Ohio brewers win 10 medals in national competition
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Ohio brewers won 10 medals at this year's Great American Beer Festival (GABF), Axios Denver's John Frank reports from the weekend awards ceremony in Colorado.
Why it matters: The festival is the nation's premier beer competition, so winning one of the 300-plus medals helps put a brewery on the map.
Yes, but: We couldn't help but notice that while Cincinnati took home five medals, Columbus breweries were snubbed. What gives?
Between the lines: Winning a GABF medal has always been difficult, but it was even harder this year.
- The competition was the most competitive to date, with 2,154 breweries submitting more than 9,900 beers, per the organizers.
- The festival celebrated its 40th year and a return after a two-year pandemic hiatus.
What they're saying: Justin Hemminger, deputy director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, tells Axios — and Columbus beer connoisseurs — that there's no cause for alarm.
- "The beers that they're making are as good as they've ever been and I'm sure they'll be back on the medal stand again soon," he assured us over email.
Details: Cleveland's Fat Head's continued its winning ways with a gold for Alpenglow, a German wheat, and a bronze for Bone Head, a strong red ale.
- Platform Beer in Cleveland also won twice — both silvers — for Second Hand Lions, a Belgian fruit beer, and New Cleveland, an international style pale ale.
Other winners:
- MadTree (Cincinnati), gold for Happy Amber, an extra special bitter ale.
- Sam Adams' operation in Cincinnati, gold for Just the Haze, a non-alcoholic beer.
- Big Ash (Cincinnati), gold for Symphony, a Vienna-style lager.
- Little Fish (Athens), gold for Apple Brandy Barrel Maker of Things, a barrel-aged sour.
- Sonder (Mason), silver for Kato, a coffee beer.
- Brink (Cincinnati), silver for Zoomie, in the coffee stout or porter category.
Flashback: In years past, local gold medal winners have included Wolf's Ridge's Daybreak coffee beer and Columbus Brewing Co.'s Creeper, an imperial IPA.
📬 What local brews do you think deserve a medal? Email [email protected] to tell us your favorites.