Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer results

While out-of-state brewers took the Best of Show prizes, members of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild fared well collectively at the Eighth Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer, held last Saturday.
The event was held over two sampling sessions on November 6 at Chicago Journeyman Plumbers’ Local Union 130 Stephen M. Bailey Auditorium 1340 W. Washington Blvd. Over 1,800 ticketholders got to sample from 156 wood-aged beers and ciders from 57 different breweries, representing almost half of the US states, including Alaska and Hawaii.
A panel of industry experts also judged each beer in the National Wood Aged Beer Competition against a set of standard guidelines in ten categories.
Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey from San Marcos, California earned Best-of-Show honors with Red Poppy Ale (5.5% abv), a Flanders red-style ale produced with sour cherries and aged in French oak barrels for a year. Runner-up went to Squatters Pubs & Beers (Salt Lake City, UT) for Fifth Element, a farmhouse ale aged in oak with Brettanomyces and other micro-organisms.
Individual medal winners in the ten judging categories were:

Category 1: Classic Porter/Stout

1. Goose Island Brewpub, Chicago IL Sweet Southern Kiss
2. Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery – Lombard IL Pritchard #4
3. Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, Chicago, IL Jockey Full of Bourbon

Category 2: Strong Porter/Stout

1. Fitger’s Brewhouse, Duluth, MN Bourbon Barrel Edmund Imperial Stout
2. Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA Older Viscosity
3. Fifty Fifty Brewing Company, Truckee, CA Imperial Eclipse Stout – 2009 Elijah Craig

Category 3: Barleywine/Wheatwine

1. Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery – Warrenville, IL Snarleywine
2. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor,  IL BA Hi-Fi Rye
3. Piece Brewery & Pizzeria, Barrel Aged Mooseknuckle Barleywine

Category 4: Classic Styles

1. Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery – Cincinnati, OH Sarah’s Two Headed Buffalo
2. Bluegrass Brewing Company – Shelbyville Road, KY Bourbon Barrel Biere de Garde
3. Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Buellton, CA Lil Opal

Category 5: Strong/Double/Imperial Pale Beer

1. Nebraska Brewing Company, Papillon, NE Melange A Trois
2. Schmaltz Brewing Company NY R.I.P.A. on Rye
3. Nebraska Brewing Company, Papillon, NE Oaked Rye IPA

Category 6: Strong/Double/Imperial Dark Beers

1. America’s Brewing Company, Aurora, IL Why’s It Sooo Loud Scotch Ale
2. New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI Charkoota Rye
3. Glacier Brewhouse, Anchorage, AK Glacier Ice

Category 7: Fruit Beers

1. Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA Red Poppy Ale
2. Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN Chocolate City
3. Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery – Lombard, IL Clusterfunk!

Category 8: Experimental Beers

1. Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor, ID Barrel-Aged Tail Waggin’ Double White Ale
2. Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, IN Conquistador de la Muerte
3. Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA Boubon Barrel Aged Cappuccino Stout

Category 9: Wild Beers

1. Squatters Pubs & Beers, Salt Lake City, UT Fifth Element
2. Upland Brewing Company, Bloomington, IN Dantalion
3. Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL Lolita

Category 10: Wild Acidic Beers

1. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor, IL Rosie Pom
2. New Belgium Brewing Company, Ft. Collins, CO Tart Lychee
3. Destihl Brew Works, Normal, IL St. Dekkera Reserve: Framboise

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