ARIZONA RECOGNIZED FOR BREWING EXCELLENCE AT WORLD’S LARGEST COMMERCIAL BEER COMPETITION
Tempe, Arizona • 10/07/19 —Arizona breweries were awarded eight medals at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, the world’s largest commercial beer competition.
| Medal | Beer | Brewery | City | Category |
| Gold | Taildragger Clan-Destine | Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. | Goodyear | Scottish-Style Ale |
| Gold | Salt River | Historic Brewing Co. | Flagstaff | American-Style Fruit Beer |
| Silver | Ales from the Crypt: Te Quiero | O.H.S.O. Brewery – Gilbert | Gilbert | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout |
| Silver | Oktoberfest | Huss Brewing Co. | Tempe | American-Style Amber Lager |
| Silver | Valley Beer | Wren House Brewing Co. | Phoenix | American-Style Lager or American-Style Pilsner |
| Silver | Go Kart Mozart | MotoSonora Brewing Co. | Tucson | India Pale Lager or Malt Liquor |
| Bronze | Boom Dynamite | O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery | Phoenix | American-Style Fruit Beer |
| Bronze | White Russian | SunUp Brewing Co. | Phoenix | Coffee Stout or Porter |
The medal count is one shy of Arizona’s record in 1998 when the state breweries captured 9. Competition for medals has become considerably more difficult over the last 5 years due to the growth in the number of breweries and the popularity of the contest.
Saddle Mountain Brewing Company won its third consecutive gold medal for Taildragger Clan-Destine, a Scottish-Style Ale. Only a handful of breweries can claim such an accomplishment in the 33-year history of the competition. Historic Brewing Company also won Gold in the American-Style Fruit Beer category for their Salt River.
O.H.S.O. Brewery collected 2 medals, the Gilbert location won Silver for Ales from the Crypt: Te Quiero in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category while Boom Dynamite took bronze for American-Style Fruit Beer. Rounding off the Arizona silver medals was Huss Brewing Co with their Oktoberfest American-Style Amber Lager, the American-Style Lager or American-Style Pilsner category went to Wren House Brewing’s Valley Beer, and Tucson newcomer MotoSonora Brewing’s Malt Liquor Go-Kart Mozart.
SunUp Brewing Co’s White Russian took bronze in Coffee Stout or Porter.
“Our breweries have fought hard to establish that Arizona belongs in the national beer conversation and it’s gratifying to see that we’re getting recognition at the highest level,” said Rob Fullmer, Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. “Our educational efforts and conferences have really paid off and our breweries have really pushed us to up our game.”
The GABF, presented by the Brewers Association, recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded on October 5 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, in 107 beer categories covering 174 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the country.
In the 33rd edition of the GABF competition, 9,497 entries were submitted to the general competition, along with 113 Pro-Am and 70 Collaboration entries. The beer was made by 2,295 breweries from across the nation, with entries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Judging took place over the course of three days, with an international panel of 322 judges from 18 countries.
“This year’s GABF competition was the largest and most competitive to date,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “The beers and talent were as impressive as ever, and I’m thrilled to congratulate this year’s winners for their achievements in brewing.”
For more GABF competition information, including the 2019 winners list and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.
Arizona specific photos can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1g0eeVfJne3_gxaD-UQX9XjPHB4u9t6UK?usp=sharing
For the PDF version of this release, click here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=13Kd8ma5IJS103HjvmGJi_df0KYvXoVsz
