Great American Beer Festival
Another Great American Beer fest has come and gone, leaving many beer fans full and happy and many beer writers pontificating about what this year’s event can tell us about trends and upcoming styles. So, what did we learn this year?
The Numbers are Growing
The GABF continues to grow every year—except in attendance. And that is only because attendance has reached capacity every year! This year’s event hosted 242 judges from 15 countries, including the U.S., and 1532 breweries entering a total of 6738 beers (a 20% increase from last year).
California walked away with the most medals this year, as usual. California breweries won 65 of the 275 medals, including 21 gold medals. Colorado followed close behind, taking 36 medals. But Maine may actually be the big winner this year, with a 21% win ratio based on the number of beers it entered (14) and the number of medals won (3).
IPAs Still Reign
IPAs continue to rise in popularity
At 27.4% of the total beer market, IPAs remain the favorite craft beer style. They have also been the most entered category since 2001, and this year four of the top five entered style categories were some form of IPA—including one style new to the competition this year.
- American-Style India Pale Ale – 336 entries
- Imperial India Pale Ale – 208 entries
- Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 179 entries
- Session India Pale Ale – 161 entries
- American-Style Pale Ale – 160 entries (First year for this category)
New Styles Keep Coming
New beer styles are being developed every year, and the GABF is an excellent way to see which are catching on, and which may be merely fads. Perusing the new styles list from the past few years, I wonder where some of these beers are now.
2011 – Fruit Wheat Beer, Chocolate Beer, American-Style Brett Ale, International-Style Pale Ale
2012 – Fresh Hop Ale
2013 – Grodzisz and Adambier
2014 – Belgian Style Fruit Beer, Historical Beer, Kuyt Beer
2015 – Chili Pepper Beer, Session India Pale Ale, Mixed Culture Brett Beer
The Great Pumpkin?
A beer-loving crowd listens and learns at the GABF. Image from the Brewer’s Association.
This year, no pumpkin beer was awarded a gold medal. I interpret this as how seriously the judges take their job (and not necessarily as a lack of good pumpkin beers). According to the GABF guidelines, a gold medal-winning beer is: A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.
A gold medal beer is not, then, simply the best of its kind on the table at the moment. It is a representation of a style—a very carefully crafted and considered style, honed by beer lovers and brewers over time.
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks for keeping the craft alive!