2017 Washington Beer Awards Winners

This past weekend during the annual Washington Brewers Festival held at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington the winners were announced for the 5th annual Washington Beer Awards. This annual competition is organized by Specialty Competitions LLC and held with the endorsement of the Washington Beer Commission to honor and celebrate Washington’s brewing culture and its top beers.

For the 2017 competition 165 Washington breweries entered 1,207 beers that were judged by a team of 75 trained beer judges. All of the beers submitted must have been both brewed and made commercially available in the state of Washington. The entries were then evaluated in a blind format using the Brewers Association Style Guidelines by panels of trained beer judges who awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze placements for each category grouping. This year’s competition was the largest single state professional competition held to date.

When the results were announce on Saturday, June 17th at the Washington Brewers Festival Chuckanut Brewery was awarded Large Brewery of the Year, E9 Brewery was awarded Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year and 5 Rights Brewing was awarded Small Brewery of the Year.

2017 Washington Beer Awards Medal Winners:

European Pale Lagers:
Gold: Barrel Mountain Brewing – Luv Ya Lager
Silver: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Helles Lager
Bronze: DRU BRU – Serious Bru

German-Style Pilsners:
Gold: Icicle Brewing Company – Crosscut Pilsner
Silver: Black Raven Brewing – Hochzeit Pilsner
Bronze: Optimism – Check

Bohemian-Style Pilsners:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Pilsner
Silver: Sound Brewery – Premium Pilsner
Bronze: Chainline Brewing Co. – Polaris Pilsner

New World Pilsners:
Gold: Airways Brewing – Pre Flight Pilsner
Silver: Perry Street Brewing – PSB Pils
Bronze: Cloudburst Brewing – Happy Little Clouds

Vienna-Style Lagers:
Gold: Wet Coast Brewing Co. – Costa Humeda
Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Vienna Lager
Bronze: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Vienna Lager

German Dark Lagers:
Gold: Chainline Brewing Co. – Brake Czech
Silver: DRU BRU – Black
Bronze: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Dunkel

American-Style Lagers:
Gold: Kulshan Brewing Co. – Premium Lager
Silver: Stones Throw Brewery – Raincountry Liquid Sunshine Lager
Bronze: Top Rung Brewing Company – Lacey Lager

Other Light and Amber Lagers:
Gold: Odin Brewing/ Hilliards Beer – Chrome Satan Copper Lager
Silver: Lowercase Brewing – Mexican Lager
Bronze: Aslan Brewing Co – Classic Light Lager

Baltic Porters:
Gold: Bellwether Brewing Company – Fernweh
Silver: Sound Brewery – Baltic Porter
Bronze: Standard Brewing – Baltic Porter

Strong Lagers:
Gold: River City Brewing – 2015 Congratulator Doppelbock
Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Dopplebock
Bronze: Silver City Brewery – Uberfest

German-Style Kölsch:
Gold: 54-40 Brewing Company – Cascadia
Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Kolsch Style
Bronze: 20 Corners Brewing Co. – Vagablonde

Other German Amber Beers:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut Alt
Silver: Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. – Marzen
Bronze: Reuben’s Brews – Small Batch Brewery – Altbier

German Wheat & Rye Beers:
Gold: 5 Rights Brewing Company – Nellie’s Nectar
Silver: Anacortes Brewery – Whistle Lake Wizen
Bronze: Sound Brewery – Sommerweize

American Wheat Beers:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut American Wheat
Silver: Elysian Brewing Company – Wil Wheatwine
Bronze: Mac and Jacks Brewery – Serengeti Wheat

Rye Beers:
Gold: Lowercase Brewing – IPA
Silver: Loowit Brewing Company – Grimlock Rye Porter
Bronze: Haywire Brewing Co. – Red Rye IPA

American Light Ales:
Gold: Whitewall Brewing Company – Traction Control
Silver: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Blonde Ale
Bronze: Diamond Knot Craft Brewing – Blonde Ale

Session Beers:
Gold: Georgetown Brewing Company – Johnny Utah
Silver: Cloudburst Brewing – Fine Print
Bronze: TripleHorn Brewing Co – Enabler

Bitters:
Gold: Four Generals Brewing – English Bitter
Silver: Rainy Daze Brewing – Test Drive Amber
Bronze: Ravenna Brewing Co – ESB

English Ales:
Gold: Fish Brewing Company – Organic IPA
Silver: Chuckanut Brewery – Chuckanut British IPA
Bronze: Port Townsend Brewery – Hop Diggidy IPA

English Dark Ales:
Gold: Orlison Brewing Co. – Boulder Garden Brown
Silver: Puyallup River Brewing Co. – British Bronze Brown Ale
Bronze: Blewett Brewing Company – Nut Brown Ale

British Strong Ales:
Gold: Cairn Brewing – Wee Heavy
Silver: Standard Brewing – Skid Road
Bronze: Silver City Brewery – Old Scrooge

Scottish Ales:
Gold: Postdoc Brewing – Kilty MacSporran
Silver: Heathen Brewing – Highland Charge
Bronze: Dystopian State Brewing Co – The Immolator

Irish Red Ales:
Gold: Snipes Mountain Brewing – Red Fox
Silver: Silver City Brewery – Ridgetop Red
Bronze: Heathen Brewing – Mighty Craic

Brown Porters:
Gold: Bron Yr Aur Brewing Co. – Thriller Piller
Silver: Kulshan Brewing Co. – Transporter
Bronze: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Uncle Big’s Brown

Robust Porters:
Gold:  Stoup Brewing – Robust Porter
Silver: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Rendezvous Porter
Bronze: Icicle Brewing Company – Priebe Porter

Sweet/Cream Stouts:
Gold: Cairn Brewing – Thor’s Hammer
Silver: Ten Pin Brewing – Snake Eye Stout
Bronze: Wet Coast Brewing Co. – Sneak Thief Stout

Oatmeal Stouts:
Gold: Rainy Daze Brewing – Built For Comfort Stout
Silver: Mac and Jacks Brewery – Maxx Stout
Bronze: Dreadnought Brewing LLC – Chocolate Jesus

Irish Stouts:
Gold: Wander Brewing – Correspondent
Silver: Reuben’s Brews – Production Brewery – Dry Stout
Bronze: Dick’s Brewing Co. – Dick’s Cream Stout

British-Style Imperial Stouts:
Gold: River City Brewing – Midnight Marmot Imperial Stout
Silver: Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. – Russian Imperial Stout
Bronze: Scuttlebutt Brewing Company – 20 Year Anniversary Stout

American-Style Stouts:
Gold: Top Rung Brewing Company – My Dog Scout Stout
Silver: Flying Lion Brewing – Rye Stout
Bronze: Aslan Brewing Co – American Stout

American-Style Imperial Stouts and Porters:
Gold: Stoup Brewing – Russian Imperial Stout
Silver: Two Beers Brewing Co – Overhang Imperial Porter
Bronze: Bale Breaker Brewing Co – Wood & Wire Imperial Stout

American-Style Pale Ales:
Gold: Elliott Bay Brewing Co, Burien – Curiosity
Silver: Backwoods Brewing Company – Mosaic Pale
Bronze: Fremont Brewing – Universale

American-Style Strong Pale Ales:
Gold: Airways Brewing – Jumbo Juice
Silver: Narrows Brewing Company – Ghost Jelly Pale Ale
Bronze: Old Schoolhouse Brewery – Rule Breaker IPA

Belgo-American & International Ales:
Gold: 5 Rights Brewing Company – Yaki-Vegas Saison
Silver: Matchless Brewing – POG IPA
Bronze: Matchless Brewing – Crack A Fruit

American Amber Ales:
Gold: Old Stove Brewing – Amber Waves
Silver: Ten Pin Brewing – Angle Amber
Bronze: Wet Coast Brewing Co. – Chinook Common

American Brown and Black Ales:
Gold: Reuben’s Brews – Production Brewery – Ink
Silver: Trap Door Brewing – Uptown Brown
Bronze: Ravenna Brewing Co – Cascadian Dark Ale

American-Style India Pale Ales:
Gold: White Bluffs Brewing – Nectar Of The Gods (NOG)
Silver: Everybody’s Brewing – Cryo Chronic
Bronze: Elysian Brewing Company – Dayglow

Imperial or Double India Pale Ales:
Gold: Odd Otter Brewing – Screeching Otter
Silver: Postdoc Brewing – Dissertation
Bronze: Seapine Brewing Company – Rainbow Suspenders

Imperial or Double Red Ales:
Gold: Ghost Runners Brewery – Phantom Rojo
Silver: Rooftop Brewing Company – Stargazer
Bronze: Barrel Mountain Brewing – Metalhead Red

Barleywines:
Gold: Dick’s Brewing Co. – Dick’s Barley Wine
Silver: Fish Brewing Company – Ten Squared Barleywine
Bronze: Schooner EXACT Brewing Company – Old Grinderface Barleywine

Belgian Ales:
Gold: Diamond Knot Craft Brewing – Binnacle Summer Ale
Silver: E9 Brewery – Petite Belle
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. – Deviant Blonde

Abbey-Inspired Ales:
Gold: Sound Brewery – Tripel Entendre
Silver: Fish Brewing Company – Belgian Quad
Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing – Dinner With The Devil

Belgian Strong Ales:
Gold: Loowit Brewing Company – Dauntless Belgian Dark Strong
Silver: TripleHorn Brewing Co – Mystic
Bronze: Ghost Runners Brewery – Elite

Belgian and French Farmhouse Ales:
Gold: Matchless Brewing – Shared Table
Silver: Ten Pin Brewing Co. – Bowler’s Biere De Garde
Bronze: Optimism – Pride

Specialty Saisons:
Gold: Three Magnets Brewing Company – Autumnal Dark Farmhouse
Silver: Urban Family Brewing – Of Both Worlds
Bronze: Puyallup River Brewing Co. – Paradise Blonde Farmhouse Ale

Brett Beers:
Gold: E9 Brewery – Du Vieux Monde
Silver: Standard Brewing – Time Crystals
Bronze: Standard Brewing – Brett Earl

Mixed Culture Brett Beers:
Gold: E9 Brewery – Amitie
Silver: Three Magnets Brewing Company – Because Ghosts
Bronze: E9 Brewery – Tayberry Farmhouse

German Sour Beers:
Gold: Hi-Fi Brewing Co. – On The Metro
Silver: Kulshan Brewing Co. – Gose
Bronze: Everybody’s Brewing – Good Ad-Weisse, Berlinerweisse

Sour Beers:
Gold: Boundary Bay Brewery – Neighborhood Watch
Silver: Stoup Brewing – Sour #4
Bronze: Elliott Bay Brewing Co, LCW – Big Pun

American-Style Fruit Beer:
Gold: Black Raven Brewing – Flock Party
Silver: Dick’s Brewing Co. – Dick’s Grapefruit IPA
Bronze: Ghostfish Brewing Company – Co-Conspirator Apricot Sour

Fruit Wheat Beers:
Gold: North Jetty Brewing – Another F**king Raspberry Hef
Silver: Ten Pin Brewing Co. – Groove Pineapple Wheat
Bronze: Big Block Brewing – Berry Cuda

Belgian Fruit Beers:
Gold: E9 Brewery – Wild Cherry
Silver: Silver City Brewery – Charming Disarmer
Bronze: Black Raven Brewing – Corvus Kriekus

Vegetable Beers:
Gold: Black Raven Brewing – Coco Jones
Silver: Des Voigne Cellars & Brewing – Coconut Blackout
Bronze: Cloudburst Brewing – Darkenfloxx

Chili Pepper Beers:
Gold: TripleHorn Brewing Co – Pepperbelly
Silver: Riverport Brewing Co. – 5/5 Pepper Beer
Bronze: Lucky Envelope Brewing – Two Pepper Pale Ale

Chocolate or Cocoa Beer:
Gold: Whitewall Brewing Company – Outlaw Heat 2
Silver: Matchless Brewing – Matchless Bar
Bronze: Puyallup River Brewing Co. – Mud Mountain Milk Stout

Coffee Beers:
Gold: Ram Restaurant & Brewery – Udder Chaos
Silver: Georgetown Brewing Company – Gusto Crema
Bronze: North 47 Brewing Co. – Bavarian Breakfast

Herb & Spice Beers:
Gold: Odd Otter Brewing – Odditea
Silver: Lumber House Brewery, LLC – Just The Tip
Bronze: Ravenna Brewing Co – Basil Saison

Smoke Beers:
Gold: Northern Ales, Inc. – Smoked North Porter
Silver: Cardinal Craft Brewing – Smoked Scotch Ale
Bronze: Rooftop Brewing Company – Scotch, Scotch, Scotchity Scotch Ale

Specialty & Historical Beers:
Gold: Dystopian State Brewing Co – The Gold Sigil
Silver: Big Barn Brewing – Mead Honey Lager
Bronze: Ghostfish Brewing Company – Grapefruit IPA

Experimental:
Gold: Barrel Mountain Brewing – Ryan Pearson Brewmaster Series #3f
Silver: Cash Brewing Company – The Can In Black
Bronze: Bainbridge Brewing – Windfall Grapefruit IPA

Wood & Barrel Aged Beers:
Gold: Wander Brewing – Wild Warehouse
Silver: Ten Pin Brewing – Barrel Aged BeWILDering B
Bronze: Matchless Brewing – Pink Moon

Wood & Barrel Aged Strong Beers:
Gold: Ravenna Brewing Co – Barrel Aged Lion Tamer Bourbon Vanilla Porter
Silver: Fremont Brewing – Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star
Bronze: Reuben’s Brews – Small Batch Brewery – Bourbon Barrel Auld Heritage

Wood & Barrel Aged Sour Beers:
Gold: Three Magnets Brewing Company – 2016 Helsing Solera Project
Silver: Schooner EXACT Brewing Company – NW Sour Beer Framboise
Bronze: Waddell’s Brewing Co. – Barrel Aged Blackberry Sour

Washington Pro-Am Awards:
Gold: Reuben’s Brews & Ben Thompson – Small Batch Brewery – Benjamin Thompson’s Saison
Silver: Black Raven Brewing & Denise Klein – Old Ale
Bronze: Dreadnought Brewing LLC & Ken Thompkins – Fellowship Pale

Best Washington Agricultural Product Inspired Beer: E9 Brewery LLC – Wild Cherry

Best Washington Malt Beer (Sponsored by Skagit Valley Malting): Hellbent Brewing Company – Homegrown Pale Ale

Small Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by YCH Hops, Yakima Chief – Hopunion): 5 Rights Brewing Company

Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Washington Hops Commission): E9 Brewery LLC

Large Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Briess Malt and Ingredients): Chuckanut Brewery