It's a sad, sad day...

[mortong]

I don't know much about the Great American Beer Festival, but here's the results for this year. I'm hoping only macrobreweries are allowed to complete. =/

Geoff

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/food/7130430.htm

American Style Lagers:
Old Milwaukee - Gold
MGD - Silver
Budweiser - Bronze

"The three beers which did receive medals did stand out as premium products." -Judge

American-style specialty lagers:
Ice House - Gold (3.29/6-pack of 16 ouncers where I'm from)
Mickey's - Silver
Milwaukee's Best - Bronze

[mortong]

Hmm, my beer must be mad too - I just had my first boilover while writing that. =/

[wortchillergoal]

It sounds like the judges were looking for something with no flavor. I would be interested in seeing all the beers judged in that category.

The results will not influence my beer choices.

[brewmonkey]

You guys need to go back and read the specs for the style of beer they were judging and then see how many beers were actually entered into the categories. You also need to remember that the judges have a style guidline they must adhere to when judging a beer. If the beer does not fit the guidlines then it cannot win.

Association of Brewers winners list (http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/03winners.htm)



Category1: Non-Alcoholic (Beer) Malt Beverages - 4 Entries
Gold: O'Doul’s, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Saint Louis, MO
Silver: O'Doul’s Amber, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Saint Louis, MO

Category: 18 American-Style Light Lager - 27 Entries
Gold: Old Style Light, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Silver: Miller Lite, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX

Category 19: American-Style "Light" Amber Lager - 10 Entries
Gold: Leinenkugel's Amber Light, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Chippewa Falls, WI
Silver: Walker's Mild, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
Bronze: Starr Hill Mojo, Starr Hill, Charlottesville, VA

Category: 20 American-Style Lager - 21 Entries
Gold: Old Milwaukee, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Silver: Rainier, Pabst Brewing Co., San Antonio, TX
Bronze: Stegmaier Gold Medal, The Lion Brewery, Inc., Wilkes-Barre, PA

Category: 21 American-Style Premium Lager - 18 Entries
Gold: Point Special, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI
Silver: Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Saint Louis, MO

Category: 22 American-Style Specialty Lager - 16 Entries
Gold: Ice House, Plank Road Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Mickey's Malt Liquor, Mickey's Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Milwaukee's Best Ice, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI

Since you do not know much about the GABF I would say you are a little quick to judge what goes on there. With several hundred breweries entering, these categories get very little action from the craft market. The largest category had 27 entries, and there were several hundred craft brewers who entered the GABF. So where do you think they entered their beers? I would look at the Pale Ale's and IPA's which had 71 & 94 as well as American Style Amber's which came in with 66.

A lot of craft brewers make a light beer or an American Lager, but they make it to their own standards and not those that these beers are judged by. They may be the best beer you ever tasted, but the don't match the style guidelines used for judging the GABF, and therefore they will not win.

Each judge at the GABF gets a style guidline they must go by. They do not get to say, hey I like this beer it should win.

Right before the GABF this year Realbeer.com had some diaries on the front of the site. One of them was Tomme Arthur's from Pizza Port in Solana Beach, CA. Tomme has been a judge at the GABF as long as I have been participating in it. He had some good info on what it takes to judge at the GABF.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by brewmonkey
You guys need to go back and read the specs for the style of beer they were judging and then see how many beers were actually entered into the categories. You also need to remember that the judges have a style guidline they must adhere to when judging a beer. If the beer does not fit the guidlines then it cannot win....... Since you do not know much about the GABF I would say you are a little quick to judge what goes on there.

I think that was te [point I was trying to make but did not express myself very well. If you read the attached article, I think it does a good job of conveying what brewmonkey said better than I. The style must have called for very light , for lack of better term, flavor.

I would still be interested in seeing what other beers were in that catergory. I still would not change my beer because of what it did or did not do at the Fest. I would be more likely to try a beer that did well than I would give up one that did not. In fact I know I would not give up a beer that did not medal.

[brewmonkey]

If someone went to the GABF and has a program guide, they list the breweries by state and what they entered into the blind tasting.

[homebrewaddict]

While the beers that won do lack flavor. You must admit that they are well made beers. I mean, the mere fact that they are so light bodied and lack flavors - even off flavors - is something that not many people can accomplish!