 Nathan Berrong works at CNN's satellite desk and writes Eatocracy's beer column, "Berrong on Beer." He Tweets at @nathanberrong and logs beers at Untappd. The Great American Beer Festival just celebrated its 31st year as the premier beer event in the country. The festival takes place in Denver and this year, 2,700 different beers were poured from over 500 breweries - the biggest selection of American beers ever served. Tickets for the festival went on sale in August and sold out in a record 45 minutes, a true testament to the continued popularity of craft beer. (Last year, it took more than a week for the tickets to sell out.) I was one of the 49,000 lucky ones who were able to attend and drink some incredible beer amid a sea of mostly bearded dudes. Almost every beer I tasted during the three-day festival was top-notch, and rightfully so, as breweries bring their A-game and serve their finest beers. But, a few stood out from the pack for me. I had a Saint Dekkera Reserve Gose, which is a sour take of a Gose-style beer from Destihl, a brewpub in Normal, Illinois. It was outstanding and made me wish they bottled their beers and distributed them in Georgia. Speaking of Georgia, I had a great beer at the festival from one of my local watering holes, Wrecking Bar Brewpub. It was their Spring Break TRIPel aged in Chardonnay barrels, which made for some really complex sweet flavors and a nice dry finish. Another favorite was Abul-Abaz! from Catawba Brewery in Morganton, North Carolina. Abul-Abaz! is a blended Saison brewed with rooibos tea and then fermented solely with Brettanomyces yeast. It was delicious and easily one of my favorites of the festival. I love beers that push style-boundaries but I also found myself frequently seeking out quality session, or low-ABV, beers. The one I enjoyed most was 3Point5 from Avery Brewing Company, located just about 30 miles from the festival, in Boulder, Colorado. The beer was a great reminder that it’s possible to pack a lot of flavor into a beer that contains very little alcohol (3.5%). Apart from sampling countless beers at the GABF, the other major draw is the awards competition. Over 4,000 different ales and lagers were submitted for evaluation this year and judged by 185 beer professionals from across the globe. The judging takes place over three days in sessions that can take several hours to determine the winners. Medals are given out in 84 style categories ranging from the mostly tasteless Light Lager category, to the big and bold Barleywine style. The Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are among the most coveted awards for an American brewery and can bring relatively unknown breweries into the national spotlight with just one medal win. Devil’s Backbone out of Roseland, Virginia was this year’s big winner and took home the most medals, with a total of eight. It also won the award for Small Brewpub/Brewer of The Year. Below, I’ve listed some of the beers that took home a medal this year and the full list of medal winners can be found here. Devil’s Backbone Danzig - Silver medal in Baltic-Style Porter Firestone Walker Wookey Jack - Gold in American-Style Black Ale The Bruery Sans Pagaie - Bronze in Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale Maui Wee Heavy - Gold in Scottish-Style Ale Goose Island India Pale Ale - Gold in English-Style India Pale Ale Cigar City Cucumber Saison - Bronze in Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer The Church Brew Works Pious Monk Dunkel - Silver in European-Style Dunkel Peticolas Royal Scandal - Gold in Classic English-Style Pale Ale Upslope Brown Ale - Silver in American-Style Brown Ale Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious - Bronze in Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer Tell us what your favorite beer festival is and/or what beers you think should have medaled at this year’s GABF in the comments below. |
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I'm a big fan of wheat beers, myself. The spice notes are what do it for me I guess.
I know this is a little more of a mainstream beer, but Shock Top just released a great seasonal – End of the World Midnight Wheat. It's very, very tasty, with midnight wheat, and slight notes of chocolate, chilis, and spice. Ok, advertisement over. Go drink some.
"Even worse, who'd want that"
Who? People who actually like beer instead of those who simply want a cheap, tasteless drunk so they can drive their lawn mover down the street. "Hey Billy Bob, pass me anuder Bud."
Here in Downingtown, PA we have Victory Brewing with a wide selection of excellent beers. Love the Hop Devil IPA and the Golden Monkey Tripel. And the Sly Fox is just 10 miles up the road.
Certainly cannot leave out Rock Bottom at King of prussia – their cask conditrioned IPA is over the top, and also within 1/2 hour drive of Victory or Sly Fox.
I like to mix my lager with a concentrated lime juice 2:1, refreshing on a hot day! The Brits call it a shandy but they use lemonade instead. All beers are an acquired taste just like the Tenn. stumpy hole(moonshine) i'm sippin' on.Love the seasonal Octoberfest especialy draft Sam Adams and Richmond Virginias Legend Brewery Octoberfest, draft or bottle and anything else they brew! Thanks Nelson for the ruby red, Rest in peace
Hmmm, sounds like a slightly more refined version of what they once called in the ghetto a brass monkey, which was usually malt liquor and OJ.
If you find yourself in the great NW, namely Redmond, WA- Black Raven Brewery, killer IPA- The Trickster or perhaps the Second Strike Strong Scotch Ale, mighty fine products!
Folks, rooibus, orange peel and the like belong in herbal teas and maybe hard lemonade, not in beer. You know who is good at brewing beer? Germans are. And their brew it mostly according to the 500+ year old Rheinheitsgebot (purity pledge), which says that only three components belong in beer: water, barley, hops. Prost!
Best beer in the US hands down: PBR...
Sigh... I'm not good at this trolling thing.
Keep at it. I was thinking about maybe some Old Milwaukee, or Genesee Cream Ale, or maybe Pissing Rock. LMFAO
Keep at it. I was thinking about maybe some Old Milwaukee, or Genesee Cream Ale, or maybe Rolling Rock. LMFAO
Question: i love trying new beers – i don't like having the same thing consecutively even if i really like it, because there could be something better – but the list of all these brews can be intimidating. the names are often long and exotic and don't really describe the beer, and the bottling often matches suit. hard to pick out. so i tend to go with the more "commerical" microbrews (if that's not an oxymoron), such as dogfish head, for one example. it is my limited experience that these beers don't travel very far, so to speak. if you are in NJ like i am, you have NJ and DE and PA microbrew offerings in your liquor store – and old-time, bigger ones like Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada – but not ones out of Tennessee, or Minnesota, or wherever.
Can anyone comment on the geographical spread of microbrews – is my understanding correct that it's limited, if so, why (legal, economic?), and is this likely to change anytime soon in people's opinions?
There are some beer exchange programs out there, but I don't know how the shipping works. I live in Minnesota and we have some great craft breweries, they don't have large distribution, though.
Hi Marcel,
You may find http://beeradvocate.com/ helpful
Best beer has to be Old English Malt Liquor. (j/k) Or better yet, Ye Olde Fortran.
For the best beer in the USA come to Portland,Oregon. Beer is our middle name.
agreed on the beer part. but 'heroin" is also portland's middle name
I was in Portland for the first time 2 years ago, and I want to go back. I thought I died and went to heaven.
I must say 1st thing that I drink lots of The Beast, because after all, beer is a rental product. When I have the chance, Sly Rye Porter by Yazoo in Nashville is quite tasty.
Negro Modelo, Sam Adams and Warfsteiner...
There is only one real beer,, a Bud, everything else is water
Bud and Bud Light is nothing but alcoholic goat pi$$. Drink a real beer, Sam Adams Boston Lager, and then find your man card at the bottom of the bottle.
have you tasted goat's piss or are you just talking out of your assssssssssssssss?
Not goat p!ss. Panther p!ss, yak urine, whale whiz, et al. A little alliteration goes a long way.
Wuhhhhh??!! I never drank beer because all that was around was Bud, which is acidic foamy water. When I was finally properly introduced to REAL beer in Germany, I then became a fan of GOOD beer. I hope you are joking. Or you need some serious help.
You better be trolling! I thought the same thing, until I finished my freshman year of college...
Hoppin Frog. Allagash. Southern Tier. Choose any, and you will be happy.
Today is the opening of Cleveland (OH) Beer Week, literally a metro area wide festival, featuring over 70 area microbreweries. I can hardly wait!!! Despite the insane variety, I'll be looking for some Headhunter IPA by Fatheads Brewery, and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing Company.
Maui Brewing Co. did it again!!! Congrats, you guys rock!!!!!!
Not everybody in St.Louis drinks the InBev swill. Schlafley's Pale ale is my go to beer. The Kolsch is perfect for the beer and outdoor work plan. Good beer transends politcs, team loyalty and dedication to local business. Peace in our nation through GOOD beer. Cheers!
Hopfest and Blues & Brews in Albuquerque are great beer festivals plus raise funds for the Make-A-Wish foundation!
I live in VA and have been to Devil's Backbone – I'm happy for them, and agree that they make some really tasty beers – everything I tried is wonderful!
No Russian River mention? Were they not represented? What about the Alchemist and the gem that is Heady Topper?
Maybe 'cause it sucks.................
wookey jack by firestone is the best!
Judy had so much she forgot she posted a couple of minutes earlier!
Wookey Jack is the BEST!!
Hangar 24 out of Redlands, CA. Their Chocolate Porter is yummmmmy.
I like my beer cold and like trying all different types. That said, biggest d-bag around is sweater vest cigar guy who brings his own 6 pack of "craft beer" to a kegger.
New belgium's ranger, asheville brewing company's shiva, catawba's firewater. The end.
Spotted Cow – New Glarus Brewing Co. Wisconsin. There's nothin' like tippin' a cow!
Everything from New Glarus Brewing Co. in New Glarus, Wisconsin is fantastic. I don't see how one can pick a favorite when the next beer will be even better!
Ninkasi IPA is my favorite
Oregon not only has the best micro brews in the nation, but the best football team . Go Ducks!
Agree on both counts!
Some of my favorites from GABF:
"Sleepin' with Shaggy" Barleywine, Green Flash Brewing (San Diego)
"Hop Juju" Imperial IPA, Fatheads Brewery & Saloon (Cleveland)
Cucumber Kolsch, Flat 12 Brewing (Indianapolis)
Great article!
Shout out to 10 Barrell Brewing Company's Sinister outta Bend, Oregon
Dechutes brewery in Or makes about the best beers you can find in the U. S. their Porter is about the best I have found. My everyday favorite is Kilians Irish Red.
Mirror Pond IPA and Balck Butte Porter...Both awesome!
Kona Brewing Company's "Longboard Lager" & "Pipeline Porter". (From Kona Brew Pub, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii)
I want to see some Trappist beers entered.
I like Fat Tire, only resorts sell it anywhere near me though, so I have it when i go out west.
Cheers, debbie! I love it too.
I love fat tire too! I love a lot of new belgium's stuff, but I keep coming back to the fat tire! I am very happy for it's popularity in the midwest, it makes it easy to find.
it's EVERYWHERE around the DC area. In fact, I've had so much fat tire, I'm almost getting sick of it :)
ranger is really good too
Great article! With thousands of beers to choose from, some of the favorites I remember were:
"Sleepin' w Shaggy" Barleywine, Green Flash (San Diego)
"Hop Juju" Imperial IPA, Fatheads Brewery & Saloon (Cleveland)
Cucumber Kolsch, Flat 12, (Indianapolis)
Monkeynaut from Straight to Ale Brewing in Huntsville, AL.
American beer = Sex in a Canoe
Okay, not every American beer is flavoured water, and some of these I would be willing to try before I added them to the list of normal weak swill that I've usually encountered from your country. As a Canadian, and a beer and ale drinker from an early and some what illegal age, I just can not fathom why anyone would drink a 'Lite' American beer as is your most purchased (brand name withheld to protect the guilty, or to hold off a lawsuit) beer. Taking already weak and watery 'beer' and making it weaker and more watery? Madness I tell you! Sheer madness!
On a connected note:
There should be credited courses in colleges around both your country and my own that teaches those willing to learn to distern a good beer from swill. Teach how to choose, and drink, a good scotch. Mix the two major versions of Martini, and how to handle them both. Just like there is bartending courses there should be drinking courses to bring back a little class to downing one's spirits.
And, just to be clear, I am not calling those that drink beer low class, uncultured, or any such thing. Many a great man, and woman, in history enjoyed their beers. Commoners to Kings. Sinners to Saints.
Me, I'm heading home in a bit to have an nice Scotch and Ice tea mix (2:1) to relax with after an hard day.
Cheers!
America produces some of the best beer in the world, they are just not made by Anheiser Bush.
You clearly do not know much about American beers, and I am European.
Scotch with Ice tea? Wouldnt want you to teach those courses clearly
This isn't about those American beers. This is about the good stuff that we keep for ourselves and don't ship to you hosers! :-) American craft beers are as good or better than any beer anywhere in the world. Sadly, most of the best ones can't be bought far from their home state or even home city.
Going to your school of beer making in the US. I guess you have not heard of the Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy, which is America's oldest brewing school. Or how about the fermentation science programs at Oregon State University and University of California – Davis. Plenty of good schools in America for brewing and many of the craft brews here are on par with the UK.
Shove it up your hockey hole, hoser.
...and your #1 beer is Labatt Blue. Let's compare apples to apples. Both are crappy sprite-like nasty pilsner wannabees, but that's not what this article is about.
Pliney The Elder double IPA. Simply the best.
The winners are: Heineken and Corona extra.
OK, print this article, and all the posts. Now, you need to get busy broadening your horizons.
All i can say is that the GABF... should have Gold, Silver, & Bronze Metals for SWILL.. semiliquid food for animals,
swine, vegetable refuse from kitchens, mixed with water, distillery waste. And all three Metals goes too.............
BUD LIGHT
Would someone from St. Louis come up here and get this disgracefull crap outta here.
I work at a store that sells craft beers and popular domestic beers. I've noticed that the men that by craft beers tend to be more effeminate than the men that by the popular domestics (bud light, bush light, etc).
I think you mean more refined.
I think he means to say that real men drink bad beer. What he should realize is that real men don't care what he thinks, they drink what tastes good. Bush light does not taste good.
I love and mostly drink craft beers. Any IPA usually will do. But to say busch light does not taste good is just crazy. It is my favorite day beer for when working on the house or beaching it up.
Perhaps because the neanderthals who dig ditches for a living like their beer cheap.
If by effeminate, you mean intelligent, well dressed and well groomed, then yes, you are probably correct.
We didn't ask for your opinion, peon. Just keep my beer stocked and cold.
Awesome!
pwnd.
I've noticed that people who work in beer stores and make false generalizations about men who buy craft beer usually end up being caught in vice sting operations at highway rest stops and city parks.
Sam: That was funny.
I think you mean "bUy" not by..... I imagine they tend to be more educated.
Men who prefer craft beers also tend to make better lovers and treat women better. They also tend to be better educated, are more intellectual and vote Democrat, I suspect. They also drive nicer cars, I'm sure, and have other hobbies besides hunting and watching NASCAR and WWF. Men who prefer craft beers in short are better men in every regard.
Thats funny, I find democrats kinda stupid!
I thought you had to be 18 to work in a liquor store. Does your mom know what you're up to? You're in BIG trouble now, mister.
Every year, I look forward to my favorite seasonals. Right now, Sierra Nevada's Autumn Tumbler is my favorite. In a month or so, it will be Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome. In the spring, I lean more towards the Rogue beers out of Oregon. However, my ALL TIME FAVORITE any time of year is Firestone Walker's Double Barrel Ale – simply perfect.
Beer continues to become impressively diverse and complicated in flavor, just as the American palette is becoming in general. I say more power to the craft brewers!
Ben Franklin said that "beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy"
Actually he didn't say that. He said, behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy. BUt I bet he liked beer a lot too.
Happy to see Green Flash and Alesmith represented on the list as they are both part of the greatest beer scene in America. But sad to see Ballast Point isn't here – their Sculpin IPA is beautiful and even though Small Bar has 100 beers on tap at any time Sculpin is a huge seller.
I printed out the entire winner's list. Going to make it a quest to try each of the gold medalers over the next month or two. Except the fruit beers. That's just nasty.
'tis the golden age of beer that we are living through my friends, hurrah and good cheer to all!
Where is my Green Flash-West Coast IPA?
thats a good one, high in alcohol but good
Craft beers are the future
Craft Beers are right now :)
Get in my belly!
I laughed heartily!
Bells Brewery, Kalamazoo baby.
Love the Two Hearted Ale!
Even better – Founders Brewery, Grand Rapids
Love the Bells & Founders (Canadian Breakfast Stout anyone?), but if you are keeping it in Michigan, you need to put Kuhnhenn on the list and give honorable mention to Jolly Pumpkin.
Try the Surly beers, made in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota:
http://www.surlybrewing.com/
You wil be glad you did!
Absolutely. Omar makes some good stuff.
Furious! et al.
good news. studies confirm beer is actually proven to be substantially more of a gateway drug than marijuana! better news, i love em both!
Why don't they just call the black IPA a hoppy porter? That's exactly wwhat it is. Hate these contrived categories of beer.
What I like best about this kind of post is hearing from others about their favorite beers. One of my current new favorites is Wookey Jack by Firestone Walker, a black rye IPA.
Apologies for double posting. I was looking at the bottom of the comments, not at the top.
What I like most about this kind of post is hearing about the favorite beers of others around the country. One of my current new favorites is Wookey Jack by Firestone Walker, a black rye IPA.
Atlantic Brewery in Bar Harbor, Maine puts out some pretty darn good beer!!!
"It all comes from the same horse" – My dear old Dad, God rest his soul.
It would be nice if they mentioned the location (CIty. State) of these medalists.
You can view all the winners at the GABF here.
http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners/
And my dad can beat up your dad.
My dad is dead. He doesn't want to fight.
maybe if he fought, he'd still be alive?
not nice
Did "Old German" win any medals??
Nitro Steamboat Oatmeal Stout from The Library in Laramie, WY. August 21, 2010; Saratoga Steinley Cup, Saratoga, WY – Voted People’s Choice
Go Cowboys!
I guarantee I know more about beer than this guy.
And I know more about beer than you.
Whatever happened to beer being a nice thirst quencher on a hot summer day or sitting around and drinking beer whilew watching sports. Some of this crap is ridiculous. Oatmeal stout? WYF is that? Even worse, who would want that?
Pathetic! Keep it simple.
Whatever happened to water being a nice thirst quencher on a hot summer day or sitting around and drinking water whilew watching sports. Some of this crap is ridiculous. Beer? WYF is that? Even worse, who would want that?
Pathetic! Keep it simple.
Then what's the reason for choice steaks over a hamburger? What's pathetic is that just because you don't have a taste for something somehow means everyone else in the world is incorrect for having their own taste, or, in your case, any taste at all.
jffpmr is what keeps BudMilCoors in business. Better to ask, "Who would want wine in a box?"
"Even worse, who'd want that"
Apparently, plenty of people do. Craft breweries have increased from 530 or so in 1994 to over 1600 in 2010. Sure I still like a lighter beer on those hot days when I'm working outside, but I LOVE the fact that there are so many choices now if I want to have a beer that actually tastes like something.
Ha! Sarcasm, right? Nothing happened – all of that still happens except that the beer is much, much better now. But hey, if you want to be Soviet about it then stick to your factory output.
Who said beer had to be something you swilled out of a can 24/7 while watching sports on tv, driving your car, or beating your wife? Jeez dude, get some perspective!
I'm going to be brewing a batch of oatmeal stout this coming weekend. Hopefully it'll be ready by the holidays, fingers crossed. Don't knock it till you've tried it. For what it's worth, I'll happily take a nice Belgian witbeer in the summer after cutting the grass, and an IPA later that evening. On the other hand, I'll go for something darker and heavier on a cool evening. That's the beauty of microbreweries, or home brewing, you're options are infinite.
You must be one of those guys who's idea of gourmet food is adding tuna to your mac and cheese and only know how to ask for chop suey at a Chinese restaurant. That is; if you would ever eat anything other than sketti and butter. Someday when we're lucky the uneducated masses will learn to educate themselves.
So what.
Sampling all of these different beers, finding out how the brewer expressed a certain style of beer is a great passion of my life. Some guys like watching millionaires chase a ball, others like to argue politics, I like to sit at a long table with a dozen friends trying new beer, laughing, joking, feeding my dog bacon and making great memories.
Cheers to you!
You sit around and feed your dog bacon? He'll be dead next year, unless you do this like once a month or so.