WV brewers compete at GABF
August 23, 2019
Beyond being the largest beer festival in the country, the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) also holds the most important beer competition in North America. Win a medal here and your brewery has arrived.
Since GABF’s founding in 1982, no West Virginia brewery has managed to win a medal. This year, at least three WV brewers are out to change that. Big Timber Brewing, Greenbrier Valley Brewing, and Weathered Ground Brewery have each entered multiple beers. They each selected what they think are their best representatives for the style categories they entered.
WV brewers want a GABF win
GABF results in past years have shown that one of the main factors in the number of medals a state wins is the number of entries its breweries submit. Like the lottery, you have to play in order to win. Through the years, West Virginia has not had many entires, so maybe it’s not a surprise that our chances of winning a medal have been slim. This year, we think West Virginia has a shot.
Prior to the festival’s October 5th awards ceremony, teams of brewing industry professionals will taste more than 9,300 beers from approximately 2,300 brewers in 107 unique beer-style categories to identify the three beers that best represent each category. The gold, silver and bronze medals the judges award are recognized around the world as symbols of brewing excellence.
It is no easy task to enter the GABF competition. Breweries have to bottle their entries in a manner required by the competition, package and ship the beer to Denver, and pay a hefty entry fee ($160 per beer for Brewers Association members; $385 per beer for non-members). Brilliant Stream commends our entering WV brewers for going to all the trouble and expense it takes to enter. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them.
Here are our medal contenders. Wish them luck.
[Beer name with style category in parenthesis]
Big Timber Brewing
- Jalapeño Pale Ale (Chili Beer)
- Logger Lager (German Pilsener)
- Overcast IPA (Juicy-Hazy IPA)
- River Cruiser Gose (Contemporary Gose)
- Porter (Robust Porter)
Greenbrier Valley Brewing
- Bat Boy (German-Style Schwarzbier)
- FestivAle (German-style Kolsch)
- 35 Parks (Juicy-Hazy Pale Ale)
- Devil Anse (American-style IPA)
Weathered Ground Brewery
- Haggard IPA (Juicy-Hazy IPA)
- #camplife (Juicy-Hazy Pale Ale)
- Enniskillen (Irish-style Dry Stout)
- Stop & Smell the Citrus (Juicy-Hazy Strong Pale Ale)
- More Haggard Than Haggard (Juicy-Hazy Double IPA)
Nothing like winning at GABF
The stamp of approval represented by a GABF medal is prima facia evidence that your brewing skills are at the top of the heap. In America, no other brewing award has the credence that a GABF medal does. You will never see a brewer prouder or more excited than when they walk across the stage to fist bump Charlie Papazian and receive their medal at GABF. It’s a thrilling moment.
Last year GABF awarded 306 medals to 280 American breweries. The festival takes place in Denver and runs from Oct. 3-5. GABF is operated by the Brewers Association.
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