Eight Southern California breweries won gold medals at the recent 2018 Great American Beer Festival.
The 32nd annual contest in Denver drew 8,500-plus entries from 2,404 breweries from every state but Mississippi competing in 102 beer-style categories. Event organizer, the Brewers Association trade group, awarded 306 medals to 280 breweries.
The gold-medal winners from the four counties covered by the Southern California News Group include:
Barley Forge Brewing, Costa Mesa: Grandpa Tractor in Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest
Beachwood Blendery, Long Beach: Funk Yeah in Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale
Black Market Brewing Co., Temecula: New England Style Double IPA in Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ale
Claremont Craft Ales, Claremont: Happy Days in Imperial Red Ale
Garage Brewing Co., Temecula: Raspberry Twist Lager in American-Style Fruit Beer
Golden Road Brewing – Los Angeles, Los Angeles: Get Up Offa That Brown in English-Style Brown Ale
No Clue Craft Brewery, Rancho Cucamonga: Belgian Honey Blonde in Honey Beer
Noble Ale Works, Anaheim: Nobility in Imperial India Pale Ale
By the way, the category with the most entries — 391 — was Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale. Imagine being the judges!