2015 GABF Winners

Haha. I understand completely. It's a double-edged sword.

 

Have you had Pernicious? My comment stems from the fact that I very recently did, and it didn't taste much different from any other Orange & Grapefruit forward west coast IPA + a wee bit more malt. That is it. That is all.You're making something out of nothing. Who said anything about volume of production?

 

Not exhaustive, certainly. But not meaningless.

Unless you personally find it meaningless. If so, cool.

 

"Now?" - Rainier Beer first won a GABF medal back in 1987, when it was still a Heileman-owned brand (and brewed by the actual owner of the brand ). And this is its fourth win in that goofy "American-Style Cream Ale" category since 2010.

 

I kind of agree, but JuJu is better than Heady anyway, so...

Like someone else said, these competitions aren't everything, but I put more weight on them than any rating site, where hype is king.

 

If you don't think the awards are important, ask your local Brewer what he/she thinks about winning a medal at GABF. It is a form of peer recognition and prestige, and Brewers talk about how excited they get to go up on the to receive the medal and have their picture taken.

The GABF is judged by industry professionals. Becoming a judge is a process in itself. Some judges are BJCP certified, but many (maybe most) are not, the BJCP is not a qualification. You can read about the judges here, scroll down to the group picture of the judges. You may recognize some of them.
https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/brewers/competition-information/

 

I don't know what field beer means, but I do know that I've gone to Fonta Flora probably fifty times to enjoy Beets, Rhymes... And that it deserved to win a gold medal even if it's in the category of field beer.

 

Perhaps Fatheads will bottle their gold medal winning Midnight Moonlight & the Bone Head Imperial Red...wouldn't mind seeing Black Knight on the shelves either

 

Don't know the criteria for winning, but basically a Field Beer focuses on using/showcasing some sort of vegetable(s). (Except for Chili beer which now has its own category.)

 

I hope my post didn't come across wrong. I am still way more on the side of these results carrying weight than not. I love the blind taste and always find it interesting how some of the "big dogs" get lost in the mix when there are no names on them, as you said. I don't personally feel that Heady is the best Imperial IPA (for what it's worth, I like Ju Ju better). That was just a hypothetical example. I agree 100% that hype/rarity/expectations can give people biased opinions. I also agree that an "east coast" style might not be what judges consider to an accurate representation. However, beers such as that and BCBS, Parabola, etc. don't have upwards of 10,000 disingenuous ratings either. I would just be curious to know how all of the top rated beers stacked up agaisnt each other in a blind vote.

Like I mentioned, it is quite an accomplishment, but just not the end all, be all that some people like to believe. Realistically I know there are way too many beers for every one to be entered. I am not sure how they manage to make their way through 300+ as it is. The fact that some major players are likely missing is why a said with a grain of salt though. Maybe my analogy wasn't the best. It is more like a car show. You can certainly have the best one that shows up, but who didnt? Of course, I would never shut up about it if I won a medal.

 

Ju Ju is better.

 

It deserves a meal for the ATCQ reference.

 

The judges must not be fans of NEIPA lets all be prepared for a new thread discussing New England IPAs and beer competitions...

 

I am happy to see that one TN beer won an award! Blackberry Farms just started bottling their classic and summer saisons this year.

 

99.9999% of the woman out there won't fight Ronda Rousey either. One third is far from meaningless.

 

Little old Harrisonburg Virginia brought home a Gold and a Bronze. So awesome considering RVA gets all the attention. I drink our Mild all the time when I'm there not as an employee. And my favorite Pale Fire beer is Salad Days. So if you want to medal, send me your beer. Ha! Congrats to everyone.

 

Did any of the vaunted New England breweries enter? Lack of winners from that area. We all know they make the best beer in the country with no one else a close second , shocked not too see more of them on the list.