GABF - The Beer Thrillers

Hoppy Valley Brewfest Returns for 2025

B. Kline — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:30:39 +0000

Hoppy Valley Brewfest Returns for 2025

The Hoppy Valley Brewfest returns for its second year in State College, Pennsylvania; this time on July 19th, 2025. Last year, the inaugural Hoppy Valley Brewfest occurred on Mother’s Day weekend in May (on the Saturday therein). (You can see that article here: The Hoppy Valley Brewfest.) Last year it was announced in very early February (this year it was just announced today – March 18th.) Also, last year’s event was held inside Beaver Stadium on the football field. This year it will be held in a parking lot next to Medlar Field (the baseball field across from Beaver Stadium).

Hoppy Valley Brewfest 2025

Just a bit ago on their Facebook and Instagram accounts, the Hoppy Valley Brewfest announced the brewfest’s return for its second year.

They released this announcement:

We’re back! 🍻🎉 Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest 2025 is coming to Porter North Lot on July 19! Don’t miss out on an unforgettable night of craft beers, live music, and great vibes. Tickets are officially on sale now, get yours today!
#hoppyvalley #hoppyvalleybrewfest #happyvalleypa #hoppyvalleybrewersfest #craftbeer #craftbeercommunity

–Hoppy Valley Brewfest Announcement – via Reel

They also created an event page on Facebook, which you can find here: Hoppy Valley Brewfest – July 19, 2025 – Event Page.

No announcement has been made yet about breweries appearing at the event. Nor has any specific breweries announced attending yet (insofar as we know of at time of this article, which is shortly after the brewfest announcement). Also no breweries have announced special beers yet for the event (like last year’s Troegs / Sworn / Antifragile / Warwick Farm collab – Storm the Field). (Beer Review: Storm the Field.)

Medlar Field

The Medlar Field is the baseball field across from Beaver Stadium. Its where Amy’s Alzheimer’s Walk for the State College area occurs each year. Last year I was in charge of the Porter North Lot and directing traffic (because it coincided with the Trump Rally that day).

Here is how to find it on Google Maps: Porter North Lot at Medlar Field – State College, PA.

Last year’s event was held inside Beaver Stadium, on the football field. This was primarily due to the fact that following the event they were going to be tearing up the field and replacing it. There was hopes that if the event returned for a second year, it would at least be held in the concourses of Beaver Stadium, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, the event will be in the parking lot on July 19th. This is still a nice location and you will be able to see Beaver Stadium loom in the background. As the AC Beer Fest found out in the past few years (even dropping the event last year), its hard holding a brewfest in July sometimes; due to weather and temperature. (AC Beer Fest has always annually been in March / April inside at the Convention Center, but post COVID it moved outside to Bader Field in July, and then for two years they were holding one event in March at the Convention Center and then another in July outside at Bader Field; however in 2024 they ended up cancelling the July event at Bader Field, but kept the indoor one in March.)

Our Past Articles

You can read these past Hoppy Valley Brewfest articles:

For More Information

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, auctions, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

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Hoppy Valley Brewfest Tomorrow

B. Kline — Fri, 10 May 2024 12:39:31 +0000

Hoppy Valley Brewersfest Brewery Guide

Hoppy Valley Brewersfest is Tomorrow

Are you ready? Are you going? Did you get your tickets yet? The Hoppy Valley Brewersfest is tomorrow!

We first reported it here: Hoppy Valley Beerfest. This big daddy, 75+ brewery event, happening right on the field of Beaver Stadium, is going to be one massive party. The brainchild of Antifragile Brewing Company, as well as several other breweries and with a ton of great and fantastic collaborations (Antifragile, Sworn, Warwick Farm Brewery, and Troegs Brewing collaborated to make ‘Storm the Field’ as well as Antifragile doing collaborations with other breweries).

You can still get tickets here: Hoppy Valley Brewersfest – Tickets.

Ironically, my “memories” has been flooding with past years events of the Mt. Hope Renaissance Faire Brewfest – which has typically happened every year in May, but has been cancelled and this is the first year this event has stopped. (Read more here: Mt. Hope – Renaissance Faire brewfest was announced to be cancelled).

Are You Going?

Schedule of Events

Saturday, May 11, 2024

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Arrive early! I.D. Check/Ticketing Lines

12:00 pm – 5:00 pm: VIP (Early Access)

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: General Admission

Brewery Guide

Here is your full list of breweries involved:

Our Town Brewery
Well Crafted Brewery
Von C Brewing
Michaeux Brewing
Other Half Brewing
YAH Brew
Wolf Brewing
Adroit Theory
Blonde Bistro Brew Works
Bru Daddy
aslin Beer Co
Second Sin Brewing
Last Minute Brewing
Greater Good Brewing Company
Tin Barn Brewing
Hemauer Brewing
Lolev Brewing
Wallenpaupack Brewing Company
Levity Brewing
Fourscore Beer Co.
Ever Grain Brewing
Otto’s Brewpub
Stick City Brewing
Hidden Stories Brewing
Cartel Brewing and Blending
The Warbler Brewing
Juniata Brewing Co.
Grey Sail Brewing
Boxcar Brew Works
Old Thunder Brewing
Collusion Tap Works
Lost Tavern Brewing
ZeroDay Brewing
New Trail Brewing
Succession Fermentory
Rural City Brewing
Axemann Brewery
Pineknotter Brewing
Mechanistic Brewing
Lancaster Brewing Company
Stable 12 Brewing
Boom City Brewing
Dewey Beer Co.
Dancing Gnome Brewing
Pilger Ruh Brewing
Robin Hood Brewing
Troubles End Brewing
Hidden River Brewing
Boal City Brewing
Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks
Sworn Brewing
Antifragile Brewing
Warwick Farm Brewery
Troegs Brewing
Braeloch Brewing
The Dead Canary Brewing
Shy Bear Brewing
Ten7 Brewing
Wild Brewing Co.
Clarion Brewing
Trace Brewing
Sunset Hill Brewing Co.
Levante Brewing
Floating Feathers Brewing
South County Brewing
Rooster Street Brewing
Grist House Brewing
Appalachian Brewing / Prototype Brewery and Meadery
Prison City Pub and Brewery
Four Quarters Brewing
Victory Brewing
Von Lieus Brewing
Cinderlands Beer
Rough Edges Brewing
Free Will Brewing
Eleventh Hour Brewing

Hoppy Valley Brewersfest Brewery Guide

For More Information

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

Thank You for Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

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The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

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Hoppy Valley Brewfest

BKline — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 13:38:42 +0000

Hoppy Valley Brewfest (logo) – May 11th, 2024

Hoppy Valley Brewfest

Want to visit Beaver Stadium, walk the field where some of the best of the Penn State Alumni played football, while drinking craft beer? Come May 11th, that can be a reality for you. Introducing the “Hoppy Valley Brewfest”. The inaugural brewfest is looking to kick off on May 11th and will be hosting 75+ breweries to deliver their craft beer suds on the field of Beaver Stadium.

One of the largest stadiums in the country will host what could potentially be one of the largest brewfests in the country. An attempt to rival the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, “The East Coast GABF” as one insider told me, this brewfest is looking to make monumental waves on the industry.

Less than a full day after the Mt. Hope – Renaissance Faire brewfest was announced to be cancelled – the Hoppy Valley Brewfest was officially announced. (We had previously discussed it as ‘unofficial’ rumor news here on the site.)

Antifragile Brewing Company, in collaboration with Breweries of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, and Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance, is joining forces to host a historic event at the fourth-largest stadium in the world – Beaver Stadium!

Be one of the first to score a tasting of handcrafted beers ON THE FIELD at the home of the most electrifying atmosphere in college football. Immerse yourself in the diverse offerings from an expected 75+ exhibitors, featuring a wide selection of beverages catering to every palate.

The festival will also showcase local food vendors and entertainment, ensuring that there is something for anyone and everyone. Make sure to join us for an unforgettable blend of flavors and fun at the inaugural Hoppy Valley Brewers Fest!

“What to Expect” – Hoppy Valley Brewfest

Schedule of Events

Saturday, May 11, 2024

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Arrive early! I.D. Check/Ticketing Lines

12:00 pm – 5:00 pm: VIP (Early Access)

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: General Admission

A Brewfest Comes to Beaver Stadium

Hoppy Valley Brewfest

Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster. To stay updated on when tickets go live, stay tuned to our blog, as well as the official website of the brewfest: “Hoppy Valley Brewfest“.

There will be entertainment as well, but more information will be released as the lead up to the event happens. Stay tuned to their website for more information on that as well.

Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft wants to stage more events at Beaver Stadium, which is undergoing a $700 million renovation. Beaver Stadium will host Luke Combs’ “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour” on April 27, two weeks after the Blue-White Game. In 2023, Beaver Stadium hosted a yoga class and showed “The Lion King” on the stadium screen. Beaver Stadium also has hosted a pop-up version of TopGolf.

Sports Illustrated as well as numerous other outlets have covered the brewfest as happening. (Sports Illustrated does have an error in which they state Breweries in PA is a sponsor when its the guild of breweries in Pennsylvania – the Brewers Of Pennsylvania who is in fact a sponsor.) The sponsors for the event are – PR&LA, Brewers of Pennsylvania, Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance, The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, and Antifragile Brewing Company.

As well as the “Official Sponsor” – Hello Social Co.

The event will run from 12 – 5 PM for VIP attendees and from 1 – 5 for general admission attendees. A price point hasn’t been discussed yet on their website, but a number thrown out has been “100$”, not sure if this is for the VIP or for the General Admission cost. (Tickets are also sold through Ticketmaster so there will be more costs then afterwards.)

We will keep our blog – The Beer Thrillers – updated with more information as we get it.

Home of the legendary Penn State Nittany Lions football program, Beaver Stadium seats 106,572 fans, making it the second-largest football stadium in the United States.

You will be entering the festival through the south tunnel of Beaver Stadium – just like the team does! Picture yourself coming out to the cheers of 110,000 people, and get ready for an experience unlike any other.

Hoppy Valley Brewfest – Beaver Stadium

The announcement of the brewfest comes with 75+ known breweries. Some of which include:

Antifragile Brewery
Sworn Brewing
Warwick Farms Brewing
Troegs Independent Brewing
Ten7 Brewing
Fourscore Beer Company
Second Sin Beer
Trace Brewing
Prison City Brewing
Tin Barn Brewing
Dewey Beer
Hidden River Brewing
Other Half Brewing
Grist House Brewhouse
Sunset Hill Brewing
Dancing Gnome Brewing

Brewfests

This is a very exciting brewfest coming to the greater Central PA area and we cannot wait for it. Coming in May, it is a time when typically the Mount Hope Brewfest (pre-COVID) was usually held. And it will fall between the two dates of the AC Brewfest (the indoor brewfest being in April, and the outdoor brewfest being in June). So this will be a wonderful huge brewfest in the Spring timeframe. Definitely put this on your calendars and expect a great time. We are looking forward to getting more information.

We had previously stated on here how Troegs Independent Brewing – Antifgraile Brewing – Sworn Brewing – and Warwick Farms Brewing – met up at the Troegs Brewery to start hammering out a collaboration beer details for this brewfest. See that article here: “Troegs, Antifragile, Sworn, and Warwick Farms Meet For Collaboration Beer”.

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. 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!

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

2023 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: District of Columbia (DC)

B. Kline — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 01:55:00 +0000

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival from Denver, Colorado.

The Great American Beer Festival

Tonight at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver Colorado they announced their yearly winners. The Great American Beer Festival (or GABF for short) started in 1982 and has been a staple event of the craft beer community, running every year (going virtual during the COVID – 19 pandemic). Making this the fortieth annual event.

For those unaware, The Great American Beer Festival, is thee annual event for craft breweries across the country. Every year, hundreds / thousands of breweries and brewers meet up in Colorado for the annual event, showcasing their goods, and hoping to bring home some of the illustrious medals. Getting a gold, silver, and even bronze at the GABF means a big deal to the brewer, and to the brewery itself.

It helps solidify yourself as a top brewery, it helps to get you recognition, and showcases the merits of the brewers involved.

Past Winners

Medalists and Winners

The District of Columbia breweries received just one medal this year at the Great American Beer Festival.

Bronze

Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival

Category: Stout
Brewery: Atlas Brew Works
Beer: Silent Neighbor
City: Washington D.C.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Maryland breweries that medaled this year.

For more information on the competition, judging, and voting, you can go straight to the Great American Beer Festival’s page on ‘competition’: Great American Beer Festival – Competition.

Great American Beer Festival Wrap – Up

For more information, you can go to the Great American Beer Festival pages here:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. 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!

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

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2023 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Maryland

B. Kline — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival from Denver, Colorado.

The Great American Beer Festival

It helps solidify yourself as a top brewery, it helps to get you recognition, and showcases the merits of the brewers involved.

Maryland

Maryland walked away with three medals this year: two silvers and one gold. Let’s take a look at who won what. Also, for a look at past year’s winners:

Past year’s winners:

Medalists and Winners

Maryland breweries received three medals this year at the Great American Beer Festival.

Gold

Gold Medal

Category: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
Brewery: Rock Bottom Brewery – Bethesda
Beer: Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged Atom Smasher
City: Bethesda, MD

Silver

Silver Medal

Category: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout
Brewery: Waredaca Brewing Company
Beer: Milk Stout
City: Gaithersburg, MD

Category: Vienna-Style Lager
Brewery: Silver Branch Brewing Company
Beer: Oktoberfest
City: Silver Spring, MD

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Maryland breweries that medaled this year.

For more information on the competition, judging, and voting, you can go straight to the Great American Beer Festival’s page on ‘competition’: Great American Beer Festival – Competition.

Great American Beer Festival Wrap – Up

For more information, you can go to the Great American Beer Festival pages here:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. 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!

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Pennsylvania

B. Kline — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 03:56:00 +0000

The Great American Beer Festival Medals

The Great American Beer Festival

It helps solidify yourself as a top brewery, it helps to get you recognition, and showcases the merits of the brewers involved.

Five breweries from Pennsylvania came out and poured their beers at the event. They were: Troegs Independent Craft Brewing, Yards Brewing Company, 2SP Brewing Co, Conshohocken Brewing Co, and Lion Brewery Inc.

Having your beers pouring at GABF is big enough, but coming home with a medal is even bigger, and this year unfortunately, Pennsylvania came up a little bit light for their trophy case.

Past year’s winners:

Medalists and Winners

Unfortunately this year, Pennsylvania only took home two medals. Down from last year’s five medals (two gold, two silver, and one bronze), and in 2020 when they had three medals (one gold, two silver), and 2019 where they had seven medals (three gold, three silver, and one bronze). (I’ve only been keeping track here on the site since 2019 when I started the blog.)

Hopefully in 2023 Pennsylvania can rebound and reclaim some glory.

But in the meantime, here are the winners from the 2022 Great American Beer Festival:

The Great American Beer Festival – GOLD

Category: Wood – and Barrel – Aged Strong Stout
Brewery: Grist House Craft Brewery
Beer: 8th Anniversary Reserve

The Great American Beer Festival – BRONZE

Category: Munich-Style Helles
Category Sponsor: Wyeast Laboratories
Brewery: New Ridge Brewing Company (Philadelphia, PA)
Beer: Roxboro Gold

Congratulations

Congratulations to both of the Pennsylvania breweries that medaled this year. Hopefully in 2023 we get more than just two medals for my homestate. Fingers crossed.

For more information on the competition, judging, and voting, you can go straight to the Great American Beer Festival’s page on ‘competition’: Great American Beer Festival – Competition.

Great American Beer Festival Wrap – Up

This year here on the blog, I am going to be posting the results of several states, unlike just doing Pennsylvania like I have in past years. (Now that we’ve been out traveling to more local states.) So look for Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and Ohio articles in the coming days. (Probably be doing one per day.)

For more information, you can go to the Great American Beer Festival pages here:

Past Articles

For other Great American Beer Festival articles, you can check out:

2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Pennsylvania
2020 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Pennsylvania
2021 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Pennsylvania
2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Pennsylvania
2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: New Jersey
2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Delaware
2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Maryland
2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: Ohio
2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Winners: DC

Thanks For Reading

Thanks for reading everyone. Getting this out pretty late, and pretty drunkenly after coming home (don’t worry Amy drove me home) from Drew’s. Phillies won and are moving on to the second round, we watched Cannibal The Musical (Matt and Trey from South Park’s college film), we had a lot of high end ABVs. (World Wide Stout Utopias barrel aged, Karak by Human Robot, and two other stouts). Was a good Saturday overall. Tomorrow night sees Bengals vs. Ravens as the Sunday night game, and we’ll see if the despised Mets move on in the playoffs. I will hopefully get out the next of the states series of these articles.

Until then, thanks for reading everyone. We appreciate it!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

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2021 GABF Winners: Pennsylvania

BKline — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 12:53:58 +0000

The Great American Beer Festival Medals

Another year is in the books for the Great American Beer Festival and last night they announced the winners for this year’s medals. Last night wrapped up the awards ceremony for the 2021 edition of the Great American Beer Festival. And as per usual, we here at The Beer Thrillers got you the list of Pennsylvania breweries that have won.

It helps solidify yourself as a top brewery, it helps to get you recognition, and showcases the merits of the brewers involved.

You can read past years award winners for Pennsylvania here:

I’ll break this article down by GOLD – SILVER – BRONZE, and then at the end list some statistics. Enjoy.

GOLD

GABF Gold

Gold Medals:

Category: Brett Beer
Brewery: Cinderlands Brewing Co. – Foederhouse
Beer: Gregg

Category: Smoke Beer
Brewery: Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co.
Beer: Croydon is Burning

SILVER

GABF Silver

SILVER MEDALS:

Category: Bock
Brewery: Attic Brewing
Beer: Unresolved

Category: Contemporary Gose
Brewery: Workhorse Brewing Co.
Beer: Prickly Pear Margarita

BRONZE

GABF Bronze

Bronze Medals:

Category: Brown Porter
Brewery: Dock Street Brewing
Beer: Man Full of Trouble

STATS

You can see a drop down menu of awards here: 2021 GABF Winners. And you can select it to several different filters.

This year there was a total of 5 Pennsylvania medalists, 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze. In 2020 there was 3 medalists, 1 gold, and 2 silver. In 2019 there was 7 medalists, 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze.

GABF Competition Statistics

35th edition of the GABF competition
9,680 beers judged
2,192 breweries in the competition from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico
170 judges
Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 99.6
Category with the highest number of entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (427)
290 total medals awarded
265 medal-winning breweries
425 first-time GABF entrants
30 first-time entrant GABF medal winners

Looking Forward

Hopefully 2022 will see more medalists. 2021 was a step up (5 medalists this year) from last year (3 medalists), but still under 2019 (7 medalists). Hopefully 2022 will be better for Pennsylvania breweries.

Additional Links:

BREW: The Museum of Beer – Is Set to Launch Their Online Exhibit

BKline — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 03:16:00 +0000

Earlier today I was contacted by Deborah Stueber, the Director for Community Relations for BREW – The Museum of Beer. I messaged her back, an she sent me the press release for their upcoming launch of their online exhibit about Pennsylvania beer history. I was just out in Pittsburgh on my Trip through the Area to Indianapolis on the second day of my trip. I was in Pittsburgh as well, back in August with my daughters on the second day of my trip that took us from Elk Country, to Kinzua Bridge, to Pittsburgh, to Bushy Run, to Flight 93 Memorial, Johnstown Flood, and to home. There is certainly no dearth of breweries in the greater Pittsburgh area, some exceptional ones in fact. Many iconic ones too. You have breweries like Couch Brewery, The Church Brew Works, Dancing Gnome, Hitchhiker, Cinderlands, Penn Brewery, Hop Farm Brewing, ShuBrew, Grist House, Yellow Bridge, Southern Tier (PA), Round About Brewery, Allegheny Brewing, Eleventh Hour, Strange Roots, East End, Iron City, etc, etc, etc, (the list goes on and on). We’ve covered many here on the blog (make sure to check around to see our beer reviews, brewery reviews, and trips into Pittsburgh).

So this is a perfect place for a museum dedicated to the history of beer. (Just wish it was opened when I traveled through!) And this will definitely be a stopping point in a future visit to Pittsburgh.

BREW: The Museum of Beer

The main presser reads: (dated December 3rd, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): “Brew: The Museum of Beer’s plans to launch an exhibit on the Story of Beer in Pennsylvania in a downtown storefront were temporarily stymied by Covid-19 but, inspired by the creativity and perseverance of the region’s breweries and restaurants, Brew is forging ahead with an online exhibit of the Story of Beer in Pennsylvania. Supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the exhibit showcases the legacy and significance of Pennsylvania beer, from the origins of Penn’s Colony through the significant craft beer scene today.”

BREW: The Museum of Beer Artist Rendering (found at their website)

The event looks extremely interesting, as a person very interested in the history of beer (and history in general), as well as craft beer, and specifically Pennsylvania and the role beer has played in the Keystone State, this event looks very very very interesting to me, personally, as well as I’m sure it is to many of our readers out there.

The exhibit will include:

Video interviews with many of Pennsylvania’s brewing pioneers, brewers, historians, and collectors
An updated and expanded interactive map of all of Pennsylvania’s breweries as presented by BREW Museum (including pending breweries)
A searchable list of the breweries and brewers who have won awards at Great American Beer Festival in the 21st Century
A beer quiz to test your knowledge of Pennsylvania craft beer – the first 25 participants to finish (and score) will receive a prize

SEE – Pennsylvania’s 2020 GABF Award Winners.
SEE – Pennsylvania’s 2019 GABF Award Winners.

ZOOM QR Code

The presser continues: “To kick off the exhibit, Brew will have live presentations via Zoom by Brew founder Joe McAllister, brewer Paul Young, and special guest, Lauren M. Churilla, Curator, McCarl Coverlet Gallery and Lecturer of History at Saint Vincent College, who will be speaking about the first Benedictine brewery in the U.S. and the controversy it engendered in Latrobe, PA and around the world. The presentations will commence at 7:00 on Tuesday, December 15 and the exhibit will debut immediately thereafter. Once the site is live, the QR code below will take you directly to the exhibit site.”

So be sure to mark your calendars for December 15th (Tuesday) at 7:00PM (EST Time) to be able to visit the exhibit and attend the live zoom. Once its live, the QR code will be usable and will get you access.

The museum for BREW – The Museum of Beer has tons of information and links and ways you can help and support the museum, by donating or by buying merchandise. You can visit their site here: BREW – The Museum of Beer.

You can also follow them on their social media pages:

Check them out, and be sure to like and follow them on their social pages to stay abreast of when their museum opens, when there will be new virtual tours or exhibits or interviews with brewers and brewery workers and brewery news. Check out their available merchandise and see if there’s anything to your liking, and help donate to get this great project up off the ground.

About Brew: The Museum of Beer – Brew: The Museum of Beer is a widely-anticipated Pittsburgh-based museum dedicated to the fascinating, 10,000-year-old story of beer, spanning beer’s role in the origins of civilization to the diversity and aspirations represented in the contemporary craft beer movement. Brew will be a must-see 50,000-square-foot complex capable of accommodating 400,000+ visitors per year. Aside from unique beer artifacts and exhibits, the multi million-dollar museum will also include a 300-seat brewpub, state-of-the art interactive technology, a large event space, gift store, and Beer Hall of Fame. The size and scope of Brew will be comparable to Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I would like to thank Deborah Stueber for reaching out to me and sending the press release for the exhibit and their online opening.

As always everyone – thanks for reading, and visiting the blog. Please be careful and stay safe. Support your local craft breweries, as this week or the next, there might be new mandates, restrictions, and hardships pressed upon breweries (and bars, and businesses, and restaurants in general). So do what you can to help support each other. Give to food banks, give your time at shelters, do whatever you feel comfortable and able to help support your fellow man right now. We are all in this together – as much as that is a cliche, it is the truth. This week or the next might end up being very difficult for many of your favorite small breweries and businesses, be sure to support and show your support, so that they can stay open once this is all over.

-B. Kline

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!

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

You can read about more brewery closures here:

2020 NAGBW Awards

BKline — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 03:45:00 +0000

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:

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

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

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

2020 GABF Winners: Pennsylvania

BKline — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 01:53:48 +0000

Great American Beer Festival Medals

2020 has been a challenging year (to say the least) for all kinds of events, conventions, brew fests, and other large beer related activities. Hell, Oktoberfest in Germany was cancelled this year. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about this year right there.

So the 2020 edition of GABF was not the normal (great) event it normally is. This year it went virtual (due to the pandemic) rather than being the fantastic event that brings in thousands of people and millions of gallons of beer to Colorado.

This was a rather lackluster year for awards in Pennsylvania as well. Sadly; this year, Pennsylvania only won three awards. One gold, and two silvers. Contrast that to last year’s seven awards won by Pennsylvania breweries (three gold, three silver, and one bronze). Hopefully 2021 will be a better year for Pennsylvania breweries (and not just in medalling at the GABF).

The results for Pennsylvania are below:

Great American Beer Festival GOLD

GOLD:

Category: Gluten-Free Beer
Brewery: Aurochs Brewing
Beer: Aurochs Hazy IPA

Great American Beer Festival SILVER

SILVER:

Category: English Mild or Bitter
Brewery: Wallenpaupack Brewing
Beer: English Pale Mild Ale

Category: English-Style Brown Ale
Brewery: Attic Brewing
Beer: Bloodhound Brown Ale

In 2019, Pennsylvania breweries that won included: New Trail Brewing Co, The Church Brew Works, 2SP Brewing, Free Will Brewing, Cellar Works Brewing, Swashbuckler Brewing Co, and Helltown Brewing Company.

You can read about the 2019 results here: 2019 GABF Winners: Pennsylvania.

For more information on the winners, of all of the different categories, you can read the Brewers Association press release on it, with a detailed analysis at the following link: Winners of 2020 Great American Beer Festival (Brewer’s Association Press). 272 medals were decided for 240 different breweries this year, which was the 34th edition of the event.

“Judges for the 34th edition of the celebrated competition evaluated 8,806 entries from 1,720 breweries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Socially distanced judging took place in 35 sessions over 18 days with strict safety measures in place. The awards ceremony was held virtually on Friday evening, kicking off the two-day online programming portion of the Great American Beer Festival.

“This year’s GABF competition may have looked a little different, but the beers entered into the competition were as impressive and innovative as ever,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “This has arguably been one of the most challenging years breweries have ever faced, so we hope these awards serve as a symbol not only of brewing excellence but also the resiliency of the craft brewing community as a whole.” (Brewer’s Association)

As per the above article, a quick run-down of statistics from the 2020 GABF Event:

GABF Competition Statistics

34th edition of the GABF competition
8,806 beers judged
1,720 breweries in the competition from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
115 judges from 21 states
Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 97
Category with the highest number of entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (377)
272 total medals awarded
240 medal-winning breweries
337 first-time GABF entrants
19 first-time GABF winners

Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, Indiana, won the most awards at this year’s event with 4 awards total. (One gold, and three bronzes.) In November, I am making a road trip out of Pennsylvania and through Western PA, Ohio, and into Indianapolis to visit the Vonnegut Museum and Library. I can definitely tell you that Sun King Brewery will be a stop for me at some point on that trip (they’ve been on my radar for quite a bit).

Cheers and here’s to hoping that 2021 is a much better year for our home state breweries in Pennsylvania. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of the 2020 award winning beers. And check out the full article and let us know what you think of the results from around the country.

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Great American Beer Festival Awards and Medals