California Scores Big at GABF!
The 2016 Great American Beer Festival was, yet again, bigger and better than ever. Featuring some 3,800 beers from more than 800 breweries, the 35th annual GABF was yet again a showcase for California’s craft brewers. California took home a total of 68 medals. Big congratulations to Karl Strauss Brewing Company for winning the “Mid-sized Brewing Company of the Year” award!!
Winners were chosen from 7,227 competition entries (nearly 9 percent more than the 6,647 entries in 2015 and surpassing all previous participation records) from 1,752 breweries hailing from 50 states plus Washington, D.C
2016 GABF Fun Facts:
- Neither a gold nor a silver medal were awarded in the Pumpkin/Squash Beer category.
- This reporter observed a roughly 22% increase in the number of pretzel necklaces.
- This reporter did not participate in either the silent disco or karaoke. Maybe next year.
CCBA Member Breweries won the following medals at the 2016 GABF. For a full list of winners click here.
Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Karl Strauss Brewing Co. – San Diego, San Diego, CA
Category 3: American-Style Fruit Beer – 106 Entries
Silver: Miss IPPA, Peter B’s Brewpub, Monterey, CA
Category 5: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer – 61 Entries
Gold: Apricot Wheat, Wiens Brewing Co./Wiens Family Cellars, Temecula, CA
Category 8: Chili Beer – 112 Entries
Silver: The Contender IPA with Fresh Chilis, Duck Foot Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category 11: Chocolate Beer – 46 Entries
Bronze: 4th Gear (4th Anniversary), Kinetic Brewing Co., Lancaster, CA
Category 12: Coffee Beer – 168 Entries
Silver: Dusk ‘til Dawn – SC, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA
Bronze: Zumbar Chocolate Coffee Imperial Stout, New English Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category 13: Specialty Beer – 54 Entries
Gold: Campfire Stout, High Water Brewing, Stockton, CA
Silver: Good Conduct, Fieldwork Brewing Co., Berkeley, CA
Category 14: Rye Beer – 81 Entries
Silver: Rock-Biter Roggenbier, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., El Granada, CA
Category 15: Honey Beer – 64 Entries
Silver: Spring Fever, FiftyFifty Brewing Co., Truckee, CA
Bronze: Belgian Honey Blonde Ale, No Clue Craft Brewery, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Category 16: Session Beer – 52 Entries
Silver: Oatmeal Stout, Benchmark Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category 17: Session India Pale Ale – 118 Entries
Silver: Pace Car Racer, Bear Republic Brewing Co. – Production Facility, Cloverdale, CA
Bronze: Mosaic Session IPA, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. – San Diego, San Diego, CA
Category 18: Other Strong Beer – 46 Entries
Bronze: Muir Woods Coastal Red, Barebottle Brewing Co., San Francisco, CA
Category 19: Experimental Beer – 87 Entries
Silver: Wineification II, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Category 23: American-Belgo-Style Ale – 70 Entries
Gold: Mischief, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Category 24: American-Style Sour Ale – 142 Entries
Gold: Queen of Tarts, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. – San Diego, San Diego, CA
Category 26: Mixed-Culture Brett Beer – 65 Entries
Gold: Fünke Hop Farm, Sudwerk Brewing Co., Davis, CA
Silver: White Label, Almanac Beer Co., San Francisco, CA
Category 27: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 66 Entries
Bronze: Rye Robustito, Drake’s Brewing Co., San Leandro, CA
Category 28: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 159 Entries
Bronze: 15th Anniversary Ale, Island Brewing Co., Carpinteria, CA
Category 31: Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 82 Entries
Gold: Razz-Jerry Tart, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery – Brea, Brea, CA
Category 32: Aged Beer – 40 Entries
Bronze: Winter Wheatwine 2007, Rubicon Brewing Company Pub, Sacramento, CA
Category 38: American-Style Cream Ale – 65 Entries
Gold: El Sully, 21st Amendment Brewery, San Leandro, CA
Category 39: American-Style Amber Lager or Dark Lager – 108 Entries
Gold: Casa Azul, El Segundo Brewing Co., El Segundo, CA
Bronze: Lighter Than I Look, Figueroa Mountain Brewing – Buellton, Buellton, CA
Category 41: Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 62 Entries
Gold: Sweet Ride, Bagby Beer Co., Oceanside, CA
Category 43: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 46 Entries
Bronze: Figtoberfest, Figueroa Mountain Brewing – Westlake Village, Westlake Village, CA
Category 46: European-Style Dark Lager/Munich-Style Dunkel – 38 Entries
Gold: I Dunkled in My Pants, Figueroa Mountain Brewing – Buellton, Buellton, CA
Category 47: German-Style Schwarzbier – 47 Entries
Bronze: Once You Go Schwarz…, Figueroa Mountain Brewing – Arroyo Grande, Arroyo Grande, CA
Category 48: Bock – 36 Entries
Gold: Breakline Bock, Rip Current Brewery, San Marcos, CA
Category 50: Baltic-Style Porter – 41 Entries
Silver: Apogee Baltic Porter, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Category 51: Golden or Blonde Ale – 115 Entries
Silver: Miss Conduct, Moonraker Brewing Co., Auburn, CA
Category 53: English-Style Summer Ale – 68 Entries
Bronze: Liquid AC, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. – La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
Category 56: Australian-Style or International-Style Pale Ale – 90 Entries
Silver: Mai Tai P.A., Alvarado Street Brewery, Salinas, CA
Category 58: American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 169 Entries
Gold: Good Green, Highland Park Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
Bronze: HFS, Alpine Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Category 59: American-Style India Pale Ale – 312 Entries
Silver: Super Cali IPA, Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach, CA
Bronze: Breaking Bud, Knee Deep Brewing Co., Auburn, CA
Category 60: Imperial India Pale Ale – 211 Entries
Silver: Nobility, Noble Ale Works, Anaheim, CA
Category 61: American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 114 Entries
Bronze: Sabre-Toothed Squirrel, Smog City Brewing Co., Torrance, CA
Category 64: English-Style Mild Ale – 44 Entries
Bronze: Old Town Brown, Auburn Alehouse, Auburn, CA
Category 65: Ordinary or Special Bitter – 39 Entries
Gold: DBA (Double Barrel Ale), Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Special Bitter, Redwood Curtain Brewing Co., Arcata, CA
Category 66: Extra Special Bitter – 71 Entries
Bronze: Mother Earth ESB, Mother Earth Brew Co., Vista, CA
Category 68: Irish-Style Red Ale – 80 Entries
Bronze: Riley’s Irish Red, The Packinghouse Brewing Co., Riverside, CA
Category 70: American-Style Brown Ale – 84 Entries
Gold: Brown, Culture Brewing Co., Solana Beach, CA
Category 72: German-Style Sour Ale – 141 Entries
Bronze: Farmers Market Citrus Gose, Sudwerk Brewing Co., Davis, CA
Category 74: South German-Style Hefeweizen – 111 Entries
Gold: Windansea Wheat, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. – San Diego, San Diego, CA
Category 81: Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale – 74 Entries
Silver: Chaos is a Friend of Mine, Beachwood Blendery, Long Beach, CA
Bronze: Roes Red, Pure Project, San Diego, CA
Category 87: Robust Porter – 94 Entries
Gold: Tabula Rasa Toasted Porter, Second Chance Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Silver: Shallow Grave, Heretic Brewing Co., Fairfield, CA
Bronze: Point Reyes Porter, Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, CA
Category 90: American-Style Stout – 55 Entries
Bronze: The Volcanist, Societe Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Category 92: Oatmeal Stout – 61 Entries
Gold: Sless’ Oatmeal Stout, Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Fairfax, CA
Bronze: Feelin’ Your Oats, SLO Brew, San Luis Obispo, CA
Category 93: Imperial Stout – 91 Entries
Silver: Gatling Gun Imperial Stout, BNS Brewing & Distilling Co., Santee, CA
Bronze: Iron Triangle Jawbone, Iron Triangle Brewing Co., Los Angeles, CA
Category 96: Barley Wine-Style Ale – 60 Entries
Gold: AleSmith Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
