The Brewers Association (BA) awarded 272 medals* to 240 breweries across America for the 2020 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, the world’s most prestigious professional beer competition. The best beers in 91 beer categories covering 170 different beer styles (including all subcategories) were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals during a virtual ceremony held on October 16.
Judges for the 34th edition of the pre-eminent competition evaluated 8,806 entries from 1,720 breweries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Socially distanced judging took place in 35 sessions over 18 days with strict safety measures in place.
“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 Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “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.”
Lotte Peplow, American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association, adds: “It’s great to see many Brewers Association Export Development Programme members winning top honours as their beers may be available in export markets around the world in the future. Beers from Boulevard Brewing Co, Denver Beer Co, Port City Brewing Co Rogue Ales, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co and many more all came away with medals. They will be worth seeking out for their full-flavour, incredible complexity and subtle nuances of character.”
View the 2020 winners or download a PDF list of the winners.
GABF Competition Statistics
- 34th edition of the GABF competition
- 8,806 beers judged
- 1,720 breweries in the competition from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
- 115 judges from 21 states
- Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 97
- Category with the highest number of entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (377)
- 272 total medals awarded
- 240 medal-winning breweries
- 337 first-time GABF entrants
- 19 first-time GABF winners
Most-Entered Style Categories
The winners of the top five most-entered categories were:
Category 58: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (377 entries) – Sponsored by The Cincinnati Insurance Companies
GOLD: Spellbinder, Wren House Brewing Co., Phoenix, AZ
SILVER: Yojo, Moonraker Brewing Co., Auburn, CA
BRONZE: Wicked Pawesome, Metazoa Brewing Co. – Stringtown Production Facility, Indianapolis, IN
Category 57: American Style India Pale Ale (355 entries) – Sponsored by The Ardagh Group
GOLD: IPA, Perry Street Brewing, Spokane, WA
SILVER: Updrift India Pale Ale, Pelican Brewing Co. – Tillamook, Tillamook, OR
BRONZE: Nothing Noble, Von Ebert Brewing – Pearl, Portland, OR
Category 39: German Style Pilsener (200 entries) – Sponsored by Micro Matic
GOLD: Sprockets, Gravely Brewing Co., Louisville, KY
SILVER: Prost Pils, Prost Brewing Co., Denver, CO
BRONZE: Pils, Kansas City Bier Co., Kansas City, MO
Category 28: Wood & Barrel-Aged Strong Stout (199 entries) – Sponsored by BeerHole
GOLD: A Night to End All Dawns, Kane Brewing Co., Ocean, NJ
SILVER: Ruckus, Melvin Brewing – Thai Me Up, Jackson, WY
BRONZE: Grasp of Oak, Moksa Brewing Co., Rocklin, CA
Category 60: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale (192 entries) – Sponsored by The Alison Group
GOLD: The Hopsplainer, Burke-Gilman Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
SILVER: Not A Scientist, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA
BRONZE: Sugar on My Tongue, Highland Park Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
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About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,500-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, SAVOR™: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Homebrew ConTM, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine, and Brewers Publications® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association® and the free Brew Guru® mobile app. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Issued on behalf of the Brewers Association, 1327 Spruce Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302 USA. www.brewersassociation.org
For further press information: Lotte Peplow at lotte@brewersassociation.org +44 (0)7973 698 414