Not that I'm the least bit surprised, but gold in the american pale ale category for the Johnny Utah? Yeah, I'm kind of impressed.
Silver City picks up a Gold and a Silver, not at all bad! Interesting that their two beers were both old reliables for them, having been in their lineup for a few years. I've really liked both Foxy Lady (which got the gold) and Old Scrooge.
Looks like Bham only got 2 (and then, South Nut in Burlington was the listed entry for Chuckanuts fest beer). Wander with the Gold for Correspondent Stout.
Oregon had a tough year, lowest medal count since 2011. 9500 entries means the competition is stiff in even the smallest categories...
Wow, today has been an unreal experience. Besides our own medals, it was great to see Wayfinder, Von Ebert, Migration, and everyone else get their moment in the spotlight. The beer community is still tight and supportive, and I'm glad to be part of it.
Were you onstage when What Rough Beast was announced? Ben’s spontaneous leap and everybody’s faces were the highlight of the ceremony.
Yep! We're still all laughing at how ridiculous our faces looked at that moment. I'll never forget how joyous yet overwhelmed we all felt when they announced that gold medal.
As someone who is not a brewer or industry insider (although I still circulate among some F&B types in the trenches)... I don't know much about what the "big" competitions are. Where does GABF stack up against other competitions? (oscars vs. golden globes vs. Nicolodeon Kids choice) which of the US competitions/festivals are the most relevant to the average consumer vs. elite beer nerds?
IMHO, GABF>NABA/WBC> wutever. GABF and NABA are the the 2 biggest annual, American brewery focused comps. WBC is a bigger deal than NABA, but it's biannual and International focused.
I'm not sure any of the major beer competitions are relevant to the average consumer. However, from a brewery standpoint, I think the GABF and World Beer Cup medals are seen as a pretty big deal. Those are the medals I typically see the most often posted on brewery back walls, or listed on a brewery beer list. Just my two cents, but I feel as if the importance of medaling at these major competitions has lessened over the years. I think it's still a "feather in the cap" of the brewer if they can garner a medal at one of the big competitions, but I don't think it's going to be a life altering experience for him or her. Quick story (by way of providing an example of what I mean). I went to my first GABF back in 91. It was also my first time to the Denver area, and I tried to make the most of my visit. So we visited renowned places like Wyncoop, New Belgium and Boulder Brewing. We also made an appointment to visit this fresh new brewery that I was pretty impressed with (really liked their marionberry fruited amber). So the day after the final day of GABF, we ran over to see the two guys running Left Hand brewing. Our appointment was at 10:00, and at 10:20 we were about to give up when one of the brewers finally showed up. He was visably hungover, but also very happy and excited. Turns out 2 of the 4 beers they entered into the competition had medaled, and a 3rd took honorable mention. He said he and his partner had been out celebrating at Rock Bottom till the wee hours. He mentioned that after the medal announcements, distributors had been lining up to talk to them, wanting to find out how they could obtain their medal winning beers. Also, banks that previously wouldn't give them the time of day, had left messages asking them to give them a call, just in case they still needed some help with financing and capitalization (in 91, Left Hand was a tiny microbrewery that I don't think had a bottling line yet). It was pretty clear that the brewer thought he'd essentially won the lottery, and that his bread was made from here on out. My point being... I don't think it's quite like that any more (to win a GABF medal).
It may not be a HUGE deal anymore, but certainly it helps a beer/brewery get off the floor and stay competitive. I can speak from experience that seeing or hearing about a new brewery getting a gold medal has led me to try the beer, and sometime become a repeat buyer (Zoiglhaus PILS for example). in a market like Portland, these guys/gals probably need every advantage they can get.
Me too, but I expect we're probably in the minority. That being said, I completely agree that in a market like PDX, a brewery needs and can use every advantage they can get.
From a brewer’s perspective, it’s definitely still a big thing to win a medal at GABF, NABA, WBC, and even OBA with how competitive our beer scene is here. Is it the end all, be all? No. But just watch breakside’s reaction to winning at GABF, it still means a lot. We put a lot of hard work and thought into these beers.
I could see where it could be easy to get jaded if I were a brewer. That goes for any industry that has competitions and awards... But if you can medal at something like GABF...and stand out amongst the huge number of entries, I can see where any recognition for hard work is a good thing, no matter who is passing it out. I did see something online called "USA Beer Ratings" (usabeerratings.com)... bogus? looks like a purely marketing-driven endeavor...submit your beer for scoring/judging and incorporate your medal/score into your marketing materials. kinda like other trades where your staff takes a test for $$$ so they can say they are "certified" whatever...
there's some funny stories out there of breweries who submit 40 beers and win zero medals. and of course the rumors of classic brands submitted with souped up recipes.
GABF seems OK..but some awards in other compertitions in the past have been head scratchers..like in that beer is a Cream Ale really thing?
