Due to the pandemic, the beer-tasting free-for-all that is Denver’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF) did not take place this year, but its highly anticipated competition component did. Thanks to the ingenuity and elbow grease of the Brewers Association (BA), the craft-brewing industry’s national trade organization, and the dedication of 115 qualified beer judges who traveled to Denver from far and wide to evaluate the 8,806 entries submitted by 1,720 breweries from all 50 states, the 34th edition of the world’s largest annual professional brewing competition did not fall victim to COVID-19.
If the number of entries sounds astoundingly high, that’s because it is. In previous years, as the total number of U.S. breweries has skyrocketed to well over 8,200, the BA has limited the number of entries brewing companies may enter. But, figuring there would be no physical event and expecting lower turnout as a result, the BA allowed breweries to enter as many beers as they wished, leading to the most highly contested GABF in history.
“This year’s GABF competition may have looked a little different, but the beers entered into the competition were as impressive and innovative as ever,” said the BA’s Competition Manager, Chris Swersey. “This has arguably been one of the most challenging years breweries have ever faced, so we hope these awards serve as a symbol not only of brewing excellence but also the resiliency of the craft-brewing community as a whole.”
The winners from the 2020 GABF were announced this afternoon via The Brewing Network. Medals were awarded in 91 categories covering 170 different beer styles. San Diego breweries were awarded a total of 13 of them (three gold, seven silver, three bronze). Last year, the county’s breweries nabbed 18 medals, following 16 medals in 2018, 14 medals in 2017, 18 medals in 2016 and 19 medals in 2015.
San Marcos’ Wild Barrel Brewing took gold for the base beer it uses for the various fruited versions of its Vice Berliner weisse line. Carmel Mountain Ranch’s Second Chance Beer Co. was the only single brewery location to win two awards. Pizza Port also took two medals with one each for its Carlsbad (San Diego’s third gold for its Locals Only) and Ocean Beach brewpubs. San Diego brewers came a gold short of sweeping the Session or Non-Alcohol Beer category with a silver from Pizza Port and a bronze for Two Roots Brewing.
The following is a full list of this year’s winning local beers…
GOLD
- American-style Sour Ale: Vice Sans Fruit, Wild Barrel Brewing (San Marcos)
- International Pale Ale: Locals Only, Pizza Port (Carlsbad)
- Robust Porter: Tabula Rasa, Second Chance Beer Co. (Carmel Mountain Ranch)
SILVER
- Session or Non-Alcohol Beer: Guillaume, Pizza Port (Ocean Beach)
- Fruited American-style Sour Ale: Peach Afternoon, Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey (San Marcos)
- Golden or Blonde Ale: Salty Crew, Coronado Brewing (Coronado)
- International Pale Ale: Carlsbad Crush, Burgeon Beer (Carlsbad)
- German-style Sour Ale: Slightly Sour, Second Chance Beer Co. (Carmel Mountain Ranch)
- Specialty Berliner-style Weisse: Glitz & Glam, Eppig Brewing (Vista)
- Fresh Hop Beer: Fresh Hop Ride The Pine, Belching Beaver Brewery – Tavern & Grill (Vista)
BRONZE
- Session or Non-Alcohol Beer: Straight Drank N/A IPA, Two Roots Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
- Bohemian-style Pilsener: Tres Tres, OB Brewery (Ocean Beach)
- Belgian-style Strong Specialty Ale: Hell Camino Belgian Quad, Dos Desperados Brewery (San Marcos)
Pacific Beach-based company Karl Strauss Brewing’s Anaheim brewpub also took a gold in the coffee category for its Golden Stout.
The complete list of all of the winners from the 2020 GABF can be viewed here