NABA Beer Awards – WA brewers win big, but OR brewers win bigger

Northwest Breweries Win Big at 2021 NABA International Beer Awards

Each year the North American Brewers Association hosts the International Beer Awards. Many people refer to these awards as the NABA Beer Awards. After a one-year hiatus because of you-know-what, the awards returned for 2021. The judging took place this past weekend as part of the 26th Annual Mountain Brewers Beer Fest in Idaho Falls, ID. The results were just announced.

Once again, Washington brewers performed well, bringing home more than 20 medals. Oregon brewers brought home nearly 80 medals.

Wait, what? Why such a disparity in medal count? Are Oregon’s brewers really that much better than Washington’s brewers? Provincial chest-pounding aside, the results have little to do with the entirely subjective issue of “best breweries.”

Not to diminish the value of winning medals at a beer awards competition like this, but as with any beer awards program, we know which beers won medals but we do not know which beers were submitted. Or not submitted. Breweries are not required to submit beers and many choose not to submit beers. Some submit just a few beers, others submit many beers. The more horses you have in the race…

Giddy Up! Two Breweries, 35 Medals

Portland’s Breakside Brewing won 17 medals this year. 10 Barrel Brewing, which has multiple locations in Oregon and is owned by Anheuser-Busch, brought home 18 medals. That’s a lot of hardware. Nearly half of the medals that made it back to Oregon came home with these two breweries.

Even if we do not know the exact number, there were a whole lot of beers submitted for judging at this year’s NABA Beer Awards. The list of winners includes breweries from Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Louisiana, Quebec, and many other places including Patagonia, Argentina. Truthfully, though, since the competition takes place in Idaho, the list of winners is pretty heavy on beers from the Western United States, presumably because more beers are submitted from that region.

Whatever the case, it is impressive and noteworthy to bring home a medal from a beer awards competition like this.

And the Winners Are…

Congrats to all the winners! Here are the winning breweries and beers from Washington and Oregon, including the style category in which each beer won. (You can view the list of all winners in all categories here.)

Washington

BLACK RAVEN BREWING

• Gold Medal – Pilsner – American-Style Standard or Premium Lager
• Bronze Medal – Grandfather Raven – Imperial Stout

ELYSIAN BREWING

• Gold Medal – THE FIX – Hybrid Style Beers (two or more style traditions)
• Gold Medal – Dragonstooth Stout – American-Style Stout

FORTSIDE BREWING

• Gold Medal – Night King – Imperial Stout
• Gold Medal – Oude AF – Flanders-Style Red or Brown Ale
• Silver Medal – Palisade 3 – Brett Beer, Classic Gose

FREMONT BREWING

• Silver Medal – Dark Star – Imperial Stout

GRAINS OF WRATH BREWING

• Silver Medal – Vienna Lager – Vienna-Style Lager
• Gold Medal – Frost Hammer – Helles Lager
• Bronze Medal – Ticklish Warrior – Session-Style India Pale Ale
• Bronze Medal – Chainsaws Boomsticks IIPA – Double or Imperial India Pale Ale
• Bronze Medal – Nighttime Stories – American-Style Stout

HAYWIRE BREWING

• Bronze Medal – pig sty – Rye Beer

RAVENNA BREWING

• Gold Medal – Rubicon – American-Style Pilsner or Hoppy Lager

REUBEN’S BREWS

• Silver Medal – Three Ryes Men – English-Style Barley Wine
• Silver Medal – Fruitfizz Grapefruit – Hard Seltzers
• Bronze Medal – Robust Porter – Robust Porter

SILVER CITY BREWERY

• Gold Medal – Old Scrooge – English-Style Barley Wine
• Silver Medal – Foxy Lady – Flanders-Style Red or Brown Ale
• Bronze Medal – Kwik Stout – ChocolateCocoa Beers

Oregon

10 Barrel Brewing (multiple locations)

• Silver Medal – Castana – Sour Ale with Brettanomyces Mixed-Culture Brett Beer
• Bronze Medal – Todds a Surfer – Flanders-Style Red or Brown Ale
• Bronze Medal – Bob Exotic – Specialty and Experimental Beers
• Gold Medal – Strata Farmhouse Sour -Sour Ale with Brettanomyces Mixed-Culture Brett Beer
• Gold Medal – Sir Bois – Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour or Brett Beer
• Silver Medal – Captivator – Traditional Bock, Doppelbock, Baltic-Style Porter
• Gold Medal – RedeuX – English-Style Old Ale
• Silver Medal – Cerveza Negra – Munich-Style Dark
• Silver Medal – Baywindow – American-Style Dark Hefeweizen, Berliner-Style Weisse, Kristall Weizen
• Gold Medal – Twheat – American-Style Wheat Ale
• Silver Medal – Cucumber Crush – Vegetable or Field Beers
• Bronze Medal – Won and Done by 10 Barrel and Oblivion – Collaboration Beers
• Silver Medal – Dementor – Schwarzbier (Black Beer)
• Silver Medal – Lil Hop – Session-Style India Pale Ale
• Bronze Medal – Chuffed to Bits – English-Style Pale Ale, Ordinary Bitter BestBitter, Strong Bitter ESB (Extra Special), Scottish-StyleLight, Scottish-Style Heavy
• Gold Medal – Red Flyer – American-Style Amber Ale
• Bronze Medal – Morale is High – Belgian-Style Pale Ale
• Gold Medal – Glen Coco – Vegetable or Field Beers

Ancestry Brewing

• Bronze Medal – Irish Red Ale – Irish-Style Red Ale

Breakside Brewery & Taproom

• Silver Medal – Breakside Jaromir Lagr – Bohemian-Style Pilsner
• Bronze Medal – Breakside Disco Queen Lager – American-Style Amber Lager
• Gold Medal – Breakside Vienna Lager – Vienna-Style Lager
• Bronze Medal – Breakside Woodlawn Pale Ale – American-Style Pale Ale
• Silver Medal – Breakside Evan Is My Homie – American-Style India Pale Ale
• Gold Medal – Breakside Wentworth by the Sea – English-Style Summer Ale
• Gold Medal – Breakside ESB – English-Style Pale Ale, Ordinary Bitter Best Bitter, Strong Bitter ESB (Extra Special), Scottish-Style Light, Scottish-Style Heavy
• Silver Medal – Breakside Basic Witch – Saison
• Bronze Medal – Breakside What Peaches What Penumbras – Lambic, Fruit Lambic and Gueuze Lambic
• Gold Medal – Breakside Unbearable Lightness – Session Beer
• Bronze Medal – Breakside Black& Tan – Barrel-Aged Beer
• Silver Medal – Breakside Chocolate Grasshopper – Barrel-Aged Beer
• Bronze Medal – Breakside The Great Awakening – Pumpkin or Pumpkin Spiced Beers
• Gold Medal – Breakside Queen of the Rodeo – Lambic, Fruit Lambic and Gueuze Lambic
• Gold Medal -Breakside WhiteTea Lager – HerbedSpiced
• Gold Medal – Breakside Cuddle Puddle – American-Style Pale Ale
• Gold Medal – Breakside Small Guy Summer IPA – Session-Style India Pale Ale

Cascade Lakes Brewing

• Gold Medal – EZ as can be – Farmhouse Style Cider and Apple Wine, Specialty(Flavored) Cider and Perry, Perry

Ecliptic Brewing

• Bronze Medal – Capella Porter – Brown Porter
• Gold Medal – Blood of Jupiter Belgian Style Tripel – Barrel-Aged Beer

Elk Horn Brewery

• Bronze Medal – Stoopid Simple – Vegetable or Field Beers

Ex Novo Brewing

• Bronze Medal – Because People Like to Say Salsa – Chili Beer

ForeLand Beer

• Bronze Medal – Rain Harvester – Saison

GoodLife Brewing

• Silver Medal – Sweet As! Pacific Ale – American-Style Wheat Ale

Migration Brewing

• Gold Medal – MoHazeIc – Hazy or New England-Style India Pale Ale
• Silver Medal – HopFire Vol 2 – Double or Imperial India Pale Ale
• Silver Medal – Cannonball – Double Imperial Red Ale
• Silver Medal – Big Hazy Kane – Hazy or New England-Style India Pale Ale

Monkless Belgian Ales

• Gold Medal – Dubbel or Nothing – Biere de Garde, Dubbel, Other Belgian-Style Ales
• Gold Medal – Meet Your Maker – Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale

Oregon City Brewing Co

• Bronze Medal – Dark Vator – Cascadian Style Dark Ale American Black Ale
• Bronze Medal – Coming to Fruition: Cherry – Brett Beer, Classic Gose

Pelican Brewing (multiple locations)

• Silver Medal – Kiwanda Cream Ale – Gold or Blonde Ale
• Silver Medal – Sea N Red – Irish-Style Red Ale
• Bronze Medal – Big Crispy – Hybrid Style Beers (two or more style traditions)

Storm Breaker Brewing

• Silver Medal – ALTerior Motive – Altbier

Sunriver Brewing Company

• Silver Medal – Rippin – American-Style Pale Ale
• Gold Medal – Critical Few – Double or Imperial India Pale Ale
• Bronze Medal – Wood Series: Hawaiian Stout – Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
• Gold Medal – Cocoa Cow – Chocolate Cocoa Beers

Three Creeks Brewing

• Gold Medal – Fivepine Chocolate Porter – Brown Porter
• Bronze Medal – Stonefly Session Ale – Session Beer

Von Ebert Brewing (multiple locations)

• Bronze Medal – Channel Capacity – Biere de Garde, Dubbel, Other Belgian-Style Ales
• Gold Medal – Rauch Helles – German-Style Rauchbier, Smoke-Flavored Beer
• Bronze Medal – Recent Yesterdays – Fruit Beers
• Bronze Medal – Under the In Between – Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour or Brett Beer
• Silver Medal – Clubhaus Lager – American-Style Light (Low-Calorie) Lager

Wild Ride Brewing

• Bronze Medal – Whoopty Whoop Hefeweizen – American-Style Wheat Ale

Worthy Brewing

• Bronze Medal – Lights Out Stout – Sweet Stout
• Silver Medal – Tenmile Lager – American-Style Pilsner or Hoppy Lager
• Bronze Medal – Sol Power Pils – American-Style Pilsner or Hoppy Lager

Zoiglhaus Brewing

• Gold Medal – Zoigl-Koelsch – Kolsch
• Bronze Medal – Zoigl-Weiss – Bavarian-Style Hefeweizen

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