GABF - The Results.

We had a great time at GABF this year and look forward to many more, our only disappointment was the fact no Nebraska breweries took home medals this year. SADFACE I attribute that to the bar being significantly raised this year by a lot of people.  I saw breweries winning medals that I hadn't heard of before.  That meant some of the stalwarts that have won year in and year out were not present in categories they have dominated in the past.  It was a very surprising event for me.  

Here is a list of the big awards.

2012 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Microstar Keg Management

Funkwerks
Funkwerks Brewing Team

This is great because if you have been to the Great Nebraska Beer Festival the last 2 years you have had the privilege of trying their beer, CONGRATS!!

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group

Tröegs Brewing Company
John Trogner III

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by The Beer Institute

Pabst Brewing Company
Gregory Deuhs

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.

Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Basecamp
Devils Backbone Brewery Team

These guys seemed to win everything.

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group

The Church Brew Works
Steve Sloan

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group Brewer of the Year
Sponsored by Brewers Supply Group

Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company
Rob Lobreglio 

I know the Nebraska brewers are going to come back even stronger next year and by the looks of things craft beer is doing great in the US.  I rarely had a bad beer and we rarely hit the popular spots, that was on purpose.  The state of craft beer, even with the growth, is doing quite well.  You would be hard pressed to travel anywhere in this country and not find a solid beer.

Here is the PDF of the winners. 

I would also encourage you to check out the press release from the Brewers Association.

Here are some stats that point out what I was talking about.

Overall Competition Highlights

Reflecting craft brewing's increasing popularity nationwide, across state and regional borders, overall competition highlights include:

• The 2012 competition saw winners from across America, indicating that more than ever, ambitious brewers are opening breweries and producing extremely high quality beer brands in once unlikely locations.
• Tap It Brewing Company of San Luis Obispo, Calif.—a first-time medal winner—took home a gold medal in the most competitive GABF competition category, American-Style India Pale Ale.
• Wyoming was the winningest state by number of entries, with 17.4 percent of the state's 46 entries earning medals, while three of the six Brewery of the Year award-winning breweries were located in the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Summary: 2012 Great American Beer Festival Statistics

• 578 breweries in the festival hall
• More than 2,700 beers served at the festival
• 49,000 attendees
• Approximately 2,800 volunteers
• 666 breweries in the competition from 48 states, Washington, D.C. and Guam
• 4,338 beers judged (includes 94 Pro-Am competition entries), a more than 10 percent increase over 2011
• 84 style categories judged, plus the Pro-Am competition
• 185 judges from 11 countries
• Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 50.6
• Category with highest number of entries: American-Style India Pale Ale, 203

One of the biggest surprises for me was how many medals Spoetzl, the brewer responsible for the Shiner line of beers, won, 3 Golds!  Those are readily available beers and they medaled in a few categories.  

There will be more posts to come!

Nate