Illinois didn’t do so hot this year, but the Midwest was still decently represented in the medal count at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival.
Here’s the list, distilled just to IL, IN, MO, MI and WI. (Sorry, MN. Had to draw the line somewhere.)
Your GABF 2013 Midwest Winners are:
GOLD:
American-Belgo-Style Ale: BrickStone Belgo-APA, BrickStone Brewery
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer: Afternoon Delight, Sun King Brewing Co.
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout: Blot Out the Sun, Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer: Love Child No. 3, Boulevard Brewing Co.
Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale: American Blackberry Sour Ale, New Glarus Brewing Co.
Old Ale or Strong Ale: Pilgrim’s Dole, New Holland Brewing Co.
German-Style Kölsch: Leinenkugel’s Canoe Paddler, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.
SILVER:
Fruit Beer: Serendipity, New Glarus Brewing Co.
Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer: Anaheim IPA, Ram Restaurant and Brewery – Indianapolis
Coffee Beer: Barrel-aged Sump Coffee Stout, Perennial Artisan Ales
Experimental Beer: Dragon’s Milk Reserve – Smaug’s Breath, New Holland Brewing Co.
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer: Barrel-Aged Frostbite Lager, Ram Restaurant and Brewery – Illinois
American-Style Dark Lager: Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.
Imperial India Pale Ale: Permanent Funeral, Three Floyds Brewing Co.
German-Style Wheat Ale: Bavarian Sun, Ram Restaurant and Brewery – Illinois
South German-Style Hefeweizen: Ebel’s Weiss, Two Brothers
BRONZE:
Fruit Beer: Sparkleberry Ale, Bell’s Brewery MI
Other Strong Beer: XX Dwarf Detroit Beer Co. MI
Side notes:
UPDATE, 1:20 pm: Whoops, forgot a couple. Added Leinie’s Kolsch and Ebel’s Weiss. END UPDATE
Last year the Chicago area ran the table in the American Pale Ale category. This year the whole Midwest got blanked.
Sun King took first in one of the busiest categories — 117 entries for Wood and Barrel Aged Strong Beer — but even that paled in comparison to the American Style IPA category. 252 breweries entered their beer in that category, with all medals going to Western states.
We gotta get our hands on some of that Golden Knot – Chardonnay from Blue Moon, if it trumped New Glarus’ Serendipity in the Fruit Beer category.
Congrats to our friends at Scratch for earning inclusion into Draft Magazine’s list of GABF Beers We Love post here. They called the carrot-ginger saison “a simply lovely, cohesive sip with hints of sweet, earthy carrot and tart ginger that you’ll be glad you experienced.”
Best named award-winning beers: Elektrick Cukumbahh, S.S. Minnow Mild, Sparkle Party Berliner Weiss, Splashing Pumpkin, Kung Fu Elvis
Worst named: “Amazeballs.”
Oh, and Anheuser Busch took gold for Budweiser Select and Natty Ice. Take that for what it’s worth.