Monday, October 13, 2008

Great American Beer Fest - Wisconsin Edition, Part II

Posted by Jeff
And just like that ... it's over. Awards are handed out, and everyone come on home.

Wisconsin Winners:
American Style Cream Ale or Lager
-- Silver: Hamm's - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
-- Bronze: Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar Pale Ale - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

American Style Hefeweizen
-- Gold: Henry Weinhard's Hefeweizen - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

Gluten Free Beer
-- Silver: New Grist - Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI

Wood and Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Beer
-- Gold: Bourbon Barrel Barleywine - Central Waters Brewing Company, Amherst, WI

International-Style Pilsner
-- Bronze: OE 800 - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

American-Style Light Lager
-- Gold: Coors Light - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
-- Bronze: Keystone Light - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI
-- [ed note: the silver went to Old Milwaukee]

American-Style Lager
-- Bronze: Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

American-Style Dark Lager
-- Silver: Leinie's Creamy Dark - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, WI
-- Bronze: Henry Weinhard's Classic Dark - MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI

German-Style Strong Bock
-- Gold: Autumnal Fire - Capital Brewery Co., Inc., Middleton, WI

Scottish-Style Ale
-- Silver: Dells Chief Amber Ale - Dells Brewing Company, Wisconsin Dells, WI

German Style Altbier
-- Silver: Railyard Ale - Titletown Brewing Company, Green Bay, WI

Old Ale or Strong Ale
-- Bronze: Old Scratch Barley Wine '99 - Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., Madison, WI

There you have it, your 2008 Great American Beer Fest Winners from Wisconsin. Congratulations to everyone that won. I'll keep my opinions to myself on this one and just leave it at congrats.

I have two comments:
1) What is Henry Weinhard's? Where is it available? I've never heard of it. Have any of you readers ever had any of it?
2) I've got to try the OE 800. Any competition that can give a medal to Old f-in' English is A-OK in my book.

Some notes on perusing the winner's list:
- Anheuser-Busch was Large Brewing Company of the Year despite having gotten bought out this year - guess InBev bought a good brewery, to wit, the item directly below
- Anheuser-Busch swept the American-Style Specialty Lager with the powerhouse lineup of Hurrican High Gravity, Natural Ice, and Busch Ice
- No brewery East of the Mississippi won any of the 'hop' categories - in fact, only Rock Hopera, an Imperial Red Ale, from Vino's Pizza Pub and Brewery in Little Rock, AR was East of Colorado.
- Dogtoberfest from Flying Dog Brewery won Gold in the German-Style Marzen category - this was one of the Oktobers that I had wanted to include in our Oktoberfest tasting, but didn't happen.
- Obscure Style Award: Kellerbier/Zwickelbier - all three medalists are in Texas or New Mexico. I've never even heard of these styles. A kellerbier is "an unfiltered lager, usually strongly flavored with aromatic hops." Zwickelbier is a highly effervescent (carbonated) version of the kellerbier.
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6 comments:

  1. I once had a Henry Weinhard's Root Beer at Old Chicago. I knew they were a miller brand, and my speculation would be that they use the brand to place some of their R and D beers into competitions like this. Though the Henry Weinhard's website says they are out of Oregon. Weird.
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  2. Henry's is a PNW brand that had been independent until Heileman's bought them in the 80's(?) We just got Dogtoberfest in (stop in for some) it's also one that I've been meaning to try, but haven't gotten around to.
    Congrats to Central Waters!
    cheers
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  3. It is now official that Miller/Coors has the most prize-winning ghetto beers in the US. I tried the OE800 at the GABF and it was a singularly unremarkable alcohol-delivery agent. The server asked me if I had tried OE800 lately and I was forced to tell her "Not since I was 16 and wanted to get drunk really cheap". She didn't even look offended.

    RE: Keller beer. I had never heard of it either, but, as I recall, the silver medalist was "Hell In Keller". It deserved a medal for the name alone.

    One of the highlights of the event was watching Jamie from Moosejaw pick up her scotch ale silver medal in the hottest pink brewer boots ever to cross the GABF stage...Priceless! It is a great beer and a well-deserved medal.
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  4. Congrats to all the Wisconsin breweries that won.

    The fact that OE800 gets a medal makes me giggle a lot. Isn't the city of Madison trying to discourage the sale of that award winning beer downtown? hee hee hee hee.
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  5. Wood and Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Beer
    -- Gold: Bourbon Barrel Barleywine - Central Waters Brewing Company, Amherst, WI

    That was one of my favorites of the whole show. Overall Central Waters had good stuff - will definitly try to head there next time I am in Wisconsin. They didn't win anything but the Grumpy Troll had fine beer too.
    ReplyDelete
  6. Henry's is definitely a northwestern beer. Been to the brewery in Portland; nice place btw. It's one of the cheaper beers that you can find at Seattle-area grocery stores. Definitely worth it for the money.
    ReplyDelete

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