American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
(Photo by Bart Van der Perre)
European brewers have a rich histories and admirable traditions. But American breweries are increasingly making their mark abroad, most recently in two important beer competitions.
The Brussels Beer Challenge, which was judged from October 26th to November 6th, saw American craft brewers win 31 awards…nine golds, 12 silvers, and ten bronzes.
And Portland, Oregon’s Reuben’s Brews Crikey IPA was voted best North American beer of the competition.
| Brewery | Beer | Category | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewery Ommegang | Three Philosophers | Belgian-Style Strong Dark Ale | Silver |
| Cigar City Brewing, Co. | Fancy Papers Hazy IPA | Speciality India Pale Ale | Bronze |
| Denver Beer Co | Graham Cracker Porter | Beer With Alternative Cereals | Silver |
| Deschutes Brewery | Blue Butterfly | New-Style Saison | Gold |
| Eppig Brewing | 10:45 To Denver | New-Style India Pale Ale | Gold |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Co. | Big Mood | Belgian-Style Lambic And Geuze | Silver |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Co. | Double Barrel Ale | English-Style Bitter | Silver |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Co. | Parabola | Wood And Barrel Aged Strong Beer | Gold |
| Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company | Infusion A | Herb And Spice Beer | Bronze |
| Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company | Q.O.R.I.S. The Quasher Quadruple Oatmeal Imperial Stout | Ultra Strong Beer | Gold |
| Indeed Brewing Company | Wooden Soul: Cherry Dust | Wood And Barrel Aged Sour Beer | Silver |
| Indeed Brewing Company | LSD | Herb And Spice Beer | Gold |
| Lakefront Brewery | My Turn Series: Juvarr | Honey Beer | Bronze |
| Saranac Brewery/FX Matt Brewing Co. | Saranac Pale Ale | Traditional Style Pale Ale | Gold |
| Saranac Brewery/FX Matt Brewing Co. | Saranac Legacy IPA 2.0 | Traditional India Pale Ale | Gold |
| Ska Brewing Company | True Blonde Ale | English-Style Golden Ale | Bronze |
| Taxman Brewing Company | Qualified | Belgian-Style Strong Dark Ale | Bronze |
| The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery | Mecktoberfest | German-Style Märzen | Gold |
| The Virginia Beer Company | Elbow Patches | Stout | Bronze |
| Wormtown Brewery | Spies like Us | Imperial Stout | Gold |
The European Beer Star, which took place for the 17th time in October, is a prestigious competition committed to the traditional European art of brewing, recognizing authenticity and quality in a contest that is limited to beer categories that originate in Europe.
The 2020 competition welcomed 2,036 entrants from 42 countries, of which 208 beers were from the United States. Judging took place at the Doemens Brewing Academy, Munich.
And American craft breweries won 22 medals…11 gold, five silver, and six bronze at the 2020 European Beer Star competition.
| Brewery | Beer | Category | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co | B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout | Stout/Porter: Russian Imperial Stout | Silver |
| Deschutes Brewery | Blue Butterfly | Pale & Amber Ale: Modern Saison | Silver |
| Three Weavers Brewing, Co. | Day Job Pale Ale | Pale & Amber Ale: American Pale Ale | Silver |
| Revision Brewing Company | Disco Ninja | Pale & Amber Ale: New England IPA | Silver |
| Lakefront Brewery | Eastside Dark | Lager: Dark/Dunkel | Silver |
| Oskar Blues Brewery | Mama’s Little Yella Pils | Lager: Bohemian-Style Pilsner | Silver |
| Revision Brewing Company | Revision IPA | Pale & Amber Ale: American IPA | Silver |
| Boulevard Brewing Company | Tank 7 | Pale & Amber Ale: Double Saison | Silver |
| Societe Brewing Company | The Pupil | Pale & Amber Ale: Pacific IPA | Silver |
| Taxman Brewing Company | Deduction | Dark Ale: Abbey/Trappist Style Dubbel | Bronze |
| The Virginia Beer Company | Evil Santa | Specialty Beer: Winter Ales | Bronze |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Company | Feral One | Specialty Beer: Old Style Gueze-Lambic | Bronze |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Company | Firestone Lager | Lager: American-Style Pilsner | Bronze |
| Quarter Celtic Brewpub | Mac Lomas Stout | Stout/Porter: Dry Stout | Bronze |
| Champion Brewing Company | Missile | Pale & Amber Ale: Ameircan IPA (> 6.5 ABV) | Bronze |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Company | Parabola | Flavoured Beer: Oak Aged | Bronze |
| Oskar Blues Brewery | Slow Chill Dunkel Lager | Lager: Dark/Dunkel | Bronze |
| Societe Brewing Company | The Harlot | Specialty Beer: Specialty Beer (<7 ABV) | Bronze |
| No-Li Brewhouse | Born and Raised | Pale & Amber Ale: Ameircan IPA (> 6.5 ABV) | Gold |
| Reuben’s Brews | Crikey IPA | Pale & Amber Ale: Pacific IPA | Gold |
| Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. | Dadgum Coffee IPA | Flavoured Beer: Coffee | Gold |
| Anderson Valley Brewing Company | Huge Arker | Flavoured Beer: Oak Aged | Gold |
| Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co | Peanut Butter Hazelnut Caramel Chocolate Cake Stout | Flavoured Beer: Chocolate | Gold |
| Taxman Brewing Company | Qualified | Dark Ale: Strong Dark Ale | Gold |
| Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. | Rumpy | Flavoured Beer: Herb & Spice | Gold |
| Quarter Celtic Brewpub | Vienna Festbier | Lager: Vienna Lager | Gold |
| No-Li Brewhouse | Wrecking Ball | Stout/Porter: Russian Imperial Stout | Gold |
Adam Robbings, co-founder of Reuben’s Brews, on the importance of its beers being acknowledged in Europe…
“Independent expert reviews is a key way of assessing the quality of our beer, and winning medals shows that technically we are on the right track. It’s a great way of providing feedback to our brewers, too!”
“We view Brussels Beer Challenge and European Beer Star as important international competitions to do well in, and winning a medal in Europe is particularly sweet!”
Congratulations to all of this year’s big winners…Live long and prosper.
