2020 NAGBW Awards

To coincide with the Great American Beer Festival, the North American Guild of Beer Writers held their their annual awards ceremony on October 17th. You can read about the Pennsylvania brewery winners at the 2020 GABF here.

The below is the list of the 2020 NAGBW Awards and links to their works (when / where applicable).

Best Beer Review:

• Big Two Hearted — The Fascinating Story of Bell’s Iconic IPA by David Nilsen, Pellicle Magazine
• Brut Strength: A New Lost Abbey Venture by Ian Cheesman, West Coaster San Diego
• Where the Wild Things Are — The Joy of Harvey’s Sussex Best by Matthew Curtis, Pellicle Magazine

They also announced an honorable mention for: A Wake-Up Call — Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Breakfast by Jonny Garrett, Good Beer Hunting

Best Short Form Writing:

• Dirt Roads and Dead Deer – Kros Strain Brewery’s Vienna Lager by Mark Spence, Good Beer Hunting
• Meet The 99-Year-Old Who’s Still Volunteering at Union Craft Brewing by Michael Stein, Washington City Paper
• Cranberries in your beer? For Thanksgiving, look for styles that balance the tannic and tart fruit by Zak Stambor, Chicago Tribune

Best Book:

• Craft: An Argument by Pete Brown
• A Brief History of Lager: 500 Years of the World’s Favourite Beer by Mark Dredge
• Historical Brewing Techniques: The Lost Art of Farmhouse Brewing by Lars Marius Garshol

They also announced an honorable mention for: Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing by Jonathan Shikes

Best Historical Writing:

• Flying With Clipped Wings — West Kerry Brewery, County Kerry, Ireland by Breandán Kearney, Good Beer Hunting
• Pandemic, Interrupted — A Besieged Beer Scene in 1918 Milwaukee by Brian Alberts, Good Beer Hunting
• Craft Beer’s Unlikely Alchemist by Theresa McCulla, Gastronomica

Best Technical Writing:

• The Intersection of Finance and Data by Douglas Veliky, Beer Crunchers
• Foeder Gatherers — Tracing the Growing Popularity of Beer’s New Favorite Vessel by Lily Waite, Good Beer Hunting
• A Fire Being Kindled — The Revolutionary Story of Kveik, Norway’s Extraordinary Farmhouse Yeast by Claire Bullen, Good Beer Hunting

They also announced an honorable mention for: Welcome to Fringe Division — The Innovative Malting Technology That’s Producing Better Beer by Matthew Curtis, Good Beer Hunting

Best Beer and Food Writing:

• Craft Cousins: Beer & Chocolate by David Nilsen, Cacao Magazine
• Malts and Meats: Crafting Beer-Based Barbecue by John Carruthers, Craft Beer & Brewing
• Native Vinegar Co. is just starting, but it already has thousands of workers by Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With an honorable mention for: Michelin-starred Band of Bohemia isn’t Chicago’s best brewery — but here’s why it’s among the most essential by Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune

Best Beer Travel Writing:

• Amazing, Quirky Beers of Lithuania by Jeff Alworth, Beervana Blog
• If you want craft beer in Munich, it’s pure Helles by Martyn Cornell, Zythophile Blog
• Where the Streets are Paved with Bottle Caps — Exploring Berlin’s Nascent Craft Beer Scene by Lily Waite, Good Beer Hunting

An honorable mention for: A Lifetime Spent Weathering the Storm — Adnams Brewery in Suffolk, U.K. by Adrian Tierney-Jones, Good Beer Hunting

Best Beer Business Writing:

• Colorado Loses HQ: Why Molson Coors Had to Leave – and What Denver is Learning in Its Wake by Ed Sealover, Denver Business Journal
• Chicago craft breweries scramble amid coronavirus downturn, trying to react to a crisis they don’t quite understand by Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune
• Coming in Hot With the Cold Snacks — How Montucky Became the Most Successful Beer Brand You’ve Never Heard Of by Kate Bernot, Good Beer Hunting

An honorable mention was also given to: Healthier Booze: It’s a Lifestyle (Trend) by Joe Stange, Craft Beer & Brewing

Best Beer Criticism, Essay, and / or Commentary:

• Under the Influence by Beth Demmon, Caña Magazine
• Mutated Anxieties — Living (and Parenting) While Black in the Face of Law Enforcement and COVID-19 by Jamaal Lemon, Good Beer Hunting
• Craft, Community, and Children: The State of Parenting in the American Beer Industry by Beth Demmon, CraftBeer.com

Best Beer Blog:

• Larsblog by Lars Marius Garshol
• Zythophile by Martyn Cornell
• Pints and Panels by Em Sauter

Best Beer Podcast, Radio, Broadcast, or Audio:

• Good Beer Hunting Podcast by Good Beer Hunting Staff, Good Beer Hunting
• Beerlandia Podcast by Jeremy Storton, 1859 Oregon’s Magazine
• Beer Sessions Radio by Jimmy Carbone, Heritage Radio Network

An honorable mention was given to: Cabin Fever by Eoghan Walsh, Brussels Beer City

Best Local Beer Reporting:

• Bringing Everyone in — How Temescal’s Queer First Fridays Became One of Beer’s Most Inclusive Events by Ashley Rodriguez, Good Beer Hunting
• Gravity of the Situation — Has 450 North Addressed Its Quality Control Issues … and Does Anyone Care? by Kate Bernot, Good Beer Hunting
• Beer industry burnout brings lauded Texas brewer to Chicago for a new chapter and a new project, Keeping Together by Josh Noel, Chicago Tribune

Honorable mention: The Pursuit of Freshness — Admiral Maltings in Alameda, California by Alyssa Pereira, Good Beer Hunting

Best National or International Beer Reporting:

• Crisis at the Fire Front — Australia’s Brewing Industry Deals with Disaster as Bushfires Rage by Luke Robertson, Good Beer Hunting
• Say It Out Loud — Who Do Breweries Talk About When They Talk About “Community”? by Kate Bernot, Good Beer Hunting
• Embracing Tradition — To Create a Style for the Future, South African Brewers Look to the Past by Lucy Corne, Good Beer Hunting

You can read more about the awards given, the NAGBW in general, at The Reporter’s Notebook:

• Reporter’s Notebook

To read more about the Pennsylvania GABF Winners, click here:

• 2020 Pennsylvania GABF Winners

For more beer industry news, you can view our articles on the following:

You can read about more brewery closures here:

• Stoudt’s Brewing Closing
• Crystal Ball Brewing Closes
• Voodoo Brewery Lancaster Closes
• Spigot Brewing Closes
• Full Pint Brewing Closes
• Night Shift Brewing Cancels Expansion
• Mikkeller Brewing NYC Closes Permanently

And in better, happier news, check out our articles on brewery openings:

Be sure to check out our other articles on brewery openings:

• A Sneak Preview of Rubber Soul Brewing (Hummelstown)
• Midwest Coast Brewing Opens (Chicago)
• Rally Point – Cox Brewing Taproom Opens (Elizabethtown)
• Boneshire Brew Works to Open Second Taproom in Harrisburg (Harrisburg)
• Irv’s Pub Rebranded as Rotunda Brewing Pub (Hershey)
• Official BBQ (Pizza Boy Secondary Location) (Rutherford)
• Pilger Ruh Brewing Needs Your Help (Pottsville)
• Highway Manor Brewing Co. (Camp Hill)
• Grand Opening: Rubber Soul Brewing Company (Hummelstown)
• Tap Room Opening: Howling Henry’s Brewery (Hummelstown)

Hopefully, someday soon, maybe I’ll have some writing nominated, or at least even read by the NAGBW. One can only hope, fingers crossed, toes crossed, etc.

Until then, make sure to follow us and share us please. Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading, stay safe!

Cheers!

-B. Kline