Today is the 59th birthday of Thomas Kerns, who is the owner and brewmaster of the Big Island Brewhaus in Kamuela, Hawaii. He’s originally from Oregon, and started brewing commercially for a McMenamins Pub brewery. When I met him he was the head brewer for Maui Brewery, and he was there for over ten years before striking out on his own, which opened in 2008. I first got to know Thomas a bunch of years ago when we roomed together for GABF judging. Join me wishing Thomas a very happy birthday.
Beer Birthday: Fred Karm
Today is the 61st birthday of Fred Karm, who is the owner and brewmaster of Hoppin’ Frog in Akron, Ohio. While he’s been brewing since 1994, Fred opened his own place in 2006 (and later a separate tasting room) and has been making some great beer there ever since. I first met Fred at the RateBeer Best Awards, when I emceed the first awards show in 2016. He’s one of the most energetic and passionate people I’ve met in the beer industry. Join me in wishing Fred a very happy birthday.
Fred and me at the RateBeer Best Festival in 2017.
After the RateBeer Best Awards show in 2016.
GABF Winners 2024
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:
- California = 71
- Colorado = 40
- Oregon = 38
- Washington = 26
- Virginia = 13
- TIE: Illinois / Texas = 9
- TIE: Georgia / North Carolina = 8
- TIE: Nevada / Ohio = 7
- TIE: New York / Tennessee = 6
- TIE: Connecticut / Pennsylvania / South Carolina / Utah / Wisconsin = 5
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Historic Beer Birthday: William Treadwell Van Nostrand
Today is the birthday of William Treadwell Van Nostrand (October 7, 1821-January 4, 1901). He bought the Bunker Hill Breweries, located in Charlestown, Massachusetts (which today is part of Boston), which had been founded in 1821. In 1878, Alonzo Gilford became a partner and took over the brewery from his father. It was originally known as the John Cooper & Thomas Gould Brewery, and Crystal Lake Brewery, but he renamed it the Wm. T. Van Nostrand & Co. Brewery in 1877, though they used the trade name Bunker Hill Breweries Brewery from 1890 on. It remained open until prohibition, but reopened briefly after repeal as the Van Nostrand Brewing Co., but lasted less than a year, closing in 1934.
Here’s an obituary of Van Nostrand from the American Brewers Review:
This is from a biography in the Biographical History of Massachusetts of his son, Alonzo Van Nostrand, but includes biographical information on the father, William Treadwell Van Nostrand.
And this is a history of the Bunker Hills Breweries from “100 Years of Brewing History:”
Historic Beer Birthday: Alois Alexander Assman
Today is the birthday of Alois Alexander Assman (October 3, 1856-August 4, 1900). He was born in Moravia, Austria-Hungary, in what today is the Czech Republic. At 18, he began working in breweries and attended the American Brewing Academy. When he died suddenly after being struck by a train, he was the brewmaster of the Crescent Brewing Co., of Washington, Pennsylvania, which had been founded in 1896, but closed due to Prohibition in 1920, and never reopened after repeal.
This is Assman’s obituary from the American Brewers’ Review:
Beer Birthday: Jonathan Goldsmith
Today is the birthday of Jonathan Goldsmith (September 26, 1938- ), who “is an American actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows from the 1960s to the 1990s.” And if that were all, he wouldn’t be here, but he’s probably best known now “for appearing in television commercials for Dos Equis beer, from 2006 to 2016, as the character ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World.'” I confess that I’ve never been a fan of the Dos Equis ad campaign and wrote a post against it back when it began because I hated the “stay thirsty, my friends” tagline. I probably got more angry comments over the years about my negative reaction than any other post I wrote. And while I’ve never come around on that aspect of the campaign, I do have to admit it’s been very successful. It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been in the minority opinion on something. I briefly met Goldsmith at a comedy event in Napa a few years ago, and he was certainly an interesting person. Despite my protestations, his character has certainly become iconic in the decade Dos Equis ran with it.
Goldsmith was born on September 26, 1938, in New York. His mother was a model and his father was a gym teacher. His parents were Jewish. Goldsmith graduated from Boston University in 1958, after which he pursued an acting career.
Jonathan has made over 350 television appearances in his career. Among them was the role of Marvin Palmer in the 1964 Perry Mason episode, “The Case of the Blonde Bonanza.” To advance his acting career, Goldsmith moved to California from New York in 1966.[6] Like many aspiring actors, he found it difficult to gain enough acting work to survive and wound up working various jobs, including driving a garbage truck and working in construction, to help make ends meet.
During his early years in film, Goldsmith performed as “Jonathan Lippe”, having taken the name of his stepfather at the age of six. He subsequently changed his professional name back to his birth name, later recalling, “It always made me feel bad for my father, who never caused me any grief about it…. As my career grew and my son was born, I changed my name back to my real name, Goldsmith, so my father could enjoy his son’s success and have a grandson to carry his name as well.”
Goldsmith first established himself as an actor in Western films, with 25 such appearances. In the 1976 film The Shootist, Goldsmith played a villain who was shot between the eyes by hero John Wayne, who fired blood capsules from a special pellet gun at point blank range into Goldsmith’s face for seven painful takes.
Goldsmith also made guest appearances on 45 television series, including Gunsmoke; Adam-12; Knight Rider; CHiPs; Eight Is Enough; The Rockford Files; Hawaii Five-O; Barnaby Jones; MacGyver; Murder, She Wrote; Charlie’s Angels; Petrocelli; Manimal; The Fall Guy; Dynasty; T.J. Hooker; Hardcastle and McCormick; Magnum, P.I.; Knots Landing; and The A-Team, as well as a few made-for-TV movies. His longest run in a television series was on Dallas, in which he appeared 17 times.
In the 1980s Goldsmith started network marketing businesses (waterless car wash products) Dri Wash & Guard, and also SPRINT which was successful enough to allow him to “retire” from the Hollywood scene; he purchased an estate in the Sierra. He taught theater at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York from 1999-2004. He moved onto a large sailboat moored in Marina del Rey. As of 2011 he and his wife Barbara (who was his agent when he obtained the Dos Equis role) are moving to a house in the area of Manchester, Vermont.
Starting in 2016 Goldsmith writes for True.Ink, a web site that “celebrates The Noble Pursuit, a mix of adventure, expertise, and kindness.”
Beginning in April 2007 and continuing through 2015, Goldsmith had been featured in a high-profile television ad campaign, promoting Dos Equis beer. The campaign, which transformed Goldsmith into “the most interesting man in the world”, has been credited for helping to fuel a 15.4 percent sales increase for the brand in the United States in 2009 and also made him into a very popular meme.
Goldsmith landed the Dos Equis gig by auditioning for the role. Auditioners were given the ending line “…and that’s how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro” and asked to improvise. Goldsmith began his audition by removing one sock and then improvised for 30 minutes before reaching the concluding line. The character was inspired by his deceased sailing partner and friend Fernando Lamas.
On March 9, 2016, Dos Equis announced that it would replace Goldsmith in the role as the “Most Interesting Man in the World”, saying that the brand hoped to “reboot (the character) in a way that’s relevant for today’s drinker so the brand doesn’t get stale.” In September 2016, French actor Augustin Legrand (who also speaks English and Spanish) became the new “Most Interesting Man in the World”.
In June, 2017, he returned to television advertising; he switched to tequila, and does ads for Astral Tequila.
And this is the Wikipedia entry for The Most Interesting Man in the World:
The Most Interesting Man in the World is an advertising campaign for the Dos Equis brand of beer. The ads feature “the world’s most interesting man,” a bearded, debonair gentleman, with voiceovers that are intended to be both humorous and outrageous. The advertisements first began appearing in the United States in 2006 and have since then become a popular Internet meme.
The advertisements first began appearing in the United States in 2006, with The Most Interesting Man in the World portrayed by American actor Jonathan Goldsmith, and Frontline narrator Will Lyman providing voiceovers. They were produced by the marketing firm Euro RSCG (now Havas Worldwide) for Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery.
Goldsmith landed the Dos Equis gig by auditioning for the role. Auditioners were given the ending line “…and that’s how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro” and asked to improvise. Goldsmith began his audition by removing one sock and then improvised for 30 minutes before reaching the concluding line. The character was inspired by his deceased sailing partner and friend Fernando Lamas.
In March 2016, Dos Equis announced Goldsmith’s retirement from the role, with a commercial sending him on a one-way journey to Mars amid much acclaim, and the narration: “His only regret is not knowing what regret feels like”. In September, they introduced French actor Augustin Legrand as Goldsmith’s replacement
The Goldsmith advertisements feature an older bearded, debonair gentleman. They also feature a montage (mostly in black and white) of daring exploits involving “the most interesting man” when he was younger, in which the character is played by actor Claudio Marangone.
The precise settings are never revealed, but he performs feats such as freeing an angry bear from a painful-looking bear trap, shooting a pool trick shot before an audience (by shooting the cue ball out of the mouth of a man lying on the pool table), catching a marlin while cavorting in a Hemingway-esque scene with a beautiful young woman, winning an arm-wrestling match in a South American setting, surfing a killer wave, and bench pressing two young women, each seated in a chair, in a casino setting. The voiceovers themselves are intended to be both humorous and outrageous, and include humorous undertones such as his giving his own father “the talk”, experiencing an awkward moment just to know how it felt, and finding the Fountain of Youth but not drinking from it, “because he wasn’t thirsty”. Other feats are more centered on his physical abilities and personality. These include his small talk changing foreign policies, parallel-parking a train, and slamming a revolving door.
At the end of the advertisement, the most interesting man, usually shown sitting in a night club or other social setting surrounded by several beautiful young women, says, “I don’t always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” Each commercial ends with him stating the signature sign-off: “Stay thirsty, my friends.”
There are secondary advertisements that are similar to the final part of the original advertisements. They feature the man sitting in a social setting, surrounded by beautiful young women, conveying a short opinion to the viewer on certain subjects, such as bar nuts, the two-party system, self-defense, trophy wives, and “bromance”. He then finishes the advertisement by holding a Dos Equis beer and saying, “Stay thirsty, my friends.”
The agency’s rationale for the brand strategy was defined as: “He is a man rich in stories and experiences, much the way the audience hopes to be in the future. Rather than an embodiment of the brand, The Most Interesting Man is a voluntary brand spokesperson: he and Dos Equis share a point of view on life that it should be lived interestingly.” According to the company, U.S. sales increased each year between 2006–2010 and tripled in Canada in 2008, although exact figures were not provided. Sales of Dos Equis are said to have increased by 22% at a time when sale of other imported beer fell 4% in the U.S.
Goldsmith said in an interview that he realized how successful the campaign had been when a man came up to him in a restaurant, telling Goldsmith that the man had asked his young son what he wanted to be when he grew up, and the son replied: “I want to be The Most Interesting Man In The World.”
Here’s a fun video from Business Insider about “How Jonathan Goldsmith Became ‘The Most Interesting Man In The World:'”
Beer Birthday: Evan Rail
Today is the 52nd birthday of Evan Rail, expat American writer living, and writing about beer, in Prague, Czech Republic. Evan was born and raised in Fresno, but discovered his love for beer while attending U.C. Davis as a French and German literature major. While there, he spent his time at the nearby Sudwerk Privatbrauerei brewpub, and counted among his friends several students in the Master Brewers program. That’s also where he began homebrewing in 1993. He also studied in New York and Paris, before making the Czech Republic his home in 2000. His move to Prague was meant to be for a single year, but he’s still there almost two decades later. Given that he met his wife there, and they’ve started a family, it’s likely he won’t be moving home any time soon. In addition to writing the Good Beer Guide to Prague and the Czech Republic, Rail’s also penned Why Beer Matters, In Praise of Hangovers and Triplebock, all Kindle singles. We finally had a chance to share a beer in person a few years ago when he was in San Francisco for an event sponsored by Pilsner Urquell. But since then we’ve been on trips in Denmark and Belgium together, as well. Join me in wishing Evan a very happy birthday.
A few years ago at event in san Francisco, where Evan was doing a presentation for Pilsner Urquell.
Also a couple of years ago in Copenhagen, along with, clockwise from left: Martyn Cornell, Jeff Alworth, Evan, me, Stephen Beaumont, Pete Brown, Stan Hieronymus and Ron Pattinson.
Talking with Stan Hieronymus during a tour of the Carlsberg Laboratory.
A Facebook cover photo of Evan (which is where I purloined it from, along with the next one, too).
A screenshot from a video of Evan talking about Czech beer.
Beer Birthday: Tara Nurin
Today is the 51st birthday of beer writer Tara Nurin. She’s originally from Annapolis, but now calls Camden, New Jersey her home, where she writes for Forbes, USA Today, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, VinePair, and many others. Her most recent book is about the history of women in beer, entitled “A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and CEOs.” She also founded Beer for Babes (f.k.a. Barley’s Angels New Jersey). I don’t remember when I first met Tara, possibly at a North American Guild of Beer Writer events, but she’s been a great addition to the beer writer’s cadre, and a couple of years I worked with Tara on her media panel for the Craft Brewers Conference. Join me in wishing Tara a very happy birthday.
NOTE: All photos purloined from Facebook.
Historic Beer Birthday: Adolphus Busch
Today is the birthday of Adolphus Busch (July 10, 1839-October 10, 1913). He was born in Kastel, Germany, and co-founded Anheuser-Busch, along with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. The twenty-first of twenty-two children, his family was in the wholesale business, specializing in winery and brewery supplies. Like all of his his brothers he was sent to college, and graduated from the Collegiate Institute of Belgium in Brussels.
He moved to St. Louis in 1857, when he was eighteen, and eventually got a sales job with Charles Ehlermann Hops and Malt Co. After a distinguished stint as a soldier during the Civil War, he returned to his brewery supply job and married Lily Anheuser, the daughter of Eberhard Anheuser. Together, they had thirteen children, including Adolphus Busch II and August A. Busch. After marrying Lily, he joined the family business, then known as E. Anheuser Co.’s Brewing Association, and eventually became a partner. When Lily’s father passed away in 1879, Adolphus took control of the business and changed the name to Anheuser-Busch.
In St. Louis, Adolphus Busch was busy transforming his father-in-law’s (Eberhard Anheuser’s) once-failing brewery into a grand empire. Adolphus, perhaps more than any other brewer, became known for his flamboyant, almost audacious persona. Tirelessly promoting his Budweiser Beer, he toured the country in a luxurious railroad car immodestly named “The Adolphus.” In place of the standard calling card, the young entrepreneur presented friends and business associates with his trademark gold-plated pocket knife featuring a peephole in which could be viewed a likeness of Adolphus himself. His workers bowed in deference as he passed. “See, just like der king!” he liked to say.
Adolphus as a young man, in 1869.
Here’s a biography of Adolphus Busch from the Immigrant Entrepreneur Hall of Fame:
“A truly American tale. Freedom. Opportunity. Progress. Words that seized the imagination of people all over the world and brought them to the Land of Liberty. It’s a uniquely American story, told in chapter after chapter of hardship, hard work and hard-won success. The Budweiser story is no exception.”
Photo of Adolphus BuschSo begins the tale of Adolphus Busch, the founder of Anheuser-Busch and creator of Budweiser beer, as stated on the Budweiser website. He was an immigrant who not only created personal wealth and success but also made a landmark contribution to American society.
Born the second youngest of 22 children in Germany, Busch was educated in Brussels and immigrated to the United States in 1857. Settling in St. Louis, he married Lilly Anheuser and had 13 children of his own.
After completing his enlistment in the Union Army during the Civil War, Adolphus joined his father-in-law in the operation of E. Anheuser & Co. Brewery. The company was later restructured with Anheuser as president and Busch as secretary. As full partner, Busch took on greater responsibility for the operation of the brewery. To recognize his efforts, in 1879 the company name was changed to the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association.
Busch was a man of many firsts. Apart from founding America’s first national beer brand, Budweiser, in 1876, he is credited with revolutionizing the shipment of beer (in refrigerated railway cars), being one of the first to bottle beer and implementing a method to pasteurize beer to keep it fresh.
Today, Anheuser-Busch captures the largest market share in the U.S. with 47.6 percent share of U.S. beer sales to retailers. It brews the world’s top-selling beer brands, Budweiser and Bud Light, at 12 breweries across the United States.
After he died while on vacation in Germany, his body was brought back to St. Louis to be buried. It was a fitting resting place for the man who created one of America’s most iconic brands.
Busch married Elise “Lilly” Eberhard Anheuser, the third daughter of Eberhard Anheuser, on March 7, 1861 in St. Louis, Missouri. They had thirteen children; eight sons, including Adolphus Busch II, August Anheuser Busch I and Carl Busch, and five daughters. The Busches often traveled to Germany where they bought a castle. They named it the Villa Lilly for Mrs Busch. It was located in Lindschied near Langenschwalbach, in present-day Bad Schwalbach.
And here’s his biography from the German-American Hall of Fame:
Busch, Adolphus
1839-1913
Inducted: 2007
Area of Achievement: Business & IndustryAmerican businessman and philanthropist, b. Mainz, Germany. To U.S. (1857); joined St. Louis brewery of Eberhard Anheuser (1861); president of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association (1879-1913); introduced Budweiser brand; pioneered in pasteurization of beer.
Adolphus Busch was born July 10, 1839 in Kastel (near Mainz, Hesse), Germany. He was second-to-youngest of twenty-two children of Ulrich Busch and Barbara Pfeiffer Busch.
In 1857, Adolphus Bush emigrated to the United States with no plans, no destination, and nothing but his own ambition and abilities. Three of his brothers had already headed for St. Louis, Missouri. His brother John had opened his own brewery in nearby Washington, Missouri.
Young Adolphus joined Ernst Wattenberg to sell equipment and supplies to breweries. This venture led him to forge several strategic partnerships. Most important, he met his future bride, Lily Anheuser. At the same time, his brother Ulrich became enamored with her older sister, Anna.
Their father, Eberhard Anheuser, a skilled St. Louis soap and candle-maker, had recently purchased the failing Bavarian Brewery in St. Louis. He reopened the brewery as E. Anheuser & Co.
On March 7, 1861, the Anheuser-Busch interests were formally joined, both professionally and matrimonially. Eberhard Anheuser escorted both daughters down the aisle in double nuptials to the two Busch brothers. At the time, Busch was working for Anheuser as a salesman. (The future malt mogul and his brother married his boss’ daughters.)
Eventually, Busch and Anheuser became partners and equals. It was the perfect match. Busch was the consummate marketer, and Anheuser was a skilled manufacturer. Working for his father-in-law, Busch developed pasteurization of beer and began marketing the Budweiser brand, which was named after Bmische Budweis, a town in his homeland of Germany. In 1876, Busch enlisted the help of his friend Carl Conrad (a liquor bottler) to develop this Bohemian-style pilsner beer.A fierce rivalry developed between Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser beer and an old Czech brand from Budejovice. Since the 16th Century, the Czechs had called their product “The Beer of Kings,” so Busch began marketing his as “The King of Beers.”
By 1879, Busch was president of the Anheuuser-Busch Brewing Association. He held this position for more than 30 years.
His extravagant spending and elaborate lifestyle have become American folklore. Busch owned an expansive St. Louis manor, plus two palatial homes near Pasadena, California. He also had a country estate and a hops farm near Cooperstown, New York (not far from the Baseball Hall of Fame), two country villas in Germany, and his own private railroad car. His landscaping was famous for its fairy tale figurines, as Busch was a fan of the famed Grimm Brothers.
In 1911, when Adolphus and Lily marked their 50th wedding anniversary, he presented his queenly with a diamond tiara. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the emperor of Germany, and other world leaders sent lavish gifts as well.
He died October 10, 1913 near Langenschwalbach, Germany. His son August took the reins of the company until his death in 1934. The company has been headed by a family succession ever since.
Incidentally, the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses did not join the clan until after his death. In 1933, at the end of Prohibition, a team of Clydesdales were hitched up to pull the first load of legal beer from the St. Louis brewery. Company President August Busch (Adolphus’ son) was so taken by the sight that the horses became a favorite company trademark.
Adolphus later in life, around 1905.
And there’s a few more thorough accounts of his life at Encyclopedia.com, the State Historical Society of Missouri’s Historic Missourians, and and a four part story “originally published in The American Mercury, October, 1929,” entitled The King of Beer by Gerald Holland.
Beer Birthday: Big Mike Moore
Today is the 65th birthday of “Big” Mike Moore. Originally a pharmacist, Mike gave it all up for beer … thank goodness. Mike has been leading beer tours in Europe and a few years ago took over running the judging for, first the California State Fair Commercial Competition, and more recently, the CCBC, the California Craft Brewers Cup, which was sponsored by the CCBA. I’ve gotten to know Big Mike much better over the last few years, judging together on Celebrator Beer News panels, at competitions at The Bistro and other beery events. He’s even stayed with us a few times in our guesthouse, where we’ve introduced him to the pleasures of gin. Join me in wishing Big Mike a very happy birthday.