Tasting Five of Oregon’s 2014 GABF Winners

, Tasting Five of Oregon’s 2014 GABF WinnersEvery year Oregon is one of those states, along with Colorado and California, expected to rake in the awards at the Great American Beer Festival. And all three did, with Oregon bringing home their second highest total ever of 23 (8 gold, 8 silver, 7 bronze), with two brewers awarded with 3 each (Barley Browns Brew Pub and 10 Barrel Brewing).

What makes their performance impressive is the diversity of their wins. In a region historically known for brewing darker, roasted ales and experimental styles, the Beaver State surprised the masses.  The state captured Gold in both the most competitive category, American-Style IPA with a record 279 entries, but also in the Fruit Wheat Beer, Field Beer, Kellerbier, International Pale Ale, Fresh or Wet-Hop Ale, Indigenous/Regional Beer and Gluten Free Beer categories.

, Tasting Five of Oregon’s 2014 GABF WinnersHere are five of those awarded that you should check the shelves for or seek out in a bottle trade.

Gold for Gluten-Free Beer:

Dark Ale, Ground Breaker Brewing (Portland, OR) – If there’s something Portland knows how to do, it’s catering to the gluten-free crowd. Previously known as Harvester Brewing, Ground Breaker Brewing features roasted chestnuts grown by Randy, a farmer they exclusively work with in the Willamette Valley. This small operation prides themselves in being 100% Gluten Free. Their dark ale is created with dark chocolate roasted lentils, setting them apart from being just another sorghum beer. You can find their beers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.  5.6% ABV.

, Tasting Five of Oregon’s 2014 GABF WinnersSilver for American-Style Sour Ale:

Myrtle, The Commons Brewery (Portland, OR) – more than any other style today, Portland brewers find themselves excelling with their experimental barrel-aged sours and wild fermented beers. One of the flag bearers of the sour movement is Sean Burke of The Commons who’s use of yogurt to create their house grown lactobacillus has been paying dividends. This tart farmhouse ale, featuring that same lacto, has now brought home the silver two years in a row. The Myrtle features citrusy Meridian hops, further enhanced when they serve up their limited fresh hop version. 5.2% ABV.

, Tasting Five of Oregon’s 2014 GABF WinnersGold for American-Style India Pale Ale:

Breakside IPA, Breakside Brewery (Milwaukie, OR) – It’s quite a feat to capture the most competitive prize at GABF, even more so when your state isn’t exactly known for its IPA prowess. Breakside also cashed in with a Strong Pale Ale Bronze for their Wanderlust IPA. While these wins didn’t quite catch the locals by surprise being that Breakside’s  flagship has been in bottles around town for years, it did tell the world that yes, the West Coast style IPA is an Oregon thing too. Featuring four varieties of hops, their well-balanced IPA isn’t a one-off, rarely brewed creation being clamored for nationwide, though that may soon be the case. 6.4% ABV 65 IBU.

Silver for American-Style Brett Beer:

Peche ‘n Brett, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales (Hood River, OR) – speaking of beers in high demand, this unique beauty sells out so fast, we’ve heard stories of people fighting over the last display beer for sale at the brewery. Starting with a base of their award winning Seizoen Bretta, this wild/sour peach beer features one and a half pounds of peaches per gallon of Bretta, producing a secondary fermentation that’s complex, oaky and fruity in it’s dryness. If you’re lucky enough to find this, savor it. 10% ABV.

Bronze for American-Style Black Ale:

Turmoil, Barley Brown’s Beer (Baker City, OR) – after shocking the world with their IPA win last year, they picked up three more big wins including Gold for their Fresh-Hop Pallet Jack IPA and a Silver for Disorder, an American-Style Stout. If anything, we were disappointed they only deemed this one worthy of a bronze, though it won Gold in 2010 and Silver in 2012. This Dark or Black IPA, better known in the Northwest as a Cascadian Dark Ale, is a unique offering within the Black IPA style. For some reason, those brewed up here are extra roasty and malty, giving the brew a sweet dryness that counterbalances the bitterness of the hops. Barley Brown’s does this in a way that separates the CDA style from other Black Ales. 7.8% ABV

 

 

 

 

 

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