This Week's Beer News: It's GABF Roundup Time
Powered by Midwestern medal analysis
If you’re looking to reinforce a belief that GABF is highly skewed towards West Coast breweries, well, this year’s medal winners give you a lot of ammo.
By my count, California took home 71 medals, Colorado brewers earned 41 and Oregon brewers brought home 38.
That’s not even including the Brewery of the Year awards, three of which went to Oregon breweries - plus an Oregon producer won the first “best cidermaker” award as well. California breweries ate up four of the remaining five Brewery of the Year awards (the only outlier went to a Vermont brewer).
Out of 326 overall medals, that’s a lot to come from just three states. In fact, by our math, that means about 45% of all medals went to California, Colorado and Oregon.
Our entire roundup of this year’s medal winners from the Great Lakes / Midwestern states has been posted here. Illinois and Ohio did well enough, but there’s some … not very encouraging news when you look at the overall numbers of beers submitted this year. The malaise is real.
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On with the rest of the news!
We have an opening date for Homewood Brewing Company: They open their doors on Friday.
The Newberry Library and the Beer Culture Center recently launched a new one-month residency/fellowship for beer history research, being funded by a $3000 scholarship available to researchers of color.
The state naming October 10th as National Black Brewers Day got coverage from Carbondale’s WSIL-TV.
Sun King’s “Play Hard Lager,” brewed in honor of former Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady, emerges October 18.
Neighbors say that King Jugg Brewing Company in Fischers is too loud.
The Indy Star has a roundup of pumpkin beers now available in the Indianapolis area including offerings from Guggmann Haus and Kismetic Brewing.
In Sioux City, Morningside University collaborated with Marto Brewing on a beer called “Dear Old Maroon,” whose proceeds go towards funding alumni programming.
I dare you not to click on a story whose headline reads “Goat man sightings stir excitement ahead of Old Foamy Beer Fest.”
Michigan hop growers are invited to send harvest samples for this year’s Michigan Chinook Cup.
Marquette’s Ore Dock Brewing hosted their annual “Brewfeast” to help raise funds for NMU Hospitality and Culinary students.
The Northern Express looks at Moonrunnr, a beer from Stormcloud that’s the cool-weather version of their Sunrunnr wheat ale. Call it the Oberon Eclipse effect.
KSTP reported on Minneapolis’ Autumn Brew Review, describing it as “the longest-running beer festival in the country” which, I think at least GABF would take issue with.
Speaking of GABF, Fox 9 rounded up the three medals won by MN brewers this year.
STL’s Earthbound Beer announced their impending closure this week, with plans to close their taproom and brewery in early December. They’ll still be having a 10th anniversary party in late November, though.
Job alert: 4 Hands is looking for a lab manager.
Little Lager and Blue Jay Brewing make the list of new bars Feast loves.
Opening in Olivette in early 2025: Great Heart Brewing.
Akronym Brewing announced plans to permanently close this Friday, October 19.
Cleveland.com’s Marc Bona chatted with the two GABF medal winners in the area, Masthead and Noble Beast, which are about four blocks away from each other.
As their strike enters the second week, Milwaukee Magazine tells us why MolsonCoors machinists are striking.
After a former Brewers player said he will "hate the city of Milwaukee forever", Broken Bat Brewery announced that they would offer $1.99 pints Thursday “in honor of [his batting] average during his one-year stint in Milwaukee.”
What? Breweries are still releasing new IPAs? It’s true! Isthmus rounds up new hoppy offerings from Hinterland and Flix plus other more seasonable beers as well.
WeldWerks announced the return of their Invitational, set to take place in February 2025 if you felt like a winter trip to Colorado next year. Participating Midwestern breweries include Hop Butcher, Phase Three, Blackstack, Side Project, HOMES, Forager and more.
Most-clicked link in last week’s email: Y’all were very interested to learn which Illinois breweries had sent entries to the GABF this year, via this Patch page.
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Liking the .199 beer. 😂 Sort of the opposite of San Diego’s Tony Gwynn .394 pale ale. 😂