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Three Washington breweries entered the competition and all three won medals. With nearly 3,000 breweries in the USA, winning such accolades is bit of a crap shoot these days and I’m not sure how much anyone cares about medals anymore. That said, I still like to give a shout-out to our local breweries when they make noise on a national platform.

I recently learned that three Washington breweries brought home medals from the Best of Craft Beer Awards. In fact, only three of Washington’s breweries submitted beer and all three won multiple medals. Kulshan Brewing brought home two medals, Valholl Brewing brought home five, and Icicle Brewing (blog sponsor) brought home a whopping seven medals, most of them gold.

The tasting competition was held in late January in Bend, Oregon. While this isn’t the Great American Beer Festival, which sees several hundred breweries submit beer for the competition, 60 breweries from across the country submitted as many as 10 beers each for the Best of Craft Beer Awards. The competition adhered to the BJCP (Beer Judging Certification Program) guidelines and was judged by industry leaders.

Since the awards were held in Bend, it is easy to understand how Oregon breweries submitted the most beer. Nineteen of Oregon’s breweries submitted beer, so nearly one-third of the breweries were playing on the home field. It’s a blind tasting, so that doesn’t really matter.

Icicle Brewing:

Gold for Oktoberfest

Gold for Helles

Gold for Kolsch

Gold for Dunkel

Gold for Biere de Garde

Silver for Wood Aged Beer

Silver for Robust Porter

Kulshan Brewing:

Silver for Irish Red

Gold for Imperial Stout

Valholl:

Silver for Dunkel

Gold for Belgian Dubbel

Gold for Belgian Golden Strong

Silver for ESB

Bronze for Scotch

Here are the complete results:

American Amber

Gold: Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail Amber

Silver: Boneyard Beer – Diablo Rojo

Bronze: Hopworks Urban Brewery – Organic DOA

American Pale

Gold: Deschutes Brewery – Red Chair NWPA

Silver: Roadhouse Brewing Company – Veil of Composure

Bronze: GoodLife Brewing Company – Mountain Rescue Dry Hop Pale Ale

American IPA

Gold: Roadhouse Brewing Company – Rhombus

Silver: Breakside Brewery – Breakside IPA

Bronze: Worthy Brewing Co. – Worthy IPA

Imperial IPA

Gold: Roadhouse Brewing Company – Brain Dead IPA

Silver: Boneyard Beer – Hop Venom Double IPA

Bronze: Boneyard Beer – Notorious Triple IPA

American Lager

Gold: Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail “26” Cascade Pilsner

Silver: Ruhstaller – Gilt Edge

Helles

Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Cross Cut Lager

Silver: Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail Session Lager

Bronze: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Gold Leaf

Vienna Lager

Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Outpost – Vienna Lager

Silver: Triple 7 Brew Pub – Triple 7 Oktober Fest

Bronze: Millstream Brewing Company – Schild Brau Amber

Oktoberfest/Marzen

Gold: Icicle Brewing – Dirtyface Amber

Silver: Faultline Brewing Company – Oktoberfest

Bronze: Bootstrap Brewing – Bootstrap Oktoberfestbier

Dark Lager

Gold: Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail Session Black

Dunkel

Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Drumfire

Silver: Valholl Brewing Company LLC – Valholl Dunkel

Schwarzbier

Gold: Chocolate City Beer – Cerveza Nacional de la Capital

Silver: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Outpost – Schwartzbier

Bronze: Stevens Point Brewery – Point 2012 Black Ale

German Pilsners

Gold: 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Pub Beer

Silver: Firestone Walker Brewing Company – Pivo

Bronze: Breakside Brewery – Breakside Pilsner

Bohemian Pilsner

Gold: Oskar Blues Brewery – Mama’s Little Yella Pils

Maibock

Gold: Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail LTD 4 Pale Bock

Doppelbock

Gold: Full Sail Brewing Company – Full Sail LTD 6 Black Bock

Silver: Bend Brewing Company – Doppelbock

Baltic Porter

Gold: Oakshire Brewing – Bippy’s Baltic Porter

Silver: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Danzig

Bronze: Burnside Brewing Co. – Iville Krushu

Weizen/Hefeweizen

Gold: Faultline Brewery Company – HefeWeizen

Silver: Elk Mountain Brewing – Wild Wapiti Wheat

Bronze: Burnside Brewing Co. – Thundarr The Bavarian

Roggenbier

Gold: Chocolate City Beer – 8th and I Rye

Belgian Dubbel

Gold: Valholl Brewing Company LLC – Poulsbo Abbey Dubbel

Silver: Roadhouse Brewing – Brother

Belgian Tripel

Gold: Adelbert’s Brewery – Tripel B

Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Gold: Valholl Brewing Company LLC – Poulsbo Abbey Golden Strong Ale

Belgian Dark Strong Ale

Gold: Crux Fermentation Project – Doublecross

Silver: Elevation Beer Company – Apis IV

Bronze: Adelbert’s Brewery – Black Rhino

Old Ale

Gold: Bend Brewing Company – Outback X

Silver: City Star Brewing – Mule Kick

Bronze: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Outpost – Kilt Flasher

English Barleywine

Gold: Ruhstaller – The Di Gregorio

Silver: Pelican Brewing Company – Stormwatcher’s Winterfest

Bronze: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Tectonic Barleywine

American Barleywine

Gold: Deschutes Brewery – Deschutes Brewery’s Class of ’88 Barleywine

Silver: Mad River Brewing Company – John Barleycorn Barleywine

Bronze: Quaff ON! Brewing Company – Quaff ON! Barleywine

Witbier

Gold: Millstream Brewing Company – John’s Generations White Ale

Silver: Ballast Point – Wahoo

Bronze: River North – River North White

Cream Ale

Gold: Roadhouse Brewing Company – Family Vacation

Silver: Prairie Fire Brewing Co, LLC– Prairie Fire Cream Ale

Bronze: Public House Brewing Company – Rod’s Cream Ale

Blonde/Golden Ale

Gold: Pelican Brewing Company – Kiwanda Cream Ale

Silver: Bootstrap Brewing – 1956 Golden Ale

Bronze: Worthy Brewing Co. – Easy Day Kolsch

Kolsch

Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Khaos Kolsch

Silver: Mankato Brewery – Mankato Original

Bronze: Faultline Brewing Company – Kolsch

American Wheat

Gold: Bull Ridge Brew Pub – Haymaker Hefeweizen

Silver: Prairie Fire Brewing Co, LLC – Prairie Fire Wheat Ale

Bronze: Deschutes Brewery – Chainbreaker WIPA

American Rye

Gold: Peticolas Brewing Company – Rye’t On

Silver: Three Creeks Brewing Co. – Raptor Rye IPA

Bronze: Engine 15 Brewing Company – Rye of The Tiger

Altbier

Gold: Chocolate City Beer – Cornerstone Copper Ale

California Common

Gold: Atlas Brew Works – District Common

Saison

Gold: Adelbert’s Brewery – Philosophizer

Silver: Roadhouse Brewing Company – Sacred Creed

Bronze: Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. – Provisions

Berliner Weisse

Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Berliner Metro Weiss

Silver: 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – German Sparkle Party

Flanders Red or Brown

Gold: 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Sour Brown

Silver: Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. – Viejo Rojo

Bronze: Boneyard Beer – Femme Fatale

Biere de Garde

Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Lifeguard

Silver: River North Brewery – J. Marie

Bronze: Base Camp Brewing Company – Summer of St. Martin

Fruit Lambic

Gold: 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Apricot Crush

ESB

Gold: Bootstrap Brewing – Flagstaff Amber

Silver: Valholl Brewing Company LLC – Spotty Dog ESB

Bronze: Mother Road Brewing Company – Painted Racer

English Pale

Gold: Faultline Brewing Company – Pale Ale

Silver: Peticolas Brewing Company – Royal Scandal

Bronze: Burnside Brewing Co. – Stock Ale

English Mild

Gold: Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company – Ale of Fergus

Silver: Public House Brewing Company – Bird and Baby Mild

Irish Red

Gold: Ballast Point – Piperdown

Silver: Kulshan Brewing Co. – Red Cap Red

Bronze: Hillcrest Brewing Co. – Crotch Rocket

English IPA

Gold: Pelican Brewing Company – Silverspot IPA

Silver: Full Sail – Full Sail IPA

English Brown

Gold: Mother Road Brewing Company – Twin Arrows

Silver: Three Creeks Brewing Co. – Back Country Brown

Bronze: Prairie Fire Brewing Co, LLC. – Prairie Fire Brown

Scottish Heavy

Gold: GoodLife Brewing Company – Scottish Heart

Silver: Pelican Brewing Company – MacPelican’s Ale

Bronze: Peticolas Brewing Company – Great Scot!

Scotch

Gold: Bend Brewing Company – Scottish Heart

Silver: Oskar Blues Brewery – Old Chub Scotch Ale

Bronze: Valholl Brewing Company LLC – Kilted Viking

Cascadian Dark Ale

Gold: 21st Amendment Brewery – Back in Black

Silver: Boneyard Beer – Armored Fist

Bronze: Firestone Walker Brewing Company – Wookey Jack

American Brown

Gold: Engine 15 Brewing Company – Nutsack Imperial Brown

Silver: Pelican Brewing Company – Doryman’s Ale

Bronze: Smith Rock Brewing Company – Crooked River

Brown Porter

Gold: Back East Brewing LLC – Porter

Silver: Boneyard Beer – Black 13

Bronze: Deschutes Brewery – Black Butte Porter

Robust Porter

Gold: Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. – Porter

Silver: Icicle Brewing Company – Priebe Porter

Bronze: Fenton Winery & Brewery – Lights Out Wheat Porter

Specialty/Hybrid Beer

Gold: River North Brewery – Hoppenberg Uncertainty Principle

Silver: Base Camp Brewing Company – White Squall

Bronze: Breakside Brewery – Breakside Bourbon Barrel Aged Aztec Ale

Rauchbier

Gold: Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company – Smokehaus Lager

Smoked Beer

Gold: Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. – Smoke Mai Bock

Silver: Base Camp Brewing Company – Rauch The Boat

Wood Aged Beer

Gold: River North Brewery – Avarice

Silver: Icicle Brewing Company – Oak Aged Lifeguard

Bronze: Bend Brewing Company – Raven

Sweet Stout

Gold: The Dayton Beer Company – Mad River Milk Stout

Dry Stout

Gold: Breakside Brewery – Breakside Irish Stout

Silver: Public House Brewing Company – Revelations Stout

Bronze: Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company – Ramsey’s Draft Stout

Oatmeal Stout

Gold: Millstream Brewing Company – Back Road Stout

Foreign Extra Stout

Gold: Pelican Brewing Company – Tsunami Stout

Silver: Hopworks Urban Brewery – Organic Motherland Russian Imperial Stout

Bronze: Bootstrap Brewing – Worthog Stout

American Stout

Gold: Mother Road Brewing Company – Lost Highway

Silver: GoodLife Brewing Company – Pass Stout

Bronze: Calapooia Brewing Co. – Devil’s Hole Stout

Imperial Stout

Gold: Kulshan Brewing Co. – Reisterbrau Russian Imperial Stout

Silver: Bend Brewing Company – Big Bad Russian

Bronze: River North – Anniversary Ale #1

Herb/Spice Beer

Gold: Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. – Saison Savoureuse

Silver: Elevation Beer Company – Senorita

Bronze: Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. – Autumn Provisions

Pumpkin Beer

Gold: Stevens Point Brewery – Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

Silver: 21st Amendment Brewery – He Said, Belgian Tripel

Bronze: Hinterland – Saison Farmhouse

Fruit Beer

Gold: Bend Brewing Company – Ching Ching

Silver: Bend Brewing Company – Lovely

Bronze: Chocolate City Beer – Mister Mayor 2nd Term

Coffee Beer

Gold: Three Creeks Brewing Co. – Bullet Proof Coffee Stout

Silver: Hinterland Brewery – Luna Coffee Stout

Bronze: GoodLife Brewing Company – Coffee Brown

Chili Beer

Gold: Burnside Brewing Co. – Sweet Heat

Silver: Calapooia Brewing Co. – Chili Beer

Bronze: Bootstrap Brewing – Backfire Chili