, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette, CO
Silver: Jalapeño Saison, On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen, Dallas, TX
Bronze: Palisade Peak, Station 26 Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Category 7: Herb and Spice Beer – 83 Entries
Gold: Two Wheeler, Far Field Beer Co., Hawthorne, CA
Silver: HellFire Club, Armored Cow Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Bronze: Dill Pickle, Field Artisan Brewing, Westfield, IN
Category 8: Chocolate Beer – 34 Entries
Gold: Fudge Sickles, Fort George Brewery, Astoria, OR
Silver: Chocolate Stout, Fort Myers Brewing Co., Fort Myers, FL
Bronze: Triple Chocolate Viator Obscura, Wandering Monsters Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Category 9: Coffee Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun, River North Brewery – RiNo, Denver, CO
Silver: Bucky, Terranaut Beer, Bend, OR
Bronze: Gusto Crema Coffee Ale, Georgetown Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Category 10: Coffee Stout or Porter – 50 Entries
Gold: Dusk Til Dawn, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Silver: Venti is Large, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Half Moon Bay, CA
Bronze: Shock Treatment, New Ridge Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Category 11: Dessert Stout or Pastry Stout – 55 Entries
Gold: Pure Nonsense, Dade City Brew House, Dade City, FL
Silver: Coconut Cluster, Heritage Hill Brewhouse, Pompey, NY
Bronze: Peanut Butter & Jelly Tiempo, Kilowatt Brewing, San Diego, CA
Category 12: Rye Beers – 45 Entries
Gold: Crazy Jackass Ale, Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater
Tavern, Centreville, VA
Silver: Roggenschnizzle, Bier Brewery and Taproom, Indianapolis, IN
Bronze: Beauty is in the Rye of the Beholder, RockSolid Brewing Co., Ball Ground, GA
Category 13: Honey Beer – 50 Entries
Gold: Hachimitsu Mai, Deschutes Brewery & Public House – PDX, Portland, OR
Silver: BeeLoved, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Bronze: Animals Strike Curious Poses, The Empourium Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category 14: Pale Non-Alcohol Beer – 55 Entries
Gold: NARC IPA, Resident Culture, Charlotte, NC
Silver: Free Wave Hazy IPA, Athletic Brewing Co., Milford, CT
Bronze: Kolsch, Best Day Brewing, Sausalito, CA
Category 15: Amber to Dark Non-Alcohol Beer – 9 Entries
Gold: NA Dark, Fremont Brewing, Seattle, WA
Silver: Non-Alcoholic Oktoberfest, Octopi Brewing / Untitled Art, Waunakee, WI
Category 16: Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer – 37 Entries
Gold: Patagonia Provisions Non-Alcoholic Kernza Golden Brew, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
Silver: Tropical Sour, Athletic Brewing Co., Milford, CT
Bronze: Special Effects Grapefruit IPA, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
Category 17: Session Beer or Belgian-Style Table Beer – 32 Entries
Gold: Saison Lily, ColdFire Brewing Co. – Barrel House, Eugene, OR
Silver: Frequency of Expansion, The Big Friendly, Oklahoma City, OK
Bronze: Guillaume, Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
Category 18: Session India Pale Ale – 64 Entries
Gold: Divi, Offset Bier Co., Park City, UT
Silver: Josh’s New Tiny Shoes, Green Cheek Beer Co., Orange, CA
Bronze: Mini Ramp Session IPA, June Lake Brewing, June Lake, CA

Green Cheek Brewing with Jeff Bagby, the “Jeff” in gold-medal winner Jeff’s Baltic Porter.


Category 19: Strong Porter – 43 Entries
Gold: Jeff’s Baltic Porter, Green Cheek Beer Co. – Oceanside, Oceanside, CA
Silver: Magpie, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. – Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Baltic Porter, Bear Chase Brewing Co., Bluemont, VA
Category 20: Other Strong Beer – 27 Entries
Gold: Soul of a Star, HUDL Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Silver: Agua Santa Imperial, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Buellton, CA
Bronze: Stone LifeBlurred, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, San Diego, CA
Category 21: Experimental India Pale Ale – 86 Entries
Gold: Hazy Crush, New York Beer Project – Beer Lodge, Orchard Park, NY
Silver: Lavender Haze, SingleSpeed Brewing, Waterloo, IA
Bronze: East Gruesome, Lost Cabin Beer Co., Rapid City, SD
Category 22: Experimental Beer – 75 Entries
Gold: Great Wave Sake Lager, MAP Brewing Co., Bozeman, MT
Silver: Bourbon Maple Wishes and Pecan Dreams, Odd Side Ales, Grand Haven, MI
Bronze: Agrio Morado, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR
Category 23: Historical Beer – 54 Entries
Gold: BierKraft Grodziskie, BierKraft, McAlester, OK
Silver: Decorah Nordic Gruit, PIVO Brewery, Calmar, IA
Bronze: Kentucky Common, Blackhorse Pub & Brewery, Alcoa, TN
Category 24: Gluten-Free Beer – 48 Entries
Gold: Fat Randy, Holidaily Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Oktoberfest, Orange Bike Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Bronze: Pilsner, Orange Bike Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Category 25: American-Belgo-Style Ale – 35 Entries
Gold: Silver Medal Worthy, Launch Pad Brewery, Aurora, CO
Silver: Capitulation, Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend, OR
Bronze: Golden Strong Ale with Pink, Fowler Ranch Farm Brewery, Lincoln, CA
Category 26: American Sour Ale – 19 Entries
Gold: Bes, Little Beast Brewing, Clackamas, OR
Silver: Wicked Shifty, Shoe Tree Brewing Co., Carson City, NV
Bronze: Mirage, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category 27: Fruited American Sour Ale – 165 Entries
Gold: Peach Silhouette, Hudson Valley Brewery, Beacon, NY
Silver: Funkberry Pie, Girdwood Brewing Co., Girdwood, AK
Bronze: Cactus Juice, 12Degree Brewing, Louisville, CO
Category 28: Brett Beer – 36 Entries
Gold: First Release Part 2, Peaceful Side Brewery, Maryville, TN
Silver: Belle Saison, Third Window Brewing Co., Santa Barbara, CA
Bronze: Touch of Brett, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Category 29: Mixed-Culture Brett Beer – 49 Entries
Gold: Proverbial Fork, Olfactory Brewing, San Francisco, CA
Silver: Knitting Circle S5 Batch C, Fair Isle Brewing, Seattle, WA
Bronze: Elisabeth, ColdFire Brewing Co. – Barrel House, Eugene, OR
Category 30: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 41 Entries
Gold: Ghoul Fuel- Rum Diaries Edition, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Silver: Temporary Paradise- Rum Diaries Edition, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Barrel Aged Dopplebock, MORE Brewing Co., Huntley, IL
Category 31: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 109 Entries
Gold: Bass Clef, Audio Graph Beer Co., Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Barrel-Aged Imperial Satan’s Pony, South Street Brewery, Charlottesville, VA
Bronze: 10th Anniversary Barleywine, Creature Comforts Brewing Co., Athens, GA
Category 32: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 131 Entries
Gold: Western Justice, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs, CO
Silver: Humongous Sleepy Chungus Bear, Werk Force Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL
Bronze: Breakside La Maison du Bang!, Breakside Brewery, Portland, OR
Category 33: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 29 Entries
Gold: French 75, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Silver: Madrigal, Monday Night Brewing – Garage, Atlanta, GA
Bronze: 5 On It, Long Table Brewhouse, Denver, CO
Category 34: Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 66 Entries
Gold: Raspberries on Acid, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Silver: White Dwarf, True Anomaly Brewing Co., Houston, TX
Bronze: Cassis, Moody Tongue Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Category 35: Kellerbier or Zwickelbier – 58 Entries
Gold: Czech Plz, CraftHaus Brewery, Henderson, NV
Silver: Pilsners are Lagers, Benchtop Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Bronze: Tankbeer, Hopewell Brewing Co., Chicago, IL
Category 36: Smoke Beer – 62 Entries
Gold: Smoke and Embers, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Smoke Control, Burghers Brewing, Pittsburgh, PA
Bronze: Rauchbier, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Category 37: American-Style Light Lager – 157 Entries
Gold: Sky Dog, Wiseacre Brewing Co. – Downtown, Memphis, TN
Silver: Family Vacation, Roadhouse Brewing Co., Jackson Hole, WY
Bronze: Transmission Light, Transmission Brewing, Ventura, CA
Category 38: International Light Lager – 130 Entries
Gold: Light Lager, Seapine Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: Wakumi, Mother Earth Brew Co., Nampa, ID
Bronze: Wondrous Hell, Wondrous Brewing Co., Emeryville, CA
Category 39: American-Style Lager – 148 Entries
Gold: Down South, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Boone, NC
Silver: Modern Classic, Counter Weight Brewing Co., Cheshire, CT
Bronze: Pat’s River Beer, MAP Brewing Co., Bozeman, MT
Category 40: Contemporary American-Style Lager – 95 Entries
Gold: Baseball, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: College Dropout, StillFire Brewing, Suwanee, GA
Bronze: Richmond Lager, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Richmond, VA

Steve Luke (center) from Cloudburt Brewing Seattle, Washington.

Category 41: American Pilsener – 114 Entries
Gold: Classic City Lager, Creature Comforts – Production Facility At Southern Mill, Athens, GA
Silver: Buccaneer’s Gold, Project 9 Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Bronze: Happy Little Clouds, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA
Category 42: International-Style Pilsener – 119 Entries
Gold: Chillzner, Craft Coast – San Marcos, San Marcos, CA
Silver: 500 Pesos, ODD Muse Brewing Co., Dallas, TX
Bronze: Munk Lager, Munkle Brewing Co., Charleston, SC
Category 43: American Cream Ale – 118 Entries
Gold: Was Angeles Craft Beer, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: El Sully, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA
Bronze: Atascadero Beach, Wild Fields Brewhouse, Atascadero, CA

The man, the myth, the legend: Sully of silver-medal winning “El Sully” from 21st Amendment Brewing.


Category 44: Hoppy Lager – 157 Entries
Gold: Infinity Pils, Westbound & Down Brewing Co. – Westbound Mill, Lafayette, CO
Silver: Branching Out, Everywhere Beer Co., Orange, CA
Bronze: Rancho Cowabunga, Grains of Wrath – Washougal, Washougal, WA
Category 45: American Amber Lager – 165 Entries
Gold: Bateman Bier, Greenstar Brewing, Chicago, IL
Silver: Las Cruces, Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co., Castle Rock, CO
Bronze: Big Rock Amber Lager, Malibu Brewing Co., Westlake Village, CA
Category 46: German-Style Pilsener – 175 Entries
Gold: Haha Pils, Arbeiter Brewing Co., Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Door Code, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
Bronze: Trumer Pils, Trumer Brewery, Berkeley, CA
Category 47: Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 135 Entries
Gold: Reality Czeck-style Pilsner, Moonlight Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA
Silver: River Delta Czech Pils, Silver Bluff Brewing Co., Brunswick, GA
Bronze: Parachute Pivo, Victor-23 Craft Brewery, Vancouver, WA
Category 48: Italian-Style Pilsener – 83 Entries
Gold: Zombi Shark Fight, Green Cheek Beer Co. – Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa, CA
Silver: Che Figata, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Bronze: Wolf of the Woods, Second Dawn Brewing Co., Aurora, CO
Category 49: Munich-Style Helles – 135 Entries
Gold: Helles, von Trapp Brewing, Stowe, VT
Silver: Crystal River, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Bronze: Old Gold, Structures Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Category 50: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 210 Entries
Gold: Festbier, Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Glenwood Springs, CO
Silver: Festbier, Northwoods Brewing Co., Northwood, NH
Bronze: The Cushman, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA

Craig Cauwels showing off two of three medals from Morgan Territory Brewing of Tracy, California.


Category 51: Vienna-Style Lager – 123 Entries
Gold: Vienna Fest Bier, Quarter Celtic Brewpub, Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Metalmark Marzen, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Bronze: Red Dawn, Bonesaw Brewing Co., Glassboro, NJ
Category 52: German-Style Maerzen – 195 Entries
Gold: Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest, Soul Brewing Co., Pleasantville, NY
Silver: Marchtoberfest, Galveston Island Brewing, Galveston, TX
Bronze: Oktoberfest, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
Category 53: German Dark Lager – 140 Entries
Gold: Schwarz Wulf, Greywolf Brewing, Norco, CA
Silver: Flex Fiesta Munich-Style Dark Lager, Red Horn Brewery and Roastery, Leander, TX
Bronze: Chehalis After Dark, Talking Cedar Brewing, Rochester, WA

Category 54: International Dark Lager – 96 Entries
Gold: Puesto Negra, Puesto Cerveceria, San Diego, CA
Silver: Czech-6, Eagle River Brewing Co., Gypsum, CO
Bronze: Czech Dark Lager, Structures Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Category 55: Bock – 42 Entries
Gold: Pan is Alive, IMBIB Custom Brews, Reno, NV
Silver: Lawyers, Hogs & Money, Bentonville Brewing Co., Bentonville, AR
Bronze: Hootenanny, Bankhead Brewing Co., Rowlett, TX
Category 56: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 36 Entries
Gold: Eisbock, Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub, Minneapolis, MN
Silver: Co-Conspirator, Victor-23 Craft Brewery, Vancouver, WA
Bronze: Execrator, Resolute Brewing Co., Centennial, CO
Category 57: German-Style Koelsch – 167 Entries
Gold: Modern Gothic, Columbia Craft Brewing Co., Columbia, SC
Silver: Kolsch, Standard Deviant Brewing, San Francisco, CA
Bronze: Brick West Kolsch, Brick West Brewing Co., Spokane, WA
Category 58: German Sour Ale – 37 Entries
Gold: Baywindow, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR
Silver: Disco Lemonade, Aslan Brewing Co., Bellingham, WA
Bronze: Gose, Kulshan Brewing Co – K2, Bellingham, WA
Category 59: Specialty Berliner-Style Weisse – 54 Entries
Gold: Commander Salamander, Spring House Brewing Co., Lancaster, PA
Silver: Razzle fo’ Shazzle, Great Basin Brewing Co., Reno, NV
Bronze: Gindulgence, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR
Category 60: Contemporary Gose – 47 Entries
Gold: 3 Citrus Gose, Culture Brewing Co., Solana Beach, CA
Silver: It’s a G Thang Ginger Gose, Red Rock Brewing – Production, Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Wild Pear, Blue Mountain Barrel House and Organic Brewery, Arrington, VA
Category 61: German-Style Altbier – 45 Entries
Gold: Rhine Divide, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Portland, Portland, OR
Silver: Altbier, Double Clutch Brewing Co., Evanston, IL
Bronze: Altruism, Rock Cut Brewing Co., Estes Park, CO
Category 62: German Wheat Ale – 55 Entries
Gold: Weizenbock, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Mills River, Mills River, NC
Silver: Kristal Moon, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Bronze: Sixpoint Brewery Mimic Weisse, Brewers At 4001 Yancey, Charlotte, NC
Category 63: South German-Style Hefeweizen – 129 Entries
Gold: Washout Wheat, Holy City Brewing, North Charleston, SC
Silver: Don’t Hassle the Hef, Westbound & Down Brewing Co. – Westbound Mill, Lafayette, CO
Bronze: Polterweiss Hefeweizen, Green Mountain Beer Co., Lakewood, CO
Category 64: English Mild or Bitter – 50 Entries
Gold: Distinguished Fellow, Project 9 Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
Silver: The Proprietor, BierKraft, McAlester, OK
Bronze: Toasty, The Brew Brothers – Scioto Downs Racino, Columbus, OH
Category 65: Extra Special Bitter – 62 Entries
Gold: Pub Ale, Pilot Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Silver: Brighton ESB, Bravery Brewing Co., Lancaster, CA
Bronze: Velvet Organic ESB, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
Category 66: Golden or Blonde Ale – 129 Entries
Gold: Kiitos Blonde Ale, Kiitos Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Easy Mode, Logan Brewing Co., Burien, WA
Bronze: Bench Seat, Transmission Brewing, Ventura, CA
Category 67: English Ale – 52 Entries
Gold: Kiitos Pale Ale, Kiitos Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT
Silver: Elevated Summer Ale, Goose And The Monkey Brewhouse, Lexington, NC
Bronze: Oregon Summer Ale, Bend Brewing – High Desert, Bend, OR

Category 68: Scottish-Style Ale – 48 Entries
Gold: Doc McLoughlin Scottish Ale, Oregon City Brewing Co., Oregon City, OR
Silver: Scottish Ale, Stodgy Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Oasis Amber, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Reno, Reno, NV
Category 69: Irish-Style Red Ale – 75 Entries
Gold: Coppermind, Denver Beer Co. – Lowry Field, Denver, CO
Silver: Engine 402, Orange Hat Brewing Co., Knoxville, TN
Bronze: Equanimity, Ursa Minor Brewing, Duluth, MN
Category 70: English-Style Brown Ale – 42 Entries
Gold: Black Cats, Streetside Brewery, Cincinnati, OH
Silver: Back Country, Lewis & Clark Brewing Co., Helena, MT
Bronze: Brown Ale, Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI
Category 71: American-Style Brown Ale – 65 Entries
Gold: Who’s That Brown, Tarantula Hill Brewing Co., Thousand Oaks, CA
Silver: Heart of Glass, Three Wide Brewing Co., Fort Worth, TX
Bronze: Beckley Furnace Brown Ale, Norbrook Farm Brewery, Colebrook, CT
Category 72: American Black Ale or American Stout – 66 Entries
Gold: Blackside Snap, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Stoup American Stout, Stoup Brewing – Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA
Bronze: A Dark in the Light, Radiant Beer Co., Anaheim, CA
Category 73: Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale – 64 Entries
Gold: Le Petit Demon, Bonesaw Brewing Co. – Pilot House, Deptford, NJ
Silver: DOMESTIQUE Blonde Ale, Rouleur Brewing Co., Carlsbad, CA
Bronze: Aurora, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA

Ben Edmonds (next to Bob) and the Breakside Brewing crew.


Category 74: Belgian-Style Witbier – 57 Entries
Gold: Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Silver: Breakside White, Breakside Brewery & Taproom, Milwaukie, OR
Bronze: Gully Washer Wit, Munkle Brewing Co., Charleston, SC
Category 75: Classic Saison – 60 Entries
Gold: Dogwood Saison, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Basecamp, Roseland, VA
Silver: Farm Out, Worthy Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Bronze: Plough & Harrow, ISM Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Category 76: Specialty Saison – 46 Entries
Gold: Lucy Loves Rye, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Silver: Mount Eden, Pure Project, Vista, CA
Bronze: Wild Honey, Cruz Blanca Brewery, Chicago, IL
Category 77: Belgian-Style Sour Ale – 36 Entries
Gold: Eau Rouge, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Silver: Apple Pomace Puncheon, Angel City Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
Bronze: Intinction – Petite Sirah, Russian River Brewing Co. – Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, CA

The Cilurzo’s, Natalie and Vinnie, from Russian River Brewing.


Category 78: Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale – 77 Entries
Gold: Kroon, Wallenpaupack Brewing Co., Hawley, PA
Silver: Pitouchi, Attic Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA
Bronze: Monks on the Moon, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Category 79: Belgian-Style Abbey Ale – 71 Entries
Gold: LMM Dubbel II, Lone Man Mountain Brewing Co., Driftwood, TX
Silver: Allagash Tripel, Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, ME
Bronze: Monks In Space, Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Category 80: Belgian Fruit Beer – 45 Entries
Gold: My Cerise Amour, Oregon City Brewing Co., Oregon City, OR
Silver: East of Line Kriek, Awkward Brewing, Fayetteville, GA
Bronze: Vordrassil, Webb’s City Cellar by Green Bench, St. Petersburg, FL
Category 81: Brown Porter – 46 Entries
Gold: Don’t Feed the Bears, Gatlinburg Brewing Co., Sevierville, TN
Silver: Slumber Car, Accomplice Beer Co., Cheyenne, WY
Bronze: Old Tom Porter, Piney River Brewing Co., Bucyrus, MO

Category 82: Robust Porter – 58 Entries
Gold: Port City Porter, Port City Brewing Co., Alexandria, VA
Silver: Peaklet, Mountain Rambler Brewery, Bishop, CA
Bronze: Dark Chocolate Love, Salish Sea Brewing Co. – Boathouse Taproom, Edmonds, WA
Category 83: Stout – 52 Entries
Gold: Correspondent, Wander Brewing, Bellingham, WA
Silver: Nebula Stout, Block 15 Brewery & Tap Room, Corvallis, OR
Bronze: Diatomaceous Dry Stout, Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Chattanooga, TN
Category 84: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout – 37 Entries
Gold: Mustachio Milk Stout, Tractor Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM
Silver: Chocolate Milk Stout, Boxing Bear Brewing Co. – Firestone, Albuquerque, NM
Bronze: Moozie, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Category 85: Oatmeal Stout – 56 Entries
Gold: Scaredy Cat, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Silver: Buttons the Bear, Bear Chase Brewing Co., Bluemont, VA
Bronze: Brother Sam, Three Tigers Brewing Co., Granville, OH
Category 86: Imperial Stout – 58 Entries
Gold: Indie Roo, Pizza Port – Imperial Beach, Imperial Beach, CA
Silver: Kill the Lights, The Tap Brewery, Bloomington, IN
Bronze: ReVive, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Portland, Portland, OR
Category 87: Scotch Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: Wobbly Traveler, Silver Harbor Brewing Co., Saint Joseph, MI
Silver: Full Malted Jacket, Beachwood Brewing – Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Old Chub, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO

Julian Shrago from Beachwood Brewing of Huntington Beach, California.


Category 88: Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine – 62 Entries
Gold: Orange Giant, Ecliptic Brewing, Eugene, OR
Silver: Grow Old With You, Verboten Brewing, Loveland, CO
Bronze: Artemesia, Burns Family Artisan Ales Taphouse, Denver, CO

Jamie Floyd, from Ninkasi Brewing, and John Harris, from Ecliptic Brewing.


Category 89: International-Style Pale Ale – 107 Entries
Gold: Smells Like Purple Rain, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Silver: Ponga, Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Breakside Hello My Alien, Breakside Brewery – NW Slabtown, Portland, OR
Category 90: New Zealand India Pale Ale – 105 Entries
Gold: More Than A Zealand, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver: Wannabe Wallaby, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Wastelandia, Grains of Wrath, Camas, WA
Category 91: American-Style Pale Ale – 128 Entries
Gold: Timbo, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Featherweight Pale Ale, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Bronze: Bare Bones Disco, Bird Creek Brewing, Temple, TX
Category 92: Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 94 Entries
Gold: Easy Eddy, Big Grove Brewery & Taproom, Iowa City, IA
Silver: Foggy Pines, Evans Brewing Co., Corona, CA
Bronze: Wisp, Lumen Beer Co., Omaha, NE
Category 93: American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 109 Entries
Gold: Something Dank This Way Comes, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Silver: Zero Degrees, Shred Beer Co., Rocklin, CA
Bronze: Independence Pass Ale IPA, Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen, CO
Category 94: Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale – 151 Entries
Gold: Joyful Intuition, Everywhere Beer Co., Orange, CA
Silver: Lupulin Lab, Wicked Weed Brewing Pub, Asheville, NC
Bronze: Windows Up, Alpine Beer Co., Ft Collins, CO

Category 95: American Amber/Red Ale – 124 Entries
Gold: Pretty Good, Third Space Brewing, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Buttface Amber, RAM Restaurant and Brewery – Production, Tacoma, WA
Bronze: Object K, Site-1 Brewing, Omaha, NE
Category 96: Strong Red Ale – 56 Entries
Gold: Wreak Havoc, Bootstrap Brewing, Longmont, CO
Silver: Rolling Rust, Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Trash Pandamonium, Benchtop Brewing Co., Norfolk, VA
Category 97: Imperial India Pale Ale – 117 Entries
Gold: Hoptomic, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Silver: Gastropod, Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Bronze: Nose Goblin, Ghost Town Brewing, Oakland, CA

Ben Edmunds from Brakside (left) with Tonya Cornett (formerly with 10 Barrel) in between Grand Fir brewmaster Whitney Burnside, who won this yar’s “501–1,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year”


Category 98: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale – 150 Entries
Gold: DDH Pillow, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: Mosaic Double Crush, Moonraker Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Cameron Park, CA
Bronze: Juice Master, Shred Beer Co., Rocklin, CA
Category 99: Fresh Hop Beer – 85 Entries
Gold: Fresher Than Fresh, Trap Door Brewing, Vancouver, WA
Silver: House of 1000 Cones, Moonraker Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Cameron Park, CA
Bronze: Fresh Hop King Crispy, Deschutes Brewery & Public House – PDX, Portland, OR
Category 100: West Coast IPA – 292 Entries
Gold: Codebreaker, Trademark Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Pacific Portal, Alma Mader Brewing, Kansas City, MO
Bronze: IPA for Aliens, Masthead Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
Category 101: American-Style India Pale Ale – 217 Entries
Gold: Competition, Highland Park Brewery – Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
Silver: One Way, Old Caz Beer, Rohnert Park, CA
Bronze: Lexical Gap, Pollyanna Brewing Co., Lemont, IL
Category 102: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale – 349 Entries
Gold: Professional Human Being, Ambitious Ales, Long Beach, CA
Silver: Groundswell, Single Hill Brewing Co., Yakima, WA
Bronze: Crash of Rhinos, Movement Brewing Co., Rancho Cordova, CA

Cider Categories

Category 201: Tannic Cider – 29 Entries
Gold: Classic Dry, Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, Philo, CA
Silver: Cedar Valley Blend, Paha Cider Co., Waverly, IA
Bronze: 2022 Cidre Bouché, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Category 202: No/Low-Tannin Cider – 55 Entries
Gold: The Russets, Snow Capped Cider, Austin, CO
Silver: Graventein, Snow Capped Cider, Austin, CO
Bronze: 10th Anniversary, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Category 203: Fruited or Botanical Cider – 74 Entries
Gold: Blackberry Cider, McMenamins Breweries, Portland, OR
Silver: Ozark Strawberry Rhubarb Cider, Ozark Beer Co., Rogers, AR
Bronze: Pacific Pineapple, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Category 204: Experimental or Barrel-Aged Cider – 46 Entries
Gold: Rosé Cider, Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, Philo, CA
Silver: 2019 Pommeau, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
Bronze: 802 Barrel Aged, Vermont Cider Co., Middlebury, VT
Category 205: Single Varietal Cider – 29 Entries
Gold: Mountain Rose, Haykin Family Cider, Aurora, CO
Silver: Macintosh, Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, Philo, CA
Bronze: Glow – Airlie Redflesh SV, Alpenfire Cider, Port Townsend, WA

Other Categories

Category 500: Pro-Am Comp – 52 Entries
Gold: Piwo Grodziskie, Kansas City Bier Co. with Mike & Stephanie Butler, Kansas City, MO
Silver: Rising Sun, Crooked Lane Brewing Co. with Matt Hall, Auburn, CA
Bronze: South of Helles, Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop – Richmond with Joel Miller, Richmond, VA
Category 501: Collab Comp – 95 Entries
Gold: Twenty-Fold Sword, No Boat Brewing Co., Obelisk Beer Co., Snoqualmie, WA
Silver: Stupid Sticky Fingers, Werk Force Brewing Co, Rocky Reef Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL
Bronze: Spudweiser, Live Oak Brewing Co., Hold Out Brewing, Del Valle, TX

2024 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards

0-250 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Apogee Brewing Co., Grover Beach, CA
Jeff, Mike and Linz
251–500 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene, OR
Alesong Blending Team
501–1,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Grand Fir Brewing, Portland, OR
Whitney Burnside
1,001–2,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Everywhere Beer Co., Orange, CA
Stefan Weber & Production Team
2,001–5,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Riip Brew Team
5,001–15,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Sunriver Brewing Team
15,001–100,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
von Trapp Brewing, Stowe, VT
von Trapp Brewing Team
Brewery Group Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Highland Park Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
Highland Park Brewery Team
Cidermaker of the Year
2 Towns Ciderhouse, Corvallis, OR
2 Towns Ciderhouse

The Riip Beer Co. team from Huntington Beach, California.

Beer Birthday: Chris Swersey

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Today is the 60th birthday — The Big 6-O — of Chris Swersey, who until recently was on the staff of the Brewers Association as the Competition Manager for both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. He coordinated all the judges, volunteers and the thousands of beers needed for each festival. It’s a big job and Chris seems to do it effortlessly. Plus, the last several years, Chris and I both judged in Belgium at the Brussels Beer Challenge, which has been great fun. More recently, he got married and moved to Australia, and has gone back to brewing beer. Join me in wishing Chris a very happy birthday.

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Chris reading the list of World Beer Cup winners in 2008.

Nancy Johnson, Justin Crossley & Chris Swersey Before the GABF Awards Ceremony
Nancy Johnson, Justin Crossley & Chris right before the GABF Awards Ceremony in 2009.

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Eric and Lauren Salazar, both from New Belgium Brewing, sandwiched by Jim Crooks, from Firestone Walker, and Chris Swersey, Competition Manager for GABF judging.

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Me, Chris and another BA staff member freshly arriving at CBC in Austin in 2007.

Beer Birthday: Paul Gatza

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Today is also Paul Gatza’s 60th birthday — The Big 6-O. Paul is the Director of the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colorado. He’s held numerous executive positions with the BA and its previous incarnation, the Association of Brewers. An avid homebrewer, Paul is great face for the BA and a terrific person. Join me in wishing Paul a very happy birthday.

Me and Paul at the GABF Awards in 2019.

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Toasting in New Orleans for CBC.

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Working the AHA booth at GABF.

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At the podium during the opening of CBC in 2008.

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Paul giving his annual state of the industry talk at CBC in 2012.

Top 50 Breweries For 2023

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The Brewers Association yesterday announced the top 50 breweries and craft breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2023, which is listed below here. I should also mention that this represents “craft breweries” according to the BA’s membership definition, and not necessarily how most of us would define them, as there’s no universally agreed upon way to differentiate the two. For a number of years now, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 breweries, which includes all breweries. In the past I’ve posted the two lists separately, but last year decided going forward to present them together since the two are increasingly intermingled.

I confess I used to look more forward to this list every year as it represented greater and wider acceptance of craft in the marketplace, but it doesn’t seem to hold the same thrill for me anymore, perhaps I’m getting jaded. Part of my malaise I think comes from the fact that consolidation has become such a part of the current landscape that it’s in a sense how things were before the rise of craft beer. There’s nothing inherently wrong this, it’s a natural part in the evolution of any industry. But as an old-timer in this nascent craft industry, it was the independent spirit of the early brewery pioneers that built the foundation of today’s beer scene. And seeing it contract into mini-conglomerates and empires, however natural, is not very pleasant to watch. Of the top ten, six of them are groups of two or more breweries, and number one is Yuengling, which is an old guard brewery that’s small and independent in name only, not in spirit (that’s not a knock on Yuengling, at least it’s not meant to be). It’s understandable, but no less disheartening, and will undoubtedly continue for the foreseeable future. Anyway, here is this year’s craft brewery list:

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

RankCompanyCityState
1D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
2Boston Beer CoBoston, MiltonMA, DE
3Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
4Duvel Moortgat USAPaso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
5GambrinusShiner, BerkeleyTX, CA
6Tilray Beer BrandsAtlanta, Montauk, San Diego, Bend, Seattle, Portland, Breckenridge, PatchogueGA, NY, CA, OR, WA, OR, CO, NY
7Artisanal Brewing VenturesDowningtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
8Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
9Monster BrewingLongmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
10Athletic Brewing CompanyMilfordCT
11New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
12Deschutes BreweryBendOR
13Matt Brewing CoUticaNY
14Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
15Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
16Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
17Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
18Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
19Stevens Point BreweryStevens PointWI
20Three Floyds BrewingMunsterIN
21Pittsburgh Brewing CoPittsburghPA
22Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
23Narragansett Brewing CoPawtucketRI
24August Schell Brewing CompanyNew UlmMN
25Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
26Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)Kihei, San DiegoHI, CA
27Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
28Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
29Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
30Kings & Convicts BrewingSan DiegoCA
31Alaskan Brewing Co.JuneauAK
32Kona Brewing HawaiiKailua-KonaHI
33Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
34Creature Comforts Brewing Co.AthensGA
35Great Frontier HoldingsEugene, PortlandOR, OR
36BrewDog Brewing CoCanal WinchesterOH
37Summit Brewing CoSt. PaulMN
38Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLCFraminghamMA
39Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
40Montucky Cold SnacksBozemanMT
41Saint Arnold Brewing CoHoustonTX
42Lost Coast BreweryEurekaCA
43Surly Brewing CompanyMinneapolisMN
44Rogue Ales BreweryNewportOR
45United States Beverage LLCSalt Lake City, ElmsfordUT, NY
46Shipyard Brewing CoPortlandME
47Pizza PortCarlsbadCA
48Coronado Brewing CoCoronadoCA
49Drake’s Brewing CoSan LeandroCA
50IndieBrewAtlanta, NashvilleGA, TN

The data was also accompanied by the following press release:

Boulder, Colo. — The Brewers Association (BA)—the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers—today released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry.

The number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2023, reaching an all-time high of 9,683, including 2,071 microbreweries, 3,467 brewpubs, 3,900 taproom breweries, and 245 regional craft breweries. The total U.S. operating brewery count was 9,812, up from 9,730 in 2022. Throughout the year, there were 495 new brewery openings and 418 closings. Openings decreased for a second consecutive year, with the trend reflecting a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2023 but continued to remain relatively low, at approximately 4%.

Driven by the growing number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed 191,421 people in 2023, a 1.1% increase from 2022.

“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist of the Brewers Association. “Nevertheless, even as growth has downshifted, small brewers have proved quite resilient, as seen in the increase in number of breweries, relatively low closing rates, and gains in onsite sales and jobs.”

Collectively, small and independent brewers produced 23.4 million barrels of beer in 2023, a decline of 1.0% from 20223, though craft’s overall beer market share by volume grew to 13.3%, up from 13.1% in 2022 as craft’s declines were smaller than overall beer volume losses.

The overall beer market shrank 5.1% by volume in 2023. Retail dollar value was estimated at $28.6 billion, representing a 24.5% market share and 3% growth over a comparable value in 2022. Sales growth was stronger than volume primarily due to pricing but also due to slightly stronger onsite sales growth versus distribution.

“As always, the beverage alcohol market and consumer demand continue to evolve,” added Watson. ”Many brewers are accordingly updating their operations to match those changes, focusing on their business models, go-to-market strategies, and brand strategies to help their businesses match those shifts.”

And here’s the second list, which is the Top 50 Brewing Companies Overall, which means all companies, not just the ones eligible for membership in the Brewers Association, which excludes from membership breweries that are too large or with large ownership structures, among other specific qualifications.

In this list, the top ten are either a group of brewery businesses or quite larger and/or old enough to predate the 1980s. Number 11, Sierra Nevada, is the first actual craft brewery on the list. But overall the list is so filled with complicated business arrangements that there are 26 footnotes for 50 entries.

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies 

RankCompanyCityState
1Anheuser-Busch IncSt. LouisMO
2MolsonCoorsChicagoIL
3ConstellationChicagoIL
4Heineken USAWhite PlainsNY
5Pabst Brewing CoLos AngelesCA
6DiageoNorwalkCT
7D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
8FIFCO USARochesterNY
9Kirin-LionFort Collins, ComstockCO, MI
10Boston Beer CoBoston, MiltonMA, DE
11Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
12Sapporo-Stone BrewingEscondidoCA
13Duvel Moortgat USAPaso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
14GambrinusShiner, BerkeleyTX, CA
15Mahou San MiguelGrand Rapids, BoulderMI, CO
16Tilray Beer BrandsAtlanta, Montauk, San Diego, Bend, Seattle, Portland, Breckenridge, PatchogueGA, NY, CA, OR, WA, OR, CO, NY
17Artisanal Brewing VenturesDowningtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
18Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
19Monster BrewingLongmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
20Athletic Brewing CompanyMilfordCT
21New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
22Deschutes BreweryBendOR
23Matt Brewing CoUticaNY
24Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
25Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
26Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
27Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
28Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
29Stevens Point BreweryStevens PointWI
30Three Floyds BrewingMunsterIN
31Pittsburgh Brewing CoPittsburghPA
32Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
33Narragansett Brewing CoPawtucketRI
34August Schell Brewing CompanyNew UlmMN
35Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
36Craft ‘Ohana (Maui/Modern Times)Kihei, San DiegoHI, CA
37Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
38Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
39Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
40Kings & Convicts BrewingSan DiegoCA
41Alaskan Brewing Co.JuneauAK
42Kona Brewing HawaiiKailua-KonaHI
43Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
44Creature Comforts Brewing Co.AthensGA
45Great Frontier HoldingsEugene, PortlandOR, OR
46BrewDog Brewing CoCanal WinchesterOH
47Summit Brewing CoSt. PaulMN
48Jack’s Abby Brewing, LLCFraminghamMA
49Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
50Montucky Cold SnacksBozemanMT

Historic Beer Birthday: Richard Katzenmayer

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usba
Today is the birthday of Richard Katzenmayer (April 15, 1839-October 3, 1893). He came with his family to America from the Bodensee, the European lake that borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They settled in New York City, and his father, John Katzenmayer, was a bookkeeper for a brewery there, A. Schmid & Co. John Katzenmayer was a founding member of the United States Brewers Association in 1862, and was its first secretary, a position he held until his death in 1866. When Richard’s father passed away, he became the secretary of the USBA and continued in that role for over thirty years until his own death. Although not a brewer by trade, he was a fixture of the association in its early days and helped shape the future of the brewing industry in the late 19th century.

Richard-Katzenmayer

Considering his prominent role in the USBA, surprisingly there isn’t much information I could find about him, apart from this obituary from 100 Years of Brewing:

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katzenmayer-100yrs-2

usba-yearbook-1916

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The USBA Convention, held in Boston, in 1874. Katzenmayer is listed as being in the photo, but if you can find him you’ve got better eyes that I do.

Historic Beer Birthday: Danny Williams

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goldmine
Today would have been Danny Williams’ 65th birthday today, having been born exactly two days before yours truly in 1959. Unfortunately, Danny lost a battle with cancer a little over eight years ago, and passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 23, 2012. For over a decade, Danny worked for the Brewers Association as the beer competition manager for both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Danny left behind two grown children and a then-8-year old son, Fletcher. His friend Ben Spencer, who’s also a good friend of mine, lets me know from time to time how Danny’s kids are doing, which is great. Join me in raising a birthday beer and giving a toast to the memory of Danny Williams tonight. Danny would have wanted it that way.

Danny Williams and a friend
Danny Williams and a friend at the World Beer Cup dinner in Chicago several years ago.

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Tom Nickel (owner of O’Brien’s in San Diego), Nancy Johnson, Director of GABF and Danny at Slow Food Nation 2008 in San Francisco.

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Danny in the former goldmine beer cellar.

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Danny’s Angels, after a BA event.

Beer Birthday: Charlie Papazian

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Today is the 75th birthday of Charlie Papazian, one of the most influential persons in modern brewing. Charlie founded the AHA, the AOB and the IBS back in 1978 (which today is the Brewers Association) and organized the first Great American Beer Festival. His book, the Complete Joy of Homebrewing was one of the seminal works on the subject, and is now in its fourth edition. More recently, Charlie retired on his 70th birthday. Join me in wishing Charlie a very happy birthday.

Just before taking the stage during GABF 2007, from left, Glenn Payne (of Meantime Brewing), Charlie, Mark Dorber (formerly of the White Horse on Parson’s Green but now at the Anchor Pub), Garrett Oliver, and Steve Hindy (both from Brooklyn Brewing), Dave Alexander (from the Brickskeller), and Tom Dalldorf (from the Celebrator Beer News).

Some NBWA luminaries at the 2008 NBWA welcome reception. From left, Jamie Jurado (with Gambrinus), Lucy Saunders (the Beer Cook), Charlie Papazian (President of the Brewers Association), Kim Jordan (from New Belgium Brewing) and Tom Dalldorf (from the Celebrator Beer News).

Charlie with Pete Slosberg at the Craft Brewers Conference in San Francisco a few years ago.


Of the literally hundreds of GABF and World Beer Cup award-accepting photos I have with Charlie in them, this is one of my favorites.

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On stage at the Beer Wars Live premiere with Ben Stein and Greg Koch.

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The BA recently shared this great photo of Charlie from 1977.

Top 50 Breweries For 2022

By

The Brewers Association just announced the top 50 breweries and craft breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2022, which is listed below here. I should also mention that this represents “craft breweries” according to the BA’s membership definition, and not necessarily how most of us would define them, as there’s no universally agreed upon way to differentiate the two. For a number of years now, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 breweries, which includes all breweries. In the past I’ve posted the two lists separately, but have decided going forward to present them together since the two are getting increasingly intermingled. I confess I used to look more forward to this list every year as it represented greater and wider acceptance of craft in the marketplace, but it doesn’t seem to hold the same thrill for me anymore, perhaps I’m getting jaded. Here is this year’s craft brewery list:

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

RankCompanyCityState
1D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
2Boston Beer CoBoston, MiltonMA, DE
3Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
4Duvel Moortgat USAPaso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
5Gambrinus CompanyShiner, BerkeleyTX, CA
6Artisanal Brewing VenturesDowingtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
7Stone Brewing*EscondidoCA
8CANarchyLongmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
9Tilray Beer BrandsAtlanta, Montauk, San DiegoGA, NY, CA
10Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
11Deschutes BreweryBendOR
12New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
13Athletic Brewing CompanyMilfordCT
14Matt Brewing CoUticaNY
15Minhas Craft BreweryMonroeWI
16Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
17Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
18Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
19Stevens Point BreweryStevens PointWI
20Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
21Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
22Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
23Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
24Three Floyds BrewingMunsterIN
25Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
26Summit Brewing CoSaint PaulMN
27Narragansett Brewing CoProvidenceRI
28Craft OhanaKihei, San DiegoHI, CA
29August Schell Brewing CompanyNew UlmMN
30Kings & Convicts BrewingSan DiegoCA
31Pittsburgh Brewing CoPittsburghPA
32Alaskan Brewing CoJuneauAK
33Kona Brewing CoKailua-KonaHI
34Flying Dog BreweryFrederickMD
35Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
36Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
37Creature Comforts Brewing CoAthensGA
38BrewDog Brewing CompanyCanal WinchesterOH
39Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
40Lost Coast BreweryEurekaCA
41Rogue Ales BreweryNewportOR
42Surly Brewing CompanyMinneapolisMN
43Ninkasi Brewing CoEugeneOR
44Saint Arnold Brewing CoHoustonTX
45IndieBrewAtlanta, NashvilleGA, TN
46Shipyard Brewing CoPortlandME
47Jack’s Abby BrewingFraminghamMA
48North Coast Brewing CoFort BraggCA
49Pizza Port Brewing CompanyCarlsbadCA
50Made by the WaterNew Orleans, Apalachicola, Asheville, CharlestonLA, FL, NC, SC

The data was also accompanied by the following press release:

“The Brewers Association (BA)—the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers—today released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry. In 2022, small and independent brewers collectively produced 24.3 million barrels of beer, on par with 2021’s numbers, and craft’s overall beer market share by volume grew to 13.2%, up from 13.1% the previous year. 

The overall beer market* shrank 3% by volume in 2022. Retail dollar value was estimated at $28.46 billion, representing a 24.6% market share and 6% growth over 2021. Sales growth was stronger than volume due to pricing, share shift to smaller brewers—who are more likely to sell onsite and via distributed draught—as well as the continued channel shift back to on-premise, which has a higher average retail value. Craft brewers provided 189,413 direct jobs, a 9% increase from 2021, driven both by growth in the number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models. 

“2022 presented small brewers with a number of challenges, including rising operating and material costs and increasing competition, particularly in distribution,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “In this maturing and competitive market, collective growth for the category is hard to come by.” 

The number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2022, reaching an all-time high of 9,552, including 2,035 microbreweries, 3,418 brewpubs, 3,838 taproom breweries, and 261 regional craft breweries. The total U.S. operating brewery count was 9,709, up from 9,384 in 2021. Throughout the year, there were 549 new brewery openings and 319 closings. Openings decreased for a second consecutive year, with the continued decline reflecting a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2022 but continued to remain relatively low, at approximately 3%.  

“The relatively low closure rate reflects both the solid demand for fuller flavored local beer as well as the versatility and flexibility of small brewers,” added Watson.”

And here’s the second list, which is the Top 50 Brewing Companies Overall, which means all companies, not just the ones eligible for membership in the Brewers Association, which excludes from membership breweries that are too large or with large ownership structures, among other specific qualifications.

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies 

RankCompanyCityState
1Anheuser-Busch Inc (a)St. LouisMO
2MolsonCoors (b)ChicagoIL
3Constellation (c)ChicagoIL
4Heineken USA (d)White PlainsNY
5Pabst Brewing Co (e)Los AngelesCA
6Diageo (f)NorwalkCT
7D. G. Yuengling and Son IncPottsvillePA
8FIFCO USA (g)RochesterNY
9Boston Beer Co (h)Boston, MiltonMA, DE
10Kirin-Lion / New Belgium Brewing (i)Fort Collins, ComstockCO, MI
11Sierra Nevada Brewing CoChicoCA
12Duvel Moortgat USA (j)Paso Robles, Kansas City, CooperstownCA, MO, NY
13Founders Brewing / Mahou San Miguel (k)Grand Rapids, BoulderMI, CO
14Gambrinus (l)Berkeley, ShinerCA, TX
15Artisanal Brewing Ventures (m)Downingtown, Lakewood, BrooklynPA, NY, NY
16Stone Brewing (n)EscondidoCA
17CANarchy (o)Longmont, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Comstock, DallasCO, FL, UT, MI, TX
18Tilray Beer Brands (p)Atlanta, Montauk, San DiegoGA, NY, CA
19Sapporo USA (q)San FranciscoCA
20Brooklyn BreweryBrooklynNY
21Deschutes BreweryBendOR
22New Glarus Brewing CoNew GlarusWI
23Athletic Brewing CompanyStratfordCT
24Matt Brewing Co (r)UticaNY
25Minhas Craft Brewery (s)MonroeWI
26Harpoon BreweryBostonMA
27Gordon Biersch Brewing CoSan JoseCA
28Great Lakes Brewing CompanyClevelandOH
29Stevens Point Brewery (t)Stevens PointWI
30Allagash Brewing CompanyPortlandME
31Georgetown Brewing CoSeattleWA
32Odell Brewing CoFort CollinsCO
33Rhinegeist BreweryCincinnatiOH
34Three Floyds Brewing (u)MunsterIN
35Troegs Brewing CoHersheyPA
36Summit Brewing CoSaint PaulMN
37Narragansett Brewing CoPawtucketRI
38Craft Ohana (v)Kihei, San DiegoHI/CA
39August Schell Brewing Company (w)New UlmMN
40Kings & Convicts Brewing/Ballast PointSan DiegoCA
41Pittsburgh Brewing (x)PittsburghPA
42Alaskan Brewing CoJuneauAK
43Kona Brewing Co (y)Kailua-KonaHI
44Flying Dog BreweryFrederickMD
45Abita Brewing CoCovingtonLA
46Fiddlehead BrewingShelburneVT
47Creature ComfortsAthensGA
48BrewDog Brewing CoCanal WinchesterOH
49Revolution BrewingChicagoIL
50Lost Coast Brewing CoEurekaCA

But this second list requires quite a few footnotes, which tells you a lot, honestly.

Footnote notes from brand lists are illustrative and may not be exhaustive.

Volumes reflected are of beer brands only and do not include flavored malt beverages or hard seltzers. Ownership stakes reflect greater than 25% ownership. Consequently, Mark Anthony Brands, owner of White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade as well as other brand families, does not appear in these rankings.

(a) Anheuser-Busch, Inc includes 10 Barrel, Bass, Beck’s, Blue Point, Bud Light,
Budweiser, Breckenridge, Busch, Craft Brew Alliance, Devils Backbone, Elysian, Four
Peaks, Golden Road, Goose Island, Karbach, King Cobra, Landshark, Michelob, Natural,
Platform, Rolling Rock, Shock Top, Veza Sur, Wicked Weed, and Ziegenbock brands, as
well as other brand families and imported brands;
(b) MolsonCoors includes A.C. Golden, Atwater, Batch 19, Blue Moon, Colorado Native,
Coors, Hamms, Hop Valley, Icehouse, Keystone, Killian’s, Leinenkugel’s, Mickey’s,
Milwaukee’s Best, Miller, Olde English, Revolver, Steel Reserve, Tenth & Blake, and
Terrapin brands, as well as other brand families and imported brands;
(c) Constellation Brewing Co includes domestic brands Four Corners, Funky Buddha, and
Tocayo Brands; it also includes imported brands Corona, Modelo, Pacifico, and Victoria;
(d) Heineken Brewing Co includes domestic brand Lagunitas Brewing Co as well as
imported brands Dos Equis, Heineken, and Tecate;
(e) Pabst Brewing Co includes Ballantine, Lone Star, National Bohemian, Pabst, Pearl,
Primo, Rainier, Schlitz, Small Town, and Stroh’s brands, as well as other brand families;
(f) Diageo Brewing Co includes both domestically produced and imported Guinness brands;
(g) FIFCO USA includes Dundee, Genesee, Labatt Lime, Mactarnahan’s, Magic Hat, and
Pyramid brands as well as import volume;
(h) Boston Beer Co includes Alchemy & Science, Angel City, Concrete Beach, Coney Island
Dogfish Head, and Sam Adams brands. Does not include volume from Truly, Twisted
Tea or Angry Orchard brands;
(i) New Belgium Brewing Co includes Bell’s and Magnolia Brewing brands;
(j) Duvel Moortgat includes Firestone Walker and the Duvel Moortgat USA brands of
Boulevard and Ommegang;
(k) Mahou San Miguel includes Founders and Avery Brewing volume;
(l) Gambrinus includes Shiner and Trumer brands;
(m)Artisanal Brewing Ventures includes Sixpoint, Southern Tier, and Victory brands; Does
not include Bold Rock Hard Cider volume;
(n) Stone Brewing was acquired by Sapporo late in 2022. It will be included in the Sapporo
USA volume starting in 2023. See footnote (q);
(o) CANarchy was acquired by Monster Beverage Corporation in 2021. Volume includes
Cigar City, Deep Ellum, Oskar Blues Brewing Co, Perrin, and Utah Brewers Cooperative
brands;
(p) Tilray Beer Brands include Sweetwater, Montauk, Green Flash, and Alpine Beer brands;
(q) Sapporo USA includes Anchor Brewing and imported brands. Stone Brewing (n) will be
included in future years;
(r) Matt Brewing Co includes Flying Bison, Saranac, and Utica Club brands;
(s) Minhas Craft Brewery includes Huber, Mountain Crest, and Rhinelander brands as well
as export volume;
(t) Stevens Point Brewery includes James Page and Point brands;
(u) Three Floyds Brewing also includes volume for the WarPigs USA brand;
(v) Craft Ohana includes Maui Brewing and Modern Times brands;
(w)August Schell Brewing Co includes Grain Belt and Schell’s brands;
(x) Pittsburgh Brewing includes Iron City, IC Light, and other brand families;
(y) Volume is for the independently owned Kona Brewing Co in Hawaii. Does not include Kona volume owned by Anheuser-Busch (a) sold in the mainland USA.

GABF Winners 2020

By

Earlier today, the winners of the 39th Great American Beer Festival were announced (and the 34th with judging). Given the world in 2020, an impressive 8,806 entries in 91 categories (or 170 different beer styles if you include the subcategories) were tasted by 115 judges, of which I was again privileged to be one. Here are some more factoids on the results:

  • Category with the most entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 348 entries (This is the third year in a row that it’s been #1.
  • Top 5 Categories: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (377 entries); American-Style India Pale Ale (355 entries); German-Style Pilsener (200 entries); Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout (199 entries); and Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale (192 entries)
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 97
  • 1,720 breweries in the competition from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C.
  • 337 first-time breweries entered the competition
  • 19 first-time breweries won medals
  • Only one brewery won 4 medals, Sun King Brewery of Indianapolis, Indiana. Three won 3 medals apiece: Cannonball Creek Brewing of Golden, Colorado; Chuckanut Brewery of Bellingham, Washington; and Riip Beer Co., from Huntington Beach, California. In addition, 23 breweries won 2 medals.

Medals Won by State:

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

The 2020 Great American
Beer Festival Winners

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2020 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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