The Midwest did itself proud at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Midwest beers netted 47 medals against some 3,126 total entries across 46 categories.
For someone who drinks his fair share of Midwestern beer, it’s no great surprise that we’re producing really good beers, but it’s nice to be recognized for it. I’m from Evanston, so it’s exciting to see our local Temperance Brewing taking gold in the English IPA category for their Gatecrasher.
To satisfy my own curiosity and for the convenience of readers, I’ve culled just the Midwest medals from All About Beer‘s full list. What follows is, first, a table listing Midwest states in order of medals earned, then an alphabetical list of each state along with the specific medals and beers.
It might be tough to check off each beer on this list, but it should provide you with some reference points if you wanted, say, to drink a medal-winning beer from each state. Or maybe you just want to appreciate the wide diversity of beers being produced just in this one region of the country.
For more GABF 2016 statistical fun, you can check out Bart Watson’s analysis.
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;;;Medals;;;Entries;;;Categories;nn;
Illinois;;;13;;;782;;;12;nn;
Michigan;;;10;;;527;;;10;nn;
Minnesota;;;5;;;477;;;5;nn;
Indiana;;;5;;;325;;;5;nn;
Iowa;;;3;;;236;;;3;nn;
Wisconsin;;;3;;;213;;;3;nn;
Ohio;;;3;;;119;;;3;nn;
Nebraska;;;2;;;222;;;2;nn;
Missouri;;;2;;;194;;;2;nn;
Kansas;;;1;;;31;;;1;nn;
[/vtftable]
Midwest Winners (alphabetical by state)
Illinois
Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer – 37 Entries
Bronze: Flash Bang, Excel Brewing Co., Breese, IL
Category 11: Chocolate Beer – 46 Entries
Gold: Chaos, RAM/Big Horn Brewery – Wheeling, Wheeling, IL (See also Indiana)
Category 19: Experimental Beer – 87 Entries
Bronze: Oyster Weiss, Scratch Brewing Co., Ava, IL
Category 31: Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 82 Entries
Silver: Saint Dekkera Reserve Sour: Framboise, DESTIHL, Normal, IL
Category 43: Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest – 46 Entries
Gold: Dortmunder Mifflin, Emmett’s Tavern & Brewing Co. – Palatine, Palatine, IL
Category 45: German-Style Maerzen – 79 Entries
Bronze: Fruhauf Oktoberfest, Pollyanna Brewing Co., Lemont, IL
Category 46: European-Style Dark Lager/Munich-Style Dunkel – 38 Entries
Bronze: Prunkle’s Dunkle, Horse Thief Hollow Brewery, Chicago, IL
Category 49: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 29 Entries
Bronze: Apocalyptinator, Nevin’s Brewing Co., Plainfield, IL
Category 52: German-Style Koelsch – 111 Entries
Bronze: Lü, Solemn Oath Brewery, Naperville, IL (See also Indiana)
Category 55: English-Style India Pale Ale – 43 Entries
Gold: Gatecrasher, Temperance Beer Co., Evanston, IL (See also Michigan)
Category 57: American-Style Pale Ale – 157 Entries
Bronze: The Charlatan, Maplewood Brewery, Chicago, IL
Category 80: Belgian- and French-Style Ale – 27 Entries
Gold: Domaine DuPage, Two Brothers Brewing Co., Warrenville, IL
Silver: Swingin’ Single, Piece Brewery, Chicago, IL
13 medals among 782 entries in 12 categories
Indiana
Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year
ZwanzigZ Brewing, Columbus, Ind.
Mike Rybinski and Trent Fleener
Category 5: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer – 61 Entries
Silver: Cherry Busey, Sun King Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN
Category 11: Chocolate Beer – 46 Entries
Silver: The Ticket Chocolate Beer, ZwanzigZ Brewing, Columbus, IN (See also Illinois)
Category 49: German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 29 Entries
Silver: Frankenwald Eisbock, ZwanzigZ Brewing, Columbus, IN
Category 52: German-Style Koelsch – 111 Entries
Silver: Vacation, Daredevil Brewing Co., Indianapolis, IN (See also Illinois)
Category 62: Double Red Ale – 78 Entries
Bronze: RIPA, Carson’s Brewery, Evansville, IN
5 medals among 325 entries in 5 categories
Iowa
Category 4: Fruit Wheat Beer – 84 Entries
Gold: Mexican Spring, 515 Brewing Co., Clive, IA
Category 39: American-Style Amber Lager or Dark Lager – 108 Entries
Silver: Tragedy of the Commons, Iowa Brewing Co., Cedar Rapids, IA
Category 64: English-Style Mild Ale – 44 Entries
Gold: Workman’s Compensation, Lion Bridge Brewing Co., Cedar Rapids, IA
3 medals among 236 entries in 3 categories
Kansas
Category 85: Other Belgian-Style Ale – 31 Entries
Silver: Standard Issue, Central Standard Brewing, Wichita, KS
1 medal among 31 entries in 1 category
Michigan
Category 30: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 64 Entries
Bronze: Angelina, Brewery Vivant, Grand Rapids, MI
Category 32: Aged Beer – 40 Entries
Silver: Expedition Stout, Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Comstock, MI
Category 34: Smoke Beer – 65 Entries
Gold: Raucher, Wolverine State Brewing Co., Ann Arbor, MI
Category 38: American-Style Cream Ale – 65 Entries
Bronze: Broadway Light, Detroit Beer Co., Detroit, MI
Category 55: English-Style India Pale Ale – 43 Entries
Bronze: Live Wire, Roak Brewing Co., Royal Oak, MI (See also Illinois)
Category 63: Imperial Red Ale – 62 Entries
Silver: reDANKulous – Backstage Series, Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI
Category 75: German-Style Wheat Ale – 33 Entries
Bronze: Küsterer Original Weissbier, Cedar Springs Brewing Co., Cedar Springs, MI (See also Ohio)
Category 88: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout – 41 Entries
Bronze: Bangin The Mash, Latitude 42° Brewing Co., Portage, MI
Category 89: Export Stout – 43 Entries
Gold: Dirty Frank Stout, River’s Edge Brewing Co., Milford, MI
Category 91: Sweet Stout or Cream Stout – 71 Entries
Bronze: Good Mooed Milk Stout, Railtown Brewing Co., Dutton, MI
10 medals among 527 entries in 10 categories
Minnesota
Category 8: Chili Beer – 112 Entries
Bronze: Vengeance! Jalapeno Cream Ale, Jack Pine Brewery, Baxter, MN
Category 14: Rye Beer – 81 Entries
Bronze: Runaround Rye Ale, Roundhouse Brewery, Brainerd, MN
Category 29: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – 131 Entries
Gold: Barrel-Aged Darkness, Surly Brewing Co., Brooklyn Center, MN
Category 51: Golden or Blonde Ale – 115 Entries
Bronze: German Blonde Ale, Bemidji Brewing Co., Bemidji, MN
Category 54: Classic English-Style Pale Ale – 38 Entries
Gold: Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN
5 medals among 477 entries in 5 categories
Missouri
Category 3: American-Style Fruit Beer – 106 Entries
Gold: Slingback, High Heel Brewing, St. Louis, MO
Category 78: Classic Saison – 88 Entries
Silver: Meriwether, Perennial Artisan Ales, St. Louis, MO
2 medals among 194 entries in 2 categories
Nebraska
Category 28: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer – 159 Entries
Silver: Mélange À Trois, Nebraska Brewing Co. – Papillion, Papillion, NE
Category 82: Belgian-Style Dubbel or Quadrupel – 63 Entries
Silver: Responsibly, Nebraska Brewing Co. – Papillion, Papillion, NE
2 medals among 222 entries in 2 categories
Ohio
Category 18: Other Strong Beer – 46 Entries
Silver: Black Muddy River, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH
Category 32: Aged Beer – 40 Entries
Gold: Doc’s Scotch Ale, Millersburg Brewing, Millersburg, OH (See also Michigan)
Category 75: German-Style Wheat Ale – 33 Entries
Gold: AlpenGlow, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon, North Olmsted, OH (See also Michigan)
3 medals among 119 entries in 3 categories
Wisconsin
Category 22: Gluten-Free Beer – 37 Entries
Silver: Copperhead, Greenview Brewing, Madison, WI
Category 61: American-Style Amber/Red Ale – 114 Entries
Silver: Better Off Red, Vintage Brewing Co., Madison, WI
Category 63: Imperial Red Ale – 62 Entries
Gold: Paradocs Red Imperial IPA, Raised Grain Brewing Co., Waukesha, WI
3 medals among 213 entries in 3 categories
Common categories:
Chocolate beer (IL, IN)
German-Style Koelsch (IL, IN)
Aged Beer (MI, OH)
English-Style India Pale Ale (IL, MI)
See the full GABF awards list at AllAboutBeer.com.
Image: © Brewers Association
