BeerDorks.com: Reviews, Commentary and Opinions on Midwest Craft Beer and Microbreweries

 
September 28, 2009

Beer Diary:

Midwest Winners at the 2009 GABF

A rundown of the Midwest’s winners, placers, and showers at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival.
by Eddie Glick

I like my beer like my women: pale, strong, full-bodied, and extremely bitter.
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This past weekend witnessed the passage of the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, an event whose promoters, official and unofficial, liked to call the “center of the beer universe.” For those of us who weren’t there and still consider ourselves to have been in center of our own little “beer universe”—like by attending our local Oktoberfests, harvest celebrations, or craft beer release parties—I guess all we’ll be able to do is gnash our teeth and hope fruitlessly that someday we’ll be blessed enough to go to the center of the beer universe, if they’ll let us in.

Seriously, though, congrats to all the Midwest medal winners. It’s great to see Arcadia—a brewery that’s had its issues in the past—score a gold in a super-competitive category, Jolly Pumpkin get recognized for their fantastic Bam Bière (despite it being for the practically meaningless “session beer” style), and small brew pubs like Titletown, Redwood, and Fat Head’s—just to name a few—making a splash on the national stage.

You can check out the full list at the official GABF web site. And here, in no particular order (except alphabetical) are the Midwest winners at the 2009 GABF:

Arcadia Brewing Co., Arcadia, Michigan
Cereal Killer Barleywine, Gold—Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer

Bastone Brewery, Royal Oak, Michigan
Saison Du Bastone, Bronze—French- and Belgian Style Saison

Barley Island Brewing Co., Noblesville, Indiana
Dirty Helen Brown Ale, Gold—American Style Brown Ale

Big Rock Chop House & Brewery, Birmingham, Michigan
Red Rock, Silver—Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale

Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Galesburg, Michigan
Bell’s Lager Beer, Bronze—Bohemian Style Pilsener

Brugge Brasserie, Indianapolis, Indiana
Diamond Kings ’09, Bronze—American-Style Sour Ale
Bad Kitty, Bronze—German-Style Sour Ale

Capital Brewery Co., Inc., Middleton, Wisconsin
Capital Bavarian Lager, Bronze—Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest

Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, Cleveland, Ohio
Up In Smoke, Silver—Smoked Beer

Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, Illinois
Red Woody, Silver—Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
IPA, Silver—English-Style India Pale Ale
Demolition, Silver—Belgian and French-Style Ale

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, Michigan
Bam Biere, Bronze—Session Beer

Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Warren, Michigan
4th Dementia Old Ale, Bronze—Old Ale or Strong Ale

New Glarus Brewing Co., New Glarus, Wisconsin
Totally Naked, Bronze—American-Style Lager or Premium Lager
Raspberry Tart, Bronze—Fruit Beer or Field Beer

Piece Brewery, Chicago, Illinois
Top Heavy Hefeweizen, Gold—South German Style Hefeweizen
Fornicator, Bronze—Bock

Redwood Brewing Co., Flint, Michigan
Cream Stout, Silver—Sweet Stout

Rock Bottom Brewery, Chicago, Illinois
The Crow and The Sparrow, Silver—American-Belgo-Style Ale
Drunken Angel, Bronze—Specialty Beer

Rock Bottom Brewery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
106 Pilsner, Gold—German-Style Pilsener

Shorts Brewing Co., Bellaire, Michigan
Bloody Beer, Silver—Experimental Beer

Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill, Frankenmuth, Michigan
Pirate’s Porter, Bronze—Robust Porter

Surly Brewing Co., Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
Coffee Bender, Bronze—Coffee Flavored Beer

Titletown Brewing Co., Green Bay, Wisconsin
Dark Helmet, Bronze—German Style Schwarzbier





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