Austin brewers win big at Great American Beer Festival

Austin brewers won key medals Saturday at this year's Great American Beer Festival.

Why it matters: GABF is America's premier beer competition, and winning one of the 300-plus medals helps put a brewery on the map.

• The festival, held in Denver, celebrated its 40th year and a return after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

By the numbers: The 2022 competition was the most competitive to date with 2,154 breweries submitting more than 9,900 beers.

Details: Austin Beer Garden Brewing — aka ABGB — took home two medals, a gold for Industry, a German-style pilsner, and a silver for The Beeginning, a honey beer.

What they're saying: "It's super special and a little emotional," owner Amos Love said, moments before he received his second medal.

Other Central Texas winners include: 

Gold medals: 

• Real Ale in Blanco for Firemans #4 in the golden or blond ale category.
• Lazarus in Austin for Black Pearl in the herb-and-spice beer category.
• Altstadt in Fredericksburg for Altstadt Lager in the Munich-style helles category.

• Pecan Street in Johnson City for Pecan Street Rye Lager in the rye beer category.

Silver medals:

• Meanwhile in Austin for Secret Beach in the American-style strong pale ale category.

Bronze medals: 

• Jester King in Austin for Atrial Rubicite in the Belgian fruit beer category.
• Pinthouse Pizza for Fresh Hop Training Bines in the fresh hop beer category.
• Pecan Street for Road Devil Amber in the German-style altbier category.
• Old 290 in Johnson City for Hell Raiser Bourbon Barrel Brown in the wood- and barrel-aged beer category.