2014 U.S. Open Beer Championship Results - Medal Winners and Top 10

Discussion in 'Beer News & Releases' started by dowab, Jul 7, 2014.

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  1. dowab

    dowab Initiate (120) Nov 24, 2005 Ohio

    Breweries from Australia to Iceland sent in more than 3,000 beers and ciders representing 81 different categories for the 2014 U.S. Open Beer Championship, the only brewery competition to include professional breweries and award-winning home-brewers. Judges from England, Canada, Finland and the U.S. announced the winners.

    Wormtown Brewing in Worcester, MA was named Grand National Champion, winning three gold medals and one silver medal. Wormtown uses Massachusetts-grown ingredients in every beer it brews.

    Listing of all U.S. Open Medal Winneers and the Top 10 Breweries
     
    #1 dowab, Jul 7, 2014
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  2. Hop-Droppen-Roll

    Hop-Droppen-Roll Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2013 Minnesota

    What is an 'out-of-bounds IPA'??
     
    #2 Hop-Droppen-Roll, Jul 7, 2014
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  3. nate-henry

    nate-henry Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2014 Michigan

    suprised to see angry orchard winning so many awards...hmmm
     
    #3 nate-henry, Jul 7, 2014
  4. robear

    robear Initiate (0) May 24, 2014 Wisconsin

    This is one of those contests that a few "big" breweries enter to pad their awards cases and smaller, less established breweries enter because they don't have to compete with as many big breweries.
     
    #4 robear, Jul 7, 2014
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  5. 071184

    071184 Initiate (0) Sep 10, 2013 Texas

    Texas lands 3 of the top 10...impressive.
     
    #5 071184, Jul 7, 2014
  6. nate-henry

    nate-henry Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2014 Michigan

    an out of bounds ipa simply indicates that the beer was brewed by tennis legend John McEnroe
     
    #6 nate-henry, Jul 7, 2014
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  7. MNAle

    MNAle Poo-Bah (2,381) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota
    Society

    A gold and a silver for Badger Hill Brewing. Congrats!
     
    #7 MNAle, Jul 7, 2014
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  8. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Aspirant (279) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    #8 blivingston1985, Jul 7, 2014
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  9. jefffalcone

    jefffalcone Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2013 Massachusetts

    Nothing against wormtown, but if they are grand champion the competition was weak. They are at least 5 breweries in MA that are better.

    But congrats to wormtown. Nice to see the home state winning
     
    #9 jefffalcone, Jul 7, 2014
  10. VTBrewHound

    VTBrewHound Aspirant (216) Jan 5, 2013 Vermont

    Interesting Innis & Gunn got two silvers in barrel aged beer.
    They are 4.99 for a bomber at Market Basket.
     
    #10 VTBrewHound, Jul 7, 2014
  11. AdmiralOzone

    AdmiralOzone Poo-Bah (2,369) Jun 26, 2014 Minnesota
    Society Trader

    Congrats to Bent Brewstillery for their silver in Wood/Barrel aged dark beer. Kalamity. They don't seem to get a lot of love on this site. I guess I'll have to stop by there sometime after work as it's only a few blocks away.
     
    #11 AdmiralOzone, Jul 7, 2014
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  12. ChanChan

    ChanChan Initiate (0) Dec 12, 2009 California

    The judges were wearing condoms on their tongue for protection!!
     
    #12 ChanChan, Jul 7, 2014
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  13. Kadonny

    Kadonny Meyvn (1,389) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Trader

    Hoptical Illusion gets a Silver? I can't imagine what the competition was like. Sad.
     
    #13 Kadonny, Jul 8, 2014
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  14. MNAle

    MNAle Poo-Bah (2,381) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota
    Society

    For those expressing surprise/dismay at some of the beers that were awarded a medal in this competition: Unlike 99.9999% of the reviews on this site, these were blind taste tests. Hence, brand/reputation bias is at least minimized if not eliminated.
     
    #14 MNAle, Jul 8, 2014
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  15. markdrinksbeer

    markdrinksbeer Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2013 Massachusetts

    Exactly. I am positive the "Top 250" beer list would be re-written if everyone rated those beers blind.
     
    #15 markdrinksbeer, Jul 8, 2014
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  16. jefffalcone

    jefffalcone Initiate (0) Nov 9, 2013 Massachusetts

    I don't think anyone is saying the judges were wrong. It just seems like competition wasn't that strong.
     
    #16 jefffalcone, Jul 8, 2014
  17. Redneckwine

    Redneckwine Initiate (0) Dec 3, 2013 Washington

    This, period. Interesting things always happen when brand, rep, hype, packaging, marketing, and any other bias I can't think of at the moment is eliminated. Blind tests are far more enlightening than surprising to me, at least.
     
    #17 Redneckwine, Jul 8, 2014
  18. VelvetExtract

    VelvetExtract Poo-Bah (4,120) Jan 10, 2010 Massachusetts
    Society Trader

    Congrats to an outstanding local brewery, Wormtown!
     
    #18 VelvetExtract, Jul 8, 2014
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  19. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Aspirant (279) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    I'm thinking it is something that is IPA in its design, but doesn't quite fit the bill. Fruit additions, the "white ipa", ect.
     
    #19 blivingston1985, Jul 8, 2014
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  20. SenorHops

    SenorHops Initiate (0) Aug 10, 2010 Rhode Island

    There may have been stiffer competition at the local 4-H Club County Fair Homebrew Competition.
     
    #20 SenorHops, Jul 8, 2014
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  21. checktherhyme

    checktherhyme Initiate (166) Apr 8, 2008 Washington

    Congrats to Rueben's Brews. They make some of the best beer I have ever had.
     
    #21 checktherhyme, Jul 8, 2014
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  22. Treezilla

    Treezilla Initiate (0) Aug 12, 2013 Colorado

    Was just at City Star brewing a couple weeks ago. They have awesome beer.
     
    #22 Treezilla, Jul 8, 2014
  23. distantmantra

    distantmantra Meyvn (1,194) May 23, 2011 Washington
    Trader

    Damn straight. Fantastic beer being made at Reuben's in Ballard.
     
    #23 distantmantra, Jul 8, 2014
  24. chipawayboy

    chipawayboy Devotee (468) Oct 26, 2007 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Odd list -- but wormtown is no slouch.
     
    #24 chipawayboy, Jul 9, 2014
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  25. Jirin

    Jirin Initiate (0) Apr 28, 2013 Massachusetts

    Gold: Yuengling Summer Wheat
    Silver: Weihenstephaner Vitus

    Hrm.
     
    #25 Jirin, Jul 9, 2014
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  26. BeRightBock

    BeRightBock Initiate (169) Apr 27, 2007 New York

    Uhhhhhh...ummmm...errrrrr...ahhhh...hrm.
     
    #26 BeRightBock, Jul 9, 2014
  27. MNAle

    MNAle Poo-Bah (2,381) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota
    Society

    "As one of the biggest brewery competitions in the world, the U.S. Open Beer Championship is the only one to include both professional breweries and award-winning home-brewers. This year, entries included more than 3,000 beers from 300 breweries in 20 different countries."

    Ummm.... right.
     
    #27 MNAle, Jul 9, 2014
  28. SenorHops

    SenorHops Initiate (0) Aug 10, 2010 Rhode Island

    Still not impressed and you can't blindfold my taste buds.
     
    #28 SenorHops, Jul 9, 2014
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  29. nate-henry

    nate-henry Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2014 Michigan

    you are clearly the champion...in giant red letters...awesome!
     
    #29 nate-henry, Jul 9, 2014
  30. Tuggy

    Tuggy Initiate (0) Jun 25, 2014 Virginia

    Congrats to Apocalypse Aleworks and their Silver medal for Hopocalypse, a great up and coming Virginia brewery!
     
    #30 Tuggy, Jul 9, 2014
  31. tobelerone

    tobelerone Poo-Bah (3,006) Dec 1, 2010 New Jersey
    Society Trader

    Likely to some extent but I don't see hoptical illusion supplanting HF Susan or those awful Innis and Gunn beers taking a spot from the Bourbon Counties. Yes hype and rarity inflation is absolutely real but so is clear and present superiority of product.
     
    #31 tobelerone, Jul 9, 2014
  32. BH712

    BH712 Initiate (0) Jan 29, 2014 District of Columbia

    A lot of these winners seem really bizarre. Particularly:
    Yuengling beating out Weihenstephaner
    Lindemans Peche and Sam Adams winning lambics
    Sam Adams winning Belgian quad
    DC Brau winning Belgian pale
    BP Calico getting bronze for ESB - it's an amber
    Sweetwater 420 winning Blonde - it's a pale
    Angry Orchard

    I have to wonder which breweries didn't submit anything - some notable absences.
     
    #32 BH712, Jul 9, 2014
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  33. TboneRN

    TboneRN Defender (636) Mar 30, 2014 Minnesota

    Did they only have 3 beers in each category to try? Something seems a little off here...
     
    #33 TboneRN, Jul 9, 2014
  34. TboneRN

    TboneRN Defender (636) Mar 30, 2014 Minnesota


    TG not having a top 3 in the Imperial IPA or Pale ale category?
     
    #34 TboneRN, Jul 9, 2014
  35. richobrien

    richobrien Initiate (0) Dec 29, 2013 California

    I'd be more interested in the list of who actually submitted beers in each of the categories. The presence (or lack thereof) of a brewery on this list doesn't make their offerings any less tasty!!
     
    #35 richobrien, Jul 9, 2014
  36. JEck_88

    JEck_88 Initiate (0) Apr 12, 2014 Wisconsin

    St. Ben's winning the Bock category definitely makes it look like there were not enough competing breweries present.
     
    #36 JEck_88, Jul 29, 2014
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