2beerguys beer blog

New England craft breweries garner awards at 2007 Great American Beer Festival

Denver, CO – Fresh off another outstanding growth year for the craft beer industry, the craft beer world descended upon Denver this past weekend for the largest beer festival in the United States, the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Over 450 breweries from all over the country submitted their entries into 75 style categories to be tasted, reviewed, and judged.

New England has a rich brewing history, and a solid representation was on hand as 18 of the region’s breweries provided beer for the competition. Of the 18 breweries, four came home with medals in varying style categories, bringing pride to the men and women who work hard at creating their craft.

The lone gold medal awarded to a New England brewery went to the Boston Beer Company, who brew under the Samuel Adams brand. Their Samuel Adams Double Bock took home the gold in the German Style Strong Bock category. The Double Bock is described as “One can not help but appreciate Samuel Adams® Double Bock’s huge malt character. We use an enormous amount of malt, half a pound per bottle, to brew this intensely rich lager. Its deep brown-ruby color is all made in the kettle – no black malt is used, resulting in a rich sweetness that is free of the rough taste of burnt malt. All that remains is the velvet smooth flavor and mouthfeel of the two row malt. Samuel Adams® Double Bock’s intense malt character is balanced with a subtle piney, citrus hop note from the German Noble hops.”

Not to be outdone in Boston, the Cambridge Brewing Company, located in Kendall Square in Cambridge, received a Silver in the Cellar or Unfiltered Beer category for their Cambridge Amber, described as “Well balanced, medium-bodied, with a deep amber-red color, this beer’s complex palate covers all the bases. A malty caramel sweetness is followed by notes of chocolate and a dry, slightly roasty finish, complemented by a touch of fruity, spicy hops.” Also receiving a Silver, in the American-Style Wheat Wine Ale, was Portsmouth Brewery’s Wheat Wine, brewed in Portsmouth, NH.

Allagash Brewing Company, of Portland, ME, was awarded two medals for two of their entries; a Bronze medal for their ‘Victor’ in the Experimental Beer (Lager or Ale) category, and a Bronze medal for their ‘Four’ in the Belgian Style Abbey Ale.

Fourteen other breweries were represented, led by four breweries each from Massachusetts (Amherst Brewing Company, Cisco Brewers, High & Mighty Brewing Company, Rock Bottom Brewery Braintree) and Connecticut (Bards’s Tale Beer Company, LLC., Bru Rm @ Bar, Cambridge House Brewpub & Brewery, New England Brewing Company), three from Maine (Gritty McDuffs, Shipyard Brewing Company, Stone Coast Brewing Company), two from New Hampshire (Redhook Ale Brewery, Smuttynose Brewing Company), and a lone representative from Vermont (Otter Creek Brewing/Wolavers Organic).

All in all, New England was well-represented, although we’d like to see some of our East Coast IPA’s crack into the medal rounds and compete against the West Coast IPA’s, as the three medal winning IPA’s came from Colorado and California. Next year, we’d love to see The Tap (Haverhill, MA) with an entry, and certainly Mercury Brewing Company (Ipswich, MA) with their Stone Cat Pumpkin Ale and Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA) with their Munich Dark.