Washington state brews win 24 medals at World Beer Cup
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Washington breweries won 24 medals in this year's World Beer Cup, bringing home the third-most awards of any U.S. state.
Why it matters: For the layperson, the prestigious awards can serve as a guide to this year's must-try beers in Seattle and around the region.
- They also fuel our sense of local pride — sure, the sun is a rarity here, but at least we have good beer.
How it works: The annual contest pits Washington's beers and ciders against the best from around the world, in what organizers call "the Olympics of beer competitions."
Zoom in: Nine beers from Seattle breweries picked up awards.
- Cloudburst Brewing won first place in the strong red ale category for Peaked In High School, along with a silver medal for Ebb and Flow, an American-style amber lager.
- Reuben's Brews similarly received double honors: a silver medal for its robust porter and another silver for its Three Ryes Men barleywine, which ranked second among barley wine-style ales.
- Georgetown Brewing Co.'s Gusto Crema was honored as the world's third-best coffee beer.
Other Seattle honorees were:
- Seapine Brewing Co.'s Rainbow Suspenders, which won bronze in the experimental IPA category;
- Project 9 Brewing's Lights Out, which placed third among American-style imperial stouts;
- Stoup Brewing on Capitol Hill, which won bronze for its export stout;
- And Fair Isle Brewing, which snagged second place in the mixed-culture Brett beer category for Bobbi, its hoppy saison.
Zoom out: In a testament to the strength of the state's brewing culture outside Seattle, 15 beers from other Washington breweries received awards.
- Those included six gold medals won by breweries in Spokane, Camas, Bremerton, Bellingham, Bellevue and Battle Ground.
By the numbers: Judges evaluated close to 8,400 beers from about 1,800 breweries, doling out 349 total awards.
- California beers picked up 76 medals — the largest haul of any U.S. state — while brews from Oregon picked up 35 awards, the second-highest tally.
- Colorado was the fourth-most honored state, taking home 21 awards, while breweries in Texas won 13 awards, the fifth-highest total.
The bottom line: If you're planning to sample some of the best beers Seattle has to offer, the above list is a great place to start.
- You can view the full list of winners here.