The GABF 2023 Roundup of Nice Lakes Medal Winners

Nicely, they will’t all be nice years for Illinois, proper? Or Michigan, or Wisconsin, or … effectively, anybody apart from Ohio, actually.

Yearly we have a look at how effectively the Midwestern Nice Lakes states fared on the Nice American Beer Fest, and we’ve by no means had a disparity this huge: Ohio took residence extra medals than Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin mixed.

Heck, the medals for Fats Heads or Third Eye alone beat out Michigan and Wisconsin. All of that is to say that yearly, we see how sturdy the brewing scene is in Ohio and the way effectively organized the state’s Guild is in getting their beers in entrance of a nationwide viewers like this. The unity, as ever, is current in each medal win as every Ohio brewer in attendance takes the stage with an Ohio guild flag. Actually sturdy stuff. Different guilds, as ever, ought to take word if these medals are a precedence. Clearly, to some states, they’re “good to have,” not “have to have.”

Different GABF 2023 Midwestern Takeaways:

Who anticipated again to again rauchbier medals for Double Clutch? Sizzling on the heels of being named final yr’s Brewery of the Yr (0-250bbl class), let it’s recognized that this car-centric Evanston brewpub is placing out some actually high-quality true-to-style German beers.

Solar King took their silver-medalist Soul Shakedown Occasion and turned it right into a Gold Medal winner this yr. Spectacular to see how a brewer can take suggestions and make the tweaks essential to have a best-in-class beer.

Again to again years in Michigan with simply two medals awarded. Did GABF kick the Michigan Guild’s canine or one thing? The Mitten appears to have zero curiosity on this competitors.

I discover it fascinating — and perhaps a bit horrifying — that one of many top-entered classes was Mild Lager. And never by a lot, both. Juicy IPA was after all the top-submitted with 365, however West Coast IPA had 301 and Mild Lager had 284 entries. That’s fairly large. Clearly breweries aren’t simply making these an increasing number of, however they wish to be acknowledged for them.

Again to Ohio for a second — It’s not simply the variety of medals that’s genuinely spectacular right here, it’s the breadth of the classes. Have a look at the worldwide types represented in that lineup: Irish, Belgian, German, Bohemian and hell, even New Zealand! Additionally they should be placing one thing particular in Buckeye State pumpkins — two of the three medalists in that class are Ohioans.

All of this yr’s winners are here. Right here’s a have a look at how the taking part breweries from the Nice Lakes states fared on the 2023 GABF:

Illinois: 7 Medals

• Gold: Sew Hop’d “Alt 140” (Altbier); Horse Thief Hole “Little Wing” (Worldwide-Fashion Pilsener)
• Silver: Crystal Lake Brewing “Boathouse Reserve Imperial Stout” (Experimental Wooden-Aged Beer); Double Clutch “Helles Rauchbier” (Smoke Beer)
• Bronze: Sketchbook Brewing “Groziskie” (Historic Beer); MORE Brewing “Lil’ Area Booties” (Juicy/Hazy Pale Ale); Werk Drive Brewing “Barrel Aged Rely Chungus” (Wooden- and Barrel-Aged Sturdy Stout)

Indiana: 6 Medals

• Gold: Solar King “Soul Shakedown Occasion” (Experimental Wooden-Aged Beer); Metazoa Brewing “William Walrus” (Scottish-Fashion Ale)
• Silver: Solar King “Daylight Cream Ale” (Golden/Blonde Ale); Byway Brewing “Shinobi” (Stout)
• Bronze: The Faucet’s “Delta Quadrant” (Belgian-Fashion Sturdy Specialty Ale); Metazoa Brewing “Aint Afraid of No Goats” (Bock, duh)

Michigan: 2 Medals

• Gold: na
• Silver: Redwood Brewing’s “Thor’s Hammer” (Belgian-Fashion Sturdy Specialty Ale)
• Bronze: Bell’s Brewery “Octoberfest” (American Amber Lager)

Minnesota: 2 Medals

• Gold: The Freehouse “No. 68 Purple Lager” (Rye Beer)
• Silver: na
• Bronze: Surly Brewing “Lemonade” (American Fruit Beer)

Ohio: 18 (!) Medals

• Gold: Fats Head’s “Head Hunter” (American-Fashion India Pale Ale); Third Eye Brewing’s “Double Astral” (Chocolate Beer); Brink Brewing’s “Lil Zoomie” (Espresso Stout or Porter); Fats Head’s “Alpenglow” (German Wheat Ale); Third Eye Brewing’s “Chai Eye Captain” (Herb and Spice Beer); Hoppin Frog’s “Smashing Honey Blonde” (Honey Beer); Rhinegeist Innovation Brewery’s “Kiwi (The Chook)” (New Zealand IPA); Fats Head’s “Goggle Fogger” (South German-Fashion Hefeweizen)
• Silver: Noble Creature Wild Ales & Lagers “Earth & Aether” (Belgian-Fashion Bitter Ale); Eudora Brewing Co. “Daytonian Rhapsody” (Bohemian-Fashion Pilsener); The Brew Brothers “Toasty” (English Fashion Delicate/Bitter); Seventh Son “Stone Fort” (English-Fashion Brown); Slender Path “Stressed Seas Gose” (German Bitter Ale); Contained in the 5 “Megaphone” (Irish-Fashion Purple); Third Eye Brewing “Gourd Darn-It” (Pumpkin Beer)
• Bronze: MadTree Brewing “Legendary Lager” (Mild Lager); Royal Docks Brewing “Pumpkinslayer” (Pumpkin Beer); Brink Brewing “Moozie” (Candy Stout or Cream Stout)

Third Eye Brewing additionally gained a Collaboration Competitors medal alongside Slender Path Brewing Firm for his or her “Mounds of Significance” and was named the 1001-2000 Barrels Brewery & Brewer of the Yr.

Wisconsin: 1 Medal

• Gold: 1840 Brewing’s “I Don’t Need to Wait” (Fruited Wooden- and Barrel-Aged Bitter Beer)
• Silver: n/a
• Bronze: n/a

All of the GABF 2022 medal winners are here. Yow will discover our earlier recaps under:

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