Virginia Craft Beer Cup 2016 Winners Announced

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Virginia Craft Beer Cup 2016 Winners Announced

Virginia Craft Beer Cup Winners Announced at WestRock Tuesday August 16th

Richmond, Va. - The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild hosted the 2016 Virginia Craft Beer Cup Awards Tuesday August 16th at WestRock in Richmond, Virginia. There were more than 280 brewers in attendance to celebrate excellence in craft beer.

The Virginia Craft Beer Cup competition, managed by master Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge Tom Cannon, had 378 beers entered for review. The judging took place Saturday, July 30th at Fair Winds Brewing Company in Lorton, Virginia.

"The Virginia Craft Beer Cup recognizes outstanding beer made by some of Virginia's best independent craft brewers," said Brett Vassey, President & CEO, Virginia Craft Brewers Guild. "Congratulations to every competitor and this year's award winners."

  

The 2016 Virginia Craft Beer Cup winners are as follows:

Best of Show

First Place Best of Show	James River Brewery	River Runner ESB
Second Place Best of Show	Old Bust Head Brewing Company	Oktoberfest
Third Place Best of Show	Backroom Brewery	Lemon Basil Wheat Beer

Light American Beer
First	Beer Hound Brewery	Olde Yella
Second	Wolf Hills Brewing Company	Carry on Wheatward Sun
Third	Beer Hound Brewery	Teddy

Czech Lager
First	Port City Brewing Company	Downright Pilsner
Second	Lost Rhino Brewing Company	Rhino Chasers Pilsner
Third	Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery	Pony Pasture Pilsner

Munich Lager
First	Fair Winds Brewing Company	Hells Navigator
Second	Three Notch'd Brewing Company	Brew Betties Maibock
Third	South Street Brewery	My Personal Helles

Kolsch
First	Mad Fox Brewing Company	Kolsch Ale
Second	Ornery Beer Company	Kolsch
Third	Bull and Bones Brewhaus	Kolsch

German Pils and International Lager
First	Sunken City Brewing Company	Dam Lager
Second	Back Bay Brewing Company	Gringo
Third	Escutcheon Brewing Company	John Riggins' 4th & 1 Pilsner

Marzen and Vienna Lager
First	Old Bust Head Brewing Company	Oktoberfest
Second	Starr Hill Brewery	Jomo
Third	Caboose Brewing Company	Crossroads Vienna Lager

German Wheat Beer
First	Lost Rhino Brewing Company	Final Glide HefeWeizen
Second	Starr Hill Brewery	The Love
Third	River Company Brewery	Farmhouse Hefeweizen

British Bitter
First	James River Brewery	River Runner ESB
Second	Lake Anne Brew House	Lord Fairfax English Pale Ale
Third	Port City Brewing Company	Monumental IPA

Old Ale and Wee Heavy
First	Backroom Brewery	The Ferminator
Second	Heritage Brewing Company	King's Mountain
Third	Redbeard Brewing Company	221B Baker Brown

Darker European Beer
First	Ardent Craft Ales	Schwarzbier
Second	Big Ugly Brewing Company	Ghost Rider Porter
Third	Bull and Bones Brewhaus	Appalachia Alt

British Dark Ale
First	Pleasure House Brewing	No Waves
Second	Midnight Brewery	Not My Job
Third	Three Notch'd Brewing Company	No Veto Brown Ale

Irish Red Ale
First	Dirt Farm Brewing	Red Merl
Second	Pale Fire Brewing Company	Red Molly
Third	Capitol City Brewing Company	Irish Red Ale

Irish Stout
First	Backroom Brewery	Oatmeal Stout
Second	Final Gravity Brewing Company	Irish Goodbye
Third	Old 690 Brewing Company	Old 690 Chocolate Milk Stout

American Blonde and Brown Ale
First	Caboose Brewing Company	Caboose Brown Ale
Second	Castleburg Brewery and Taproom	Bishop's Brown Ale
Third	Legend Brewing Company	Brown Ale

American Pale Ale
First	Pro Re Nata Brewing Company	Old Trail Pale Ale
Second	Three Notch'd Brewing Company	Ghost of the 43rd Pale Ale
Third	Beltway Brewing Company	Rain or Shine

American Amber Ale
First	Final Gravity Brewing Company	Fire Station 5
Second	O'Connor Brewing Company	Red Nun Red Ale
Third	Lake Anne Brew House	Reston Red

American Dark Ale
First	Old Ox Brewery	Black Ox
Second	Sunken City Brewing Company	The Columbian Coffee Stout
Third	Port City Brewing Company	Porter

American IPA
First	The Answer	Larceny
Second	Fair Winds Brewing Company	Howling Gale IPA
Third	Old Ox Brewery	Hoppy Place

Specialty IPA
First	Sunken City Brewing Company	Red Clay IPA
Second	Lost Rhino Brewing Company	Dawn Patrol Session IPA
Third	Parkway Brewing Company	Factory Girl Session IPA

Double IPA
First	Final Gravity Brewing Company	Venus Rising
Second	Pale Fire Brewing Company	Village Green
Third	Final Gravity Brewing Company	The Message

Strong Ale
First	Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery	Virginia Black Bear
Second	Triple Crosssing Brewing Company	Black Dolphin
Third	Studio Brew	Czardust

Belgian Blond and Saison
First	The Bold Mariner Brewing Company	Scurvy Dog
Second	The Virginia Beer Company	Saison Tournante
Third	Hardywood Park Craft Brewery	Singel

Sour European Ale
First	Strangeways Brewing	Uberlin Berliner Weisse
Second	Ornery Beer Company	Go Go Gose
Third	Corcoran Brewing	Life Gose Round

Belgian Wit, Pale Ale, and Biere de Garde
First	Starr Hill Brewing Company	Sublime
Second	Bull and Bones Brewhaus	Sun Lit Wit
Third	Reaver Beach Brewing Company	Full Broadside

Strong Belgian Ale
First	Apocalypse Ale Works	Brohead Fred
Second	Garden Grove Brewing Company	Death
Third	Chaos Mountain Brewing	Agents of Chaos

Wild Yeast Specialty Beer
First	Triple Crossing Brewing Company	Brett Saison Annivesary Ale
Second	Reaver Beach Brewing Company	Reaver's Salvation
Third	Reaver Beach Brewing Company	Reaver en Noir

Fruit Beer
First	The Answer	Mami Cereza
Second	Midnight Brewer	Watermelon Lime Kolsch
Third	Big Ugly Brewing Company	Mango Rockers IPA

Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
First	Backroom Brewery	Lemon Basil Wheat Beer
Second	Beer Hound Brewery	Snots
Third	Steam Bell Beer Works	Tiramisu Stout

Specialty and Experimental Beers
First	Parkway Brewing Company	Floyd Fest Hi-Test
Second	South Street Brewery	Peanut Butter Cup Soft-Serv
Third	Fair Winds Brewing Company	Sirens Lure

Smoked or Wood-Aged Beer
First	Legend Brewing Company	Bourbon Barrel Brown
Second	Adventure Brewing Company	2nd Anniversary Barleywine
Third	Ardent Craft Ales	Boubon Barrel Aged Honey Ginger

The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild is a coalition of independent, small and commercial breweries dedicated to growing the craft beer industry in the Commonwealth. 

(left to right) James River Brewery's Blake Sherman (brewer), Shannon Brown (owner), and Carlean Stevens hoist the Craft Brewers Cup.
Photo courtesy Lee Graves.

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Reviewing beer? Avoid "high and mighty snobbery."

Today, a second in an infrequent (ex post facto?) series on reviewing beer.

The first installment was from historian Maureen Ogle: a humorous essay on enlivening a review by bringing in personal experience. Today, it's advice from the BJCP newsletter, on how to avoid "high and mighty snobbery."

The BJCP —Beer Judge Certification Program— trains and certifies judges for homebrew and professional beer competitions. It's a non-profit organization, founded in 1985, "to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer, and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills."

At every competition we judge, we are told to ensure that entrants are receiving quality feedback and scoresheets. [...] While it is the duty of each judge to write a proper scoresheet, remember that it is an even worse error to only write a few comments, which is seen from time to time. [...] As the day gets long and judges become complacent, it can begin to creep into sections of a beer’s evaluation by judges of all levels.

One of the easiest way to combat this, and give interested stewards a chance to enhance their judging skills, is a simple discussion. Naturally, this happens at varying levels after every beer, but if you see scoresheets beginning to suffer, take it a step further. All initial notes have been made at this point, but taste the beer again and together highlight the basic aspects of the beer that are listed in each section of the scoresheet. Alternate and discuss.

For instance, in the Aroma section, begin simply by discussing the malt character. What you notice, the intensity, the specific characteristics. Take that next into how it plays with the hop character of the beer. Move to the yeast, and anything else that stands out. Both positive and negative. Just remember to stress how it comes to play versus the style guidelines. If you haven’t taken the time to review the guidelines together, pull them out now and take the opportunity to do it. While this may cause the evaluation of a couple beers to take a bit longer, you will have a refreshed understanding of what the beer should be and what is expected on the scoresheet. This should also help the later beers in the flight move faster, as now there is a greater understanding of the beers being presented to you.

While this may sound like a cliche, and may not be completely possible in every situation, invoking memories about the beer and translating those memories helps to build a better scoresheet. Even if the only memory you can recall is that of another beer or brewery, write that down. While it may be a tricky area saying something such as, “This beer is reminiscent of an -insert brewery name- product”, it shows at a minimum the beer is of commercial grade.

Specific memories typically mean nothing to another person. For instance, how many people out there have tasted your grandma’s homemade rhubarb pie? But in general terms, everyone should at least have an idea of basic concepts even if they have never experienced salt water taffy, charleston chews, or chocolate covered cherries. Getting judges and stewards to reach and expand their thought process while drinking a beer leads to better understanding.

When it comes to the Overall Impression section of the scoresheet, it is easy to discuss major faults and give troubleshooting advice for those. But what about the very good beers that just have minor stylistic issues? The ones that score well but are just missing that unexplainable wow factor. [...]

This can be a difficult section, and sometimes judges struggle with what to include here. Begin by giving your basic thoughts on the beer in regard to the entered style. Also, if the beer is a good example of a style, but not the style entered, be sure to not only say it is miscategorized but where it should go. There are times when entrants received this feedback but they were not told why the beer was out of style or where it should go instead. After that you can move into talking about how the beer missed the mark in sections where it was either not previously discussed or where the “major” issue lies.

Ask the judge you are working with to contrast the characteristics of the beer with the guidelines. While working on those areas, also consider the balance of the beer. The bitterness of a beer can be right for the style but paired with the body or yeast character, there may be a struggle for power. Comments in this vein will give more experienced homebrewers ideas to think about rather than what some see as “high and mighty snobbery” and will give the less experienced homebrewers an idea of what the score they received actually means in regards to their beer.

While consistently creating high quality scoresheets takes time, taking it one section at a time and filling it out as carefully and accurately as you can is of huge value to the brewer. A poorly completed scoresheet has no value to anyone and detracts from the judging process. [...]

—Advice for quality scoresheets
BJCP newsletter
Allen Huerta
25 January 2016.

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The Great American Beers of 2014: across the U.S. (and in the DMV).

Judges have judged. Medals have been awarded. Champions declared. Thousands of beers drunk. The 2014 Great American Beer Festival —held at the Colorado Convention Center, in Denver, Colorado, Thursday through Saturday, 2-4 October, with 49,000 good beer fans in attendance— is now history.

The Great American Beer Festival is the premier U.S. beer festival and competition. Each year, GABF represents the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served, in the format of a public tasting event plus a private competition. GABF was founded in 1982, and has been growing and evolving along with the American craft brewing industry ever since.

[...] The 2014 Great American Beer Festival competition awarded 268 medals (in 90 categories), plus three GABF Pro-Am medals, [from 1,309 breweries, in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.] In its 28th year, the 2014 competition surpassed all previous participation records... with 222 beer experts from 10 countries evaluating 5,507 commercial entries, plus 89 Pro-Am entries, with assistance from some 150 competition volunteers.

• Gold
  A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.
• Silver
  An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma and appearance.
• Bronze
  A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma or appearance.

If judges believe that no beer in the category meets the quality and style-accuracy criteria, they may elect not to award a medal. Judges may award a beer with a silver or bronze medal and yet not award a gold medal.

If all the substyles recognized at this year's GABF were added to the number of all the style categories, the total count of beer styles for the competition would reach 180. As evidence of this conspicuous inflation, the 2014 GABF competition featured three new categories: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer, with 41 entries; Historical Beer, with 12 entries; and Kuyt Beer, which had no entries. Saké, for example, was considered a sub-style of Experimental Beer (Category #16). Please don't tell the Japanese that saké is only "experimental." And, the International Style Pale Ale (Category #51a)? What exactly does 'international' taste like? And, what could the difference possibly be between an American India Pale Ale (Category #55) and an American Strong Pale Ale (Category #53)?

The business and soul of 'craft' beer might be better served if the GABF, rather than birthing or disinterring styles, were to award scores in addition to medals (as wine and spirits do, for better or worse). Thus, even if a brewery might not secure one of three medals in a style-category, it might still receive a high score, and use that number to promote its image, and thus all of 'craft' beer.

According to The Full Pint —which 'live' tweeted the results as they were announced on Saturday— the top five most-entered categories were:

• American India Pale Ale (279 entries)
• Herb and Spice Beer (150 entries)
• American-Style Pale Ale (145 entries)
• American-Style Amber/Red Ale (140 entries)
• Imperial India Pale Ale (135 entries)

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The Overall Champions

So ... the winners of the 2014 Great American Beer Festival —those with the bragging rights of best-beer-in-America (until next year)— are these. I'm not certain of the exact algorithm used to determine the results, but it must (I assume) involve medal count and strength of finish.

• Small Brewpub of the Year
  Bastone Brewery: Royal Oak, Michigan.
  brewer: Rockne Van Meter
  [He's hands-down the choice of Yours For Good Fermentables as the winning brewer with the hippest name.]
• Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year
  Brasserie Saint James: Reno, Nevada.
  brewers: Josh Watterson & Matt Watterson
• Large Brewpub of the Year
  Beachwood BBQ & Brewing: Long Beach, California.
  brewers: Julian Shrago & Ian McCall


• Very Small Brewing Company of the Year
  Draught Works: Missoula, Montana.
  brewer: Draught Works Brew Team
• Small Brewing Company of the Year
  Marble Brewery: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
  brewer: Team Marble
• Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year
  Devils Backbone Brewing Co.—Outpost: Lexington, Virginia.
  brewer: DB Brewery Team
• Large Brewing Company of the Year
  AC Golden brewing Company: Golden, Colorado.
  brewer: AC Golden Brewing Team
  [AC Golden is a subsidiary of MillerCoors, itself a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company. It operates in the former pilot plant of Coors Brewing.]

Now, the state-medal math, thanks to Jeff Alworth of Beervana:

These are numbers somewhat in a vacuum, as the GABF does not reveal the number of breweries submitting from each state. But, still, the results are those expected at the top, and interesting beneath. It's worth reading Alworth's analysis.

You can see the list of all the winners in each category this year —and every year, dating back to 1983, when the GABF was first held— at the festival website: www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com.

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The DMV

Now, on to the winners in the DMV —that is, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia— the home territory for Yours For Good Fermentables.

Last year, in 2013, no beers from the District medalled at the GABF (although they have before). So, this year, hearty congratulations go to DC Brau for its silver medal, for The Citizen, in the Belgian-and French-style Ale division (Category #73).

At last year's GABF, Maryland grabbed only one medal, a bronze for Flying Dog, in Frederick. This year, the 'Free State' garnered five medals, including one gold by the Gordon-Biersch Brewpub, in Annapolis, for its Rauchbier.

In 2013, Virginia took home fourteen medals, four of them gold (two of those from Devils Backbone, in both the Lexington and Roseland locations, and one each from Port City, in Alexandria, and Lost Rhino, in Ashburn), the 5th most medals accrued by any state.

But, in 2014, Virginia won only seven medals, slipping to 9th/10th (as shown in the graph above). That's still a respectable showing, and includes two gold medals: one to Devils Backbone, for its Schwarzbier, and one to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, for its Raspberry Stout," the first medal of any sort that a Richmond brewery has brought home from the GABF" (according to Richmond beer columnist Lee Graves).

In terms of degree-of-difficulty, brewer Kristi Mathews Griner of Capitol City Brewing Company, in Arlington, Virginia, should get a special commendation. Her Amber Waves took a silver in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale division, competing against one-hundred-thirty-nine other beers, the most of any category won in the DMV, and the fourth toughest competition, nationally. [Read her response, below, in the comments.]

But top honors must go to Devils Backbone, in Virginia, which not only won four medals —the only local multiple-winner— but repeated as a national champion for the third time in as many years.

At the 2012 GABF, the Devils Backbone 'Basecamp,' in Roseland, won Small Brewpub of the Year; in 2013, again, but as Small Brewery of the Year. This year, the brewery's production-only facility —which the company calls the 'Outpost'— won Mid-Size Brewery of the Year. In addition, in 2010, Devils Backbone won, globally, as the World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewpub. In a few short years, Devils Backbone has become the elite brewery of the area, and in the top tier, nationwide.

So, here they are: thirteen awards altogether in the DMV, for ten different breweries, including three gold medals. Congratulations to all!

• Washington, D.C.
  1 medal
  • DC Brau Brewing Co.: Washington, D.C.
    Silver
    The Citizen —Category #73: Belgian- and French-Style Ale (27 entries)
    brewer: Jeff Hancock



• Maryland
  5 medals; 1 gold
  • Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant: Annapolis, Maryland.
    Gold
    Rauchbier —Category #29: Smoke Beer (55 entries)
    brewer: James Sobczak
  
  
  • Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant: Rockville, Maryland.
    Silver
    Belgian IPA —Category #21: American-Belgo-Style Ale (69 entries)
    brewer: Christian Layke
  
  
  • Union Craft Brewing: Baltimore, Maryland.
    Silver
    Old Pro Gose —Category #66: German-Style Sour Ale (80 entries)
    brewer: Kevin Blodger
    [I reviewed this beer in May. Read that: here.]
  
  
  • DuClaw Brewing Co.: Hanover, Maryland.
    Bronze
    Sweet Baby Jesus! —Category #9: Chocolate Beer (44 entries)
    brewer: Jim Wagner
  
  
  • Heavy Seas Beer: Baltimore, Maryland.
    Bronze
    Gold —Category #46: Golden or Blonde Ale (90 entries)
    brewer: Chris Leonard



• Virginia
  7 medals; 2 gold
  • Devils Backbone Brewing Co. -Outpost: Lexington, Virginia.
    Gold
    Schwartz Bier —Category #42: Schwarzbier (37 entries)
    brewer: Jason Oliver
  
  
  • Hardywood Park Craft Brewery: Richmond, Virginia.
    Gold
    Raspberry Stout —Category #3: American-Style Fruit Beer (56 entries)
    brewer: Patrick Murtaugh
  
  
  • Capitol City Brewing Co.: Arlington, Virginia.
    Silver
    Amber Waves Ale —Category #56: American-Style Amber/Red Ale (140 entries)
    brewer: Kristi Mathews Griner
  
  
  • Devils Backbone Brewing Co. -Outpost: Lexington, Virginia.
    Silver
    
    • Old Virginia Dark —Category #41: American-Style Dark Lager (19 entries)
      
    • Turbo Cougar —Category #43: Bock (27 entries)
    brewer: Jason Oliver
  
  
  • Devils Backbone Brewing Co. -Basecamp: Roseland, Virginia.
    Bronze
    Alt Bier —Category #7: German-Style Altbier (33 entries)
    brewer: Jason Oliver
  
  
  • Three Notch'd Brewing Co.: Charlottesville, Virginia.
    Bronze
    "Hydraulion" Red —Category #62: Irish-Style Red Ale (60 entries)
    brewer: Dave Warwick

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Sublime, not simple: Pilsners and the Washington Post 2013 Beer Madness

Since 2007, the Washington Post has run a beer contest paralleling the March Madness tournament of collegiate basketball. Post columnist Greg Kitsock selects a panel of 'laypersons' and 'experts' which winnows a field a beers —placed in divisions, similar to the brackets of the NCAA tournament— to one, champion beer.

For this year's Washington Post Beer Madness, he and Greg Engert —beer director for the Churchkey/Neighborhood Restaurant Group— selected a tournament line-up of 32 local beers —beers from breweries in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware— and separated those into four brackets of Crisp, Fruit & Spice, Hop, and Roast.

Over successive weeks, the eight judges rated the beers based on their personal preferences, rather than adherence to any stylistic guidelines. Which is how the vast majority of consumers chooses its beers. Which is why I enjoy the contest, but why it might rankle a beer-style geek. Accept the results as subjective fun.

Last week the panelists had winnowed the field to two: the redundantly named Double Dog Double Pale Ale from Flying Dog, of Frederick, Maryland, and the succinctly named Pilsner from Legend Brewing, of Richmond, Virginia. And then, Kitsock wrote this:

Pilseners tend to be simple, straightforward beers.

No, no, no, and no!

At best, Kitsock's statement is dismissive praise, like saying that Mozart's String Quartet No. 19 —the Dissonance Quartet— is 'simple' music because the notes have been written down. At worst, his comment finds common cause with the major brewing companies in doing harm to their distant legacies of Czech and German lagers —and SAB/Miller Brewing, in particular, with its apostasy "true Pilsner" campaign: if we repeat something enough, it will be believed to be true.

I'm going to avoid quoting formalistic delineations of OG/ABV/IBU and other alphabetic parameters. But I know a pilsner when I taste one: firm, slightly sweet, deep golden-hued malt; spicy, floral hops; crisp character, with a whiff of yeasty sulfur; gentle enough alcohol at about 5% to allow another sip, yet strong enough to make a statement; a long, dry, dare I say, bitter finish. And, above all, a clear, joyful declaration of the four ingredients of beer —malt, hops, yeast, and water— unencumbered by ale's zig-zag riot of dank hop, fruited yeast, and nowadays, back-of-the-cupboard oddities. No disrespect is meant to the world of ales. But if one fancies him or herself a beer lover, and 'simply' dismisses lagers out-of-hand, she or he leaves undiscovered an entire hemisphere of delicious choices.


Double Dog bested Legend Pilsner today, winning the 2013 Washington Post Beer Madness. A fine beer it is: a fine, strong, hoppy ale. Congratulations are due to Flying Dog Brewing. I have a bottle in the fridge. But, when the time is right ...

Pour yourself a Legend Pilsner, 'crank up' Mozart's 'Dissonance' Quartet, and take the time to taste and listen. That's not simple; that's sublime.

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Two of the Post's judges advanced Legend Pilsner into the final round because of complexities they described as Belgian beer-like and banana. In a formal competition, those flavors would have been deemed faults and the beer eliminated. In writing this posting, I tasted the beer. I didn't find those flaws.

With many iterations available, here are but two other U.S. pilsner-style lagers to try: Gordon-Biersch (nationwide brewpub chain), Victory Brewing Prima Pils (Pennsylvania). For more in-depth stylistic exploration of pilsners and other lagers, read the blog Fuggled.

I cannot claim authorship of the lager/string quartet analogy. That belongs to Washington, D.C. beer raconteur Bob Tupper, who compares an ale to a jazz quartet. Each member goes his own way, but all finish together. A lager, in contrast, is like a string quartet. It is a seamless composition.

Flying Dog's brewmaster Matt Brophy (and, again, congratulations) had this to say about the name of his beer: when Double Dog Double Pale Ale premiered in 2004, to celebrate the brewery’s 10th anniversary, there was no accepted stylistic designation for a strong ale with such a massive hop content. That has changed, and Brophy assures us that the beer will be relabeled a “double IPA.”

The fact that Kitsock and Engert were able to select thirty-two local beers —easily, with many excluded— is, in itself, a remarkable facet of the competition. Even five years ago, there weren't enough breweries here to do that.

Hail the DC, Maryland, and Virginia 2012 GABF victors. And, one in particular.

The awards for the 2012 Great American Beer Festival have been announced.

This was the 31st iteration of the GABF, organized annually in Denver, Colorado, by the Brewers Association —a trade association for American breweries producing fewer than six million barrels of beer a year. All American breweries, regardless of size, are invited to participate, and, in fact, there are light beer-ish categories which are natural fits for Budweiser, Pabst, and their ilk. But for the most part, it's all about the littler guys, the 'craft' breweries. Think of the competition as the Oscars of American beer, and the winners —the breweries, brewpubs, and brewers— as among the best in their profession.

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By the numbers

Per the festival website —www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com, 673 breweries from 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam (out of approximately 2,100 breweries nationwide) entered 4,338 beers (a record amount), to be judged in 84 categories representing 134 beer styles and sub-styles.

The judges —185 industry professionals, from 11 countries, invited by the GABF organizing committee— judged the beers in a 'blind' fashion, being only told the category (and sub-category, when relevant). They awarded a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal to the top three beers in each category, except for Robust Porter, for which they selected no Gold winner. In total, 254 medals were awarded.

Best-of show honors were awarded to six breweries based on some sort of algorithm combining brewery size, whether a brewpub or brewery, total number of medals won, number of competitors, and the strength of the medals (gold, of course, being the best). Three prizes were also awarded in a Pro-Am Competition (in which a homebrewer collaborated with a professional brewery) for which there were 94 entries this year, again, a record.

The category most entered was American-style IPA, with 203 beers. Next was Imperial IPA with 126, followed by Herb and Spice Beer with 114 entries. The second-to-least subscribed category was a surprise: Classic Irish-style Dry Stout, with only 16 entries. The category with the fewest beers entered was American-style Dark Lager, with 12. (Hint to breweries: It's smart to enter by the numbers.)

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Mid-Atlantic Round-up

As this blog —YFGF— is based in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, here is the list of the 7 winning breweries in that tri-state area. Together, they garnered 15 medals.

• Two Maryland breweries received a total of 2 medals: one gold, one silver (down from 3 medals last year, including 1 gold).
• Four Virginia breweries received a total of 12 medals: 3 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze (up from 8 last year, including an identical 3 gold).
• One D.C. brewery received one medal: a silver (up from ... zero last year).

Further comparing to 2011, that's a total increase of 4 medals overall for the area. The gold medal count stayed even at 4. The silver count increased by 1 to 5. The bronze count doubled from 3 to 6.

What did change —big-time— was that only one brewery in the area took multiple medals, winning 8 of the area's 15, 53% of the total bling. It won 2 of the 4 golds, 2 of the 5 silvers, and 4 of the 6 bronzes. From Virginia, it won 8 of that state's 12 medals. Who was that brewery? Here:

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• GOLD
  • Category 17: Gluten-free Beer
    Rock Bottom (Arlington, Virginia): Nikki’s Gluten Free Honey Pale Ale
    brewmaster: Dave Warwick
    There were 20 entries in this category.
  
  
  • Category 35: Vienna-style Lager
    Devils Backbone (Lexington, Virginia): Vienna Lager
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    Devils Backbone has both a brewpub —its original location, which opened in 2008, in Roseland— and a production-only facility, which opened this year, in Lexington. There were 36 entries in this category
  
  
  • Category 64: German-style Altbier
    Union Craft Brewing Company (Baltimore, Maryland): Balt Altbier
    brewmaster: Kevin Blodger
    There were 35 entries in this category.
  
  
  • Category 65: German-style Sour Ale
    Devils Backbone (Roseland, Virginia): Berliner Metro Weiss
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 29 beers in this category.
  
  


• SILVER
  • Category 7: Chocolate Beer
    DuClaw Brewing (Bel Air, Maryland): X-1
    brewmaster: Jim Wagner
    There were 39 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Chicago Brewing of Nevada for its Cocoa for Coconuts.
  
  
  • Category 39: American-style Dark Lager
    Devils Backbone (Roseland, Virginia): Old Virginia Dark
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 12 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Spoetzl of Texas for its Shiner Bock.
  
  
  • Category 41: Bock
    Mad Fox Brewing Company (Falls Church, Virginia): Elixir Maibock
    brewmaster: Bill Madden
    There were 33 entries in this category. Fellow Virginia brewery, Devils Backbone, took the silver. The gold medal was won by Tommyknocker Brewery of Colorado, for its Butt Head Bock.
  
  
  • Category 43: Baltic-Style Porter
    Devils Backbone (Roseland, Virginia): Danzig
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 31 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Rock Bottom of Pennsylvania for The Hammer.
  
  
  • Category 70: Belgian- and French-style Ale
    DC Brau (Washington, D.C.): Your Favorite Foreign Movie
    brewmaster: Jeff Hancock
    In a manner, this was a Pro-Am winner. The recipe was designed by a Washington, D.C. homebrewer Brian Barrows for a competition, whose prize was to brew the recipe at DC Brau. The name is a line from the Steely Dan song, Peg. There were 68 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by The Lost Abbey of California, for Saint’s Devotion.
    
  
  
• BRONZE
  • Category 28: American-Style or International-Style Pilsener
    Devils Backbone (Lexington, Virginia): Gold Leaf Lager
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 26 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Auburn Alehouse of California, for its Gold Country Pilsner.
  
  
  • Category 21: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
    Blue Mountain Barrel House (Arrington, Virginia): Local Species
    brewmaster: Taylor Smack
    Blue Mountain has both a brewery and tasting room —its original location, which opened in 2007, in Afton— and a barrel-aging facility, which opened in 2011, in Arrington, both in Nelson County. There were fifty-one entries in this category. The gold medal was won by BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery of Arizona, for its Jerry Maker.
  
  
  • Category 41: Bock
    Devils Backbone (Roseland, Virginia): Turbo Cougar
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 33 entries in this category. Fellow Virginia brewery, Mad Fox, took the silver. The gold medal was won by Tommyknocker Brewery of California, for its Butt Head Bock.
  
  
  • Category 48: English-style India Pale Ale
    Port City Brewing Company (Alexandria, Virginia): Monumental IPA
    brewmaster: Jonathan Reeves
    There were 54 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Goose Island Beer Company of Illinois, for its India Pale Ale.
  
  
  • Category 76: Classic Irish-style Dry Stout
    Devils Backbone (Rosemont, Virginia): Ramsey's Draft Stout
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 16 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Pizza Port Solana of California, for its Starry Night Stout.
  
  
  • Category 77: Foreign-style Stout
    Devils Backbone (Rosemont, Virginia): Ramsey's Export Stout
    brewmaster: Jason Oliver
    There were 25 entries in this category. The gold medal was won by Island Brewing Company of California, for its Seaside Stout.
  
  

The 8 medals, including 2 golds, for Devils Backbone did not go unnoticed. The 4-year old brewpub —and its entire brewing team, led by Jason Oliver— was recognized as the Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year for 2012. That's a lot of hard work, a lot of brewing acumen (especially in brewing lagers), and smiles from Nikassi. Congratulations!



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National Round-up

The other overall winners, nationwide, were:

• Large Brewpub / Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
  The Church Brew Works (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) / Steve Sloan
• Brewpub Group / Brewpub Group Brewer of the Year
  Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company (Madison, Wisconsin) / Rob LoBreglio
• Small Brewing Company / Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
  Funkwerks (Fort Colins, Colorado) / Funkwerks Brewing Team
• Mid-Size Brewing Company / Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
  Tröegs Brewing Company (Hershey, Pennsylvania) / John Trogner
• Large Brewing Company / Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
  Pabst Brewing Company (Los Angeles, California) / Gregory Duehs

California breweries left Denver with the most overall medals and the most gold medals: 49 and 20, respectively. The number two spot was captured by host state Colorado, with 35 and 15, respectively. In third was Oregon, with 24 medals, of which 6 were gold. Pennsylvania took fourth, with 17 medals and 5 gold.

And, rounding out the top 5? That was Virginia, with its 12 medals including 4 gold.

A downloadable list of all the winners is available via the Great American Beer Festival website: here. A searchable database of winners from all 31 years of the festival is available, as well: here.

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• The dates for the 2013 Great American Beer Festival have been set: 7-13 October ... in Denver, of course!
• Are 134 beer styles a (bit) too much? Are they really beer 'styles?' What is a beer 'style?' I muse/rant on that: here.