Press Release:
The 2014 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition awarded 268 medals to some of the best commercial breweries in the United States, plus three GABF Pro-Am medals. Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF is the largest commercial beer competition in the world and a symbol of brewing excellence. In its 28th year, the 2014 competition surpassed all previous participation records.
To accommodate growth, this year’s GABF competition saw its biggest panel of judges ever, with 222 beer experts from 10 countries evaluating 5,507 commercial entries, plus 89 Pro-Am entries, with assistance from some 150 competition volunteers. Award-winning brewers received prestigious gold, silver and bronze medals in 90 beer categories covering 145 different beer styles (encompassing subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the U.S. Winners were chosen from 5,507 competition entries (16 percent more than in 2013) from 1,309 breweries, hailing from 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
2014 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards Very Small Brewing Company and Very Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group (BSG)
Draught Works
Draught Works Brew Team
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Sponsored by O-I
Marble Brewery
Team Marble
Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Sponsored by Microstar Keg Management
Devils Backbone Brewing Co.—Outpost
DB Brewery Team
Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Sponsored by Beer Institute
AC Golden
AC Golden Brewing Team
Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.
Bastone Brewery
Rockne Van Meter
Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group (BSG)
Brasserie Saint James
Josh Watterson & Matt Watterson
Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year Sponsored by Country Malt Group
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing
Julian Shrago & Ian McCall
Overall Competition Highlights
Reflecting craft brewing’s surging popularity and sustained excellence nationwide, overall competition highlights include:
Fifty-two first-time entering breweries won awards.
Four breweries tied for most medals won, with three medals each:
10 Barrel Brewing Co.
Barley Brown’s Brew Pub
Devils Backbone Brewing Co.–Outpost
Left Hand Brewing Co.
Top three states by ratio of medals to entries by state:
New Jersey: 19% with 16 entries and three medals
Alaska: 13% with 16 entries and two medals – tied with – District of Columbia: 13% with 8 entries and one medal
New Mexico: 10% with 84 entries and eight medals
Style Categories
Since 2002, the most-entered category has been American-Style India Pale Ale (IPA), which saw 279 entries in 2014. The top five entered categories were:
American-Style India Pale Ale (279 entries)
Herb and Spice Beer (150 entries)
American-Style Pale Ale (145 entries)
American-Style Amber/Red Ale (140 entries)
Imperial India Pale Ale (135 entries)
The winners in the most-entered (that is, the most competitive) categories were:
1. American-Style India Pale Ale (279 entries)
Gold: Breakside Brewery, Breakside IPA
Silver: Half Acre Beer Co., Heyoka
Bronze: Columbus Brewing Co., Bodhi
2. Herb and Spice Beer (150 entries)
Gold: Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Basil Beer
Silver: 5 Stones Artisan Brewery, Aloha Piña
Bronze: Coastal Empire Beer Co., Dawn Patrol Breakfast Stout
3. American-Style Pale Ale (145 entries)
Gold: Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits– Sripps Ranch, Grunion
Silver: Peekskill Brewery, NYPA
Bronze: Tampa Bay Brewing Co., Reef Donkey APA
4. American-Style Amber/Red Ale (140 entries)
Gold: Canteen Brew House, Dougie Style Amber Ale
Silver: Capitol City Brewing Co., Amber Waves Ale
Bronze: Bootlegger’s Brewery, Rocco Red Ale
5. Imperial India Pale Ale (135 entries)
Gold: Columbus Brewing Co., Creeper
Silver: Port Brewing Co., Hop 15
Bronze: Russian River Brewing Co., Pliny the Elder
The 2014 GABF competition featured three new categories: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer, with 41 entries; Historical Beer, with 12 entries; and Kuyt Beer, which had no entries. There were two categories in which one of the three possible medals was not awarded:
English-Style Brown Ale (67 entries): no silver medal
Golden or Blonde Ale (90 entries): no gold medal
2014 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., Country Malt Group, Hopunion and White Labs
Gold, silver and bronze medals were also awarded in the GABF Pro-Am competition, which pairs amateur brewers with professional brewers, who scale up the award-winning homebrew recipes. The medal winners, including the winning professional brewers and American Homebrewers Association (AHA) member homebrewers are: Gold: Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish 80 Shilling, Bear Republic Brewing Co. Brewmaster: Team Bear Republic / Richard Norgrove, and AHA Member Michael Kelly Silver: Spencer Pale Ale, Kokopelli Beer Co. Brewmaster: Kokopelli Brew Crew, and AHA Member Daniel Christensen Bronze: I Wanna Rauch!, Springfield Brewing Co. Brewmaster: Ashton Lewis & Bruce Johnson, and AHA member Keith Wallis
Summary: 2014 Great American Beer Festival Statistics
*710 breweries in the festival hall
*More than 3,500 beers served at the festival
*49,000 attendees
*More than 3,200 volunteers
*1,309 breweries in the competition from 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
*5,507 beers judged (not including 89 Pro-Am competition entries), a 16 percent increase over 2013
*90 style categories judged, plus the Pro-Am competition
*222 judges from 10 countries
*Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 61.2 (excludes Pro-Am beers)
*Category with highest number of entries: American-Style India Pale Ale: 279
For more information, see the Brewers Association Website.