Yours for Good Fermentables ™

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Balto/Wash breweries do well at GABF

Here's a list of local breweries (Baltimore/Washington) which received medals at this year's Great American Beer Festival.

**Category: 6 Coffee-Flavored Beer - 28 Entries
Gold: Fuel, Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington, VA
[Brewer Mike McCarthy]

**Category: 14 Cellar or Unfiltered Beer - 18 Entries
Bronze: Wild West Fest, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA

[This is Nick Funnell and Sweetwater Tavern. Due to trademark issues with Sweetwater Brewer of Atlanta, the restaurant cannot use its name for its beers!]

**Category: 23 Vienna-Style Lager - 20 Entries
Silver: Balto Marz Hon, Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore, MD

**Category: 24 German-Style Marzen/Oktoberfest - 45 Entries
Bronze: Dominion Octoberfest, Old Dominion Brewing Company, Ashburn, VA

[Congratulations to the Favio, Chris, and the entire brewing staff at Old Dominion. I'm certain that it's difficult for them to remain sanguine in the face of all the uncertainties inherent in the protracted sale of their brewery. See my recent posts on that topic, and add to those the latest, unsubstantiated, rumor that Anheuser-Busch has returned to the table with a new offer.]

**Category: 28 European-Style Dark/Munchner Dunkel - 21 Entries
Bronze: Iron Horse Lager, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
[Nick and staff, #2!]

**Category: 41 American-Style Amber/Red Ale - 62 Entries
Silver: Amber Waves Ale, Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington, VA
[Brewer Mike McCarthy, #2!]

**Category: 43 Bitter - 33 Entries
Gold: Raccoon Red, Rock Bottom Brewery - Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
[Brewer Geoff Lively, an unsung - maybe no more - brewer of good beers in our area.]

**Category: 49 German-Style Brown Ale/Dusseldorf-Style Alt Bier - 26 Entries
Gold: Terrapin Alt, Rock Bottom Brewery - Bethesda, Bethesda, MD
[Geoff #2!]

**Category: 52 Belgian-Style White (or Wit)/Belgian-Style Wheat - 36 Entries
Silver: Wits End, Great American Restaurants, Centreville, VA
[Nick and staff, #3 of 3!]

**Category: 53 French- Belgian-Style Saison - 44 Entries
Silver: Saison, Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington, VA
[Brewer Mike McCarthy, #3 of 3!]

The entire list of 2006 GABF winners is available at www.beertown.org/events/gabf/06winners.htm

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Clipper City awarded silver

It's 2:18 PM Denver time, and here at the Great American Beer Festival, Clipper City Brewing has just been awarded silver medal for Balto MarzHon in the Vienna Lager category. As no gold was awarded (to boos from the crowd), maybe we should claim the virtual gold.

Of all the photos I snapped during the GABF, only the one of Ernie receiving the silver medal was taken with an unsteady hand, and thus too blurry for use. So the photo here is of Ernie getting back to his seat and being congratulated by Clipper City's general partner and founder Hugh Sisson.

Here with Clipper City, my involvement is not with production but with sales. Even so, when the reality hit me that I had finally become involved with a brewery that could boast the best beer in America, I did have to take a few deep breaths. (My quest began in 1992.)

I offer not only congratulations to Hugh Sisson, Ernesto Igot, Matt Saindon, Bruce Dombeck, and the entire brewing staff, but thanks!

UPDATE (other GABF-related postings):

Thursday, September 28, 2006

At Wynkoop Brewpub I enjoyed

Ernie, Hugh, and I had lunch at Wynkoop Brewpub. I believe it's the original brewpub in Denver; quite refreshingly (!), it is owned by the mayor of Denver, John Hickenlooper.

I enjoyed a malty St. Charles ESB, pulled by beer engine from a cask. The stout was tasty with a touch of not unpleasant diacetyl. An interesting if sweet bretanomyces-yeast beer was on tap. It was very complex and alcoholic (10%+) but I found it to have an essence of turpentine that was quite off-putting. I didn't like this strongly wooded 10% abv belgian golden but others might.

I would recommend this brewpub if you visit Denver, not only for its history in the craft beer movement, but because it is a pleasant place with above average pub fare. For lunch, I had green chile; Ernie had a gumbo that he thoroughly enjoyed.

We're setting up our booth now at the Convention Center.

Great American Beer Festival 2006

I just arrived here at Denver @ noon. Clipper City's Brewmaster Ernesto Igot, owner Hugh Sisson, and I checked in to the Hyatt across the street from the Convention Center. Very convenient!