HARRISBURG PA – Pennsylvania breweries were awarded 14 medals, including 7 gold medals, at the 33rd Annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Competition, held this past weekend in Denver, Colorado.
This year’s GABF competition attracted its biggest panel of judges ever, with 222 beer experts from 10 countries evaluating 5,507 commercial entries, plus 89 Pro-Am entries, with assistance from some 150 competition volunteers. More than 700 breweries poured thousands of beers for the 49,000 in attendance.
Brewers received gold, silver and bronze medals in 90 beer categories covering 145 different beer styles (encompassing subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the U.S. Winners were chosen from 5,507 competition entries (16 percent more than in 2013) from 1,309 breweries, hailing from 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
Brewers of Pennsylvania Members received the following awards
| Medal | Beer Name | Brewery | City | State | Category |
| Gold | Perkuno’s Hammer | Earth – Bread + Brewery | Philadelphia | PA | Baltic Style Porter |
| Gold | Grisette | Sly Fox Brewing Co. | Pottstown | PA | Belgian and French Style Ale |
| Gold | Arctic Alchemy | Fegley’s Brew Works | Allentown | PA | Old Ale or Strong Ale |
| Gold | Golden Monkey | Victory Brewing Co. | Downingtown | PA | Belgian-Style Tripel |
| Gold | Troegenator | Tr├Âegs Brewing Co. | Hershey | PA | Bock |
| Gold | Boston Beer | Samuel Adams Tetravis | Breinigsville | PA | Belgian Abbey Style |
| Gold | Boston Beer | Samuel Adams Double Bock | Breinigsville | PA | German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock |
| Silver | Rye of the Tiger | Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media | Media | PA | Rye Beer |
| Bronze | Barren Hill Biere De Extra | Barren Hill Tavern and Brewery | Lafayette Hill | PA | Belgian and French Style Ale |
| Bronze | Burton IPA | Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant – Media | Media | PA | English Style India Pale Ale |
| Bronze | Berliner Weiss | Fegley’s Brew Works | Allentown | PA | German Style Sour Ale |
| Bronze | Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce | Yards Brewing Co. | Philadelphia | PA | Historical Beer |
Medal distinctions are as follows:
GOLD: A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance.
SILVER: An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma and appearance.
BRONZE: A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma or appearance.
Brewers of Pennsylvania President Bill Covaleski (Victory Brewing Company) stated “Pennsylvania Breweries are a vibrant and flourishing economic force at the local, state and national level. With the 218 medals Pennsylvania Brewers have brought home since the inception of the GABF in mind, I encourage everyone to raise a glass in celebration of PA brewing culture!”
Pennsylvania’s thriving brewing industry has a $2 Billion impact on state economy and is ranked 4th in the United States behind California, Texas and New York.
About the Brewers of Pennsylvania:
The Brewers of Pennsylvania is a 501c6 trade association that brings together leaders of Pa.-based breweries in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state. Established in 2011, the Brewers of Pennsylvania serves the consuming public of Pa. by encouraging brand diversity in the market.