The Karl Strauss Brewing Co. was named the nation’s best midsize brewery at the Great American Beer Festival this past weekend in Denver.

San Diego County’s oldest brewery, Karl Strauss, won four medals at the annual competition. Now in its 30th year, the Great American festival is the country’s largest beer convention and contest, drawing 7,227 entries from 1,752 U.S. breweries.

In all, 14 San Diego County breweries won 18 medals. Santee’s BNS Brewing & Distilling took two medals; the other dozen went to 12 different breweries.

Here’s a list of the winning local beers:


Gold medal: Brown from Solana Beach’s Culture, in the American-Style Brown Ale category; Queen of Tarts, Karl Strauss, American-Style Sour Ale; AleSmith Old Numbskull, San Diego’s AleSmith, Barley Wine-Style Ale; Ole Prospector Red Ale, BNS, American-Style Amber/Red Ale; Breakline Bock, San Marcos’ Rip Current Brewery, Bock; Sweet Ride, Oceanside’s Bagby Beer, Bohemian-Style Pilsener; Tabula Rasa Toasted Porter, San Diego’s Second Chance Beer, Robust Porter; and Windansea Wheat, Karl Strauss, South German-Style Hefeweizen.

Silver medal: The Contender IPA with Fresh Chilis, San Diego’s Duck Foot Brewing, Chili Beer; Gatling Gun Imperial Stout, BNS, Imperial Stout; and Oatmeal Stout, San Diego’s Benchmark Brewing, Session Beer.

Bronze medal: Zumbar Chocolate Coffee Imperial Stout, San Diego’s New English Brewing, Coffee Beer; The Volcanist, San Diego’s Societe Brewing, American-Style Stout; HFS, San Diego’s Alpine Beer, American-Style Strong Pale Ale; Roes Red, San Diego’s Pure Project, Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale; Liquid AC, Karl Strauss, English-Style Summer Ale; Mother Earth ESB, Vista’s Mother Earth Brew, Extra Special Bitter; and Mosaic Session IPA, Karl Strauss, Session India Pale Ale.

“Team Karl’s” victory was the subject of some confusion when the results were announced Saturday. Initially, the festival named Karl Strauss “Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year” and Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, as “Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year.”


Later, though, judges reviewed the contest rules and determined that Karl Strauss is a brewing company, not a brewpub. (Midsize brewing companies are those that annually produce 15,000 to 6 million barrels of beer.) Fat Head’s lost the midsize brewing company award to Karl Strauss; the midsize brewpub award went to Boxing Bear Brewing in Albuquerque, N.M.

After all this had been untangled, observers predicted the award would give a boost to Karl Strauss, which was founded in downtown San Diego in 1989.

“We’re at this moment when we are all searching for the next shiny new thing,” said Joshua M. Bernstein, a New York-based beer writer. “I think this puts Karl Strauss back in the national conversation.”

Other notable awards included:


Zwanzigz Brewing in Columbus, Ind., Small Brewpub of the Year.

Austin Beer Garden in that Texas city, Very Small Brewing Company of the Year.

Brown Truck Brewery in High Point, N.C., Small Brewing Company of the Year.

Überbrew in Billings, Mont., Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year.

Pabst Brewing of Los Angeles, Large Brewing Company of the Year.

Click here for a full list of winners.