2019 Great American Beer Festival Winners

Brewers Association | The 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition took place from 3 to 5 October 2019 in Denver. Judges examined 9,497 beers from 2,295 American breweries. In a ceremony at Denver’s Bellco Theatre, award-winning breweries received prestigious gold, silver and bronze medals.

The competition continues to show that the India Pale Ale beer style, along with the juicy or hazy IPA substyle, aren’t going anywhere. The Juicy or Hazy IPA category was the most-entered for the second year in a row with 348 entries; 2018 marked the first year Juicy or Hazy IPA (also known as New England-style IPA) was recognized as a GABF competition style.

In the Juicy or Hazy IPA category, Chicago’s Old Irving Brewing Co. took home a gold medal for Beezer, Hazy IPA from City Lights Brewing Co. in Milwaukee won silver, and Devil’s Gulch Pond Farm Brewing in San Rafael, California, won bronze.

American-style India Pale Ale was the second most-entered competition category in 2019. Out of 342 entries, Denver’s Comrade Brewing won gold for its More Dodge Less RAM IPA; Green Cheek Beer Co. from Orange, California, took silver for its Radiant Beauty, while San Diego’s Coronado Brewing Co. won bronze for its Weekend Vibes IPA.

In all, 283 medals were awarded this year. Charlie Papazian, the founder of the Great American Beer Festival, was on stage to greet the medal winners with a fist bump.

The winners list can be found here: greatamericanbeerfestival.com