American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
(Land of a Thousand Beers)
Minnesota has a vibrant craft beer scene that deserves national attention. On November 18th the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild celebrated the best beers of the year and we’ve all the big winners for you.
This year’s Brewers Cup Competition evaluated 450 beers from 85 Minnesota breweries and brewpubs.
Submissions in 26 style categories were blind tasted by 20 beer judges and the top three awarded. The competition also awarded the Best Collaboration Beer and Best Art & Design which is kinda cool.
Duluth, Minnesota’s Bent Paddle Brewing took Best in Show for its Roasty Toasty Porter followed by Venn Brewing (Venn Pils) and Unmapped Brewing (Tonka Lite).
And here are all of this year’s big winners…
American Lagers
1st Place: Unmapped Brewing Co., Tonka Lite
2nd Place: Falling Knife Brewing Company, Tomm’s
3rd Place: Third Street Brewhouse, Minnesota Gold
German Pilsners
1st Place: Venn Brewing Company, Venn Pils
2nd Place: Arbeiter Brewing Company, Haha Pilsener
3rd Place: Indeed Brewing Company, Pils
Pale Lagers
1st Place: Talking Waters Brewing Co., Festbier
2nd Place: Giesenbräu Bier Co, Hildy’s Helles German Lager
3rd Place: Utepils Brewing Co, Helles
Amber Lagers
1st Place: Stormking Brewpub and Barbecue Llc, Stormking Oktoberfest
2nd Place: Clutch Brewing Company Llc, Noktoberfest
3rd Place: Sleepy Eye Brewing Co., Luebbert Lager
Dark Lagers
1st Place: Thesis Beer Project, Outfly
2nd Place: Canal Park Brewing Co., Herrnberger Dunkel
3rd Place: Shakopee Brew Hall, Hard Headed Dreamer
Czech Lagers
1st Place: Chapel Brewing, Dukes Pilsner
2nd Place: Lake Monster Brewing, Como Claw Pilsener
3rd Place: Talking Waters Brewing Co., Reality Czech
American Wheat & Cream Ales
1st Place: Forgotten Star Brewing Company, North Star Cream Ale
2nd Place: Ursa Minor Brewing, Constellation Cream
3rd Place: Pantown Brewing Company, The Classic Cream Ale
American Pale Ales
1st Place: Three Twenty Brewing Co., Diddy Pale Ale
2nd Place: Day Block Brewing Company, Citra Pale Ale
3rd Place: Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Pay It Forward Pale Ale
American Blonde & Amber Ales
1st Place: Excelsior Brewing Co, Big Island Blond
2nd Place: Stormking Brewpub and Barbecue Llc, River Pig Red Ale
3rd Place: Fulton Brewing, The Lonely Blonde
American IPAs
1st Place: Wooden Hill Brewing Company, Code 3
2nd Place: Unmapped Brewing Co., No Trace
3rd Place: Fulton Brewing, Fulton 300 Mosaic IPA
New England IPAs
1st Place: Ltd Brewing Co., Creative Haze
2nd Place: Luce Line Brewing, Foggy Bottom
3rd Place: Eastlake Craft Brewery, Got Dang!
Double & Specialty IPAs
1st Place: Arbeiter Brewing Company, Sessionista
2nd Place: Lupulin Brewing Company, Blissful Ignorance
3rd Place: Venn Brewing Company, Chronicopia
Belgian & Monastic Ales
1st Place: Canal Park Brewing Co., Lone Trekker
2nd Place: Blacklist Brewing Co., Or de Belgique
3rd Place: Unmapped Brewing Co., Quadruplication
English Bitter, Irish & Scottish Ales
1st Place: Torg Brewery, Kilted Yoga
2nd Place: Ursa Minor Brewing, Equanimity
3rd Place: Little Thistle Brewing Co, Brave Woman
German Ales
1st Place: Torg Brewery, Libidinous
2nd Place: Utepils Brewing Co, Alt 1848
3rd Place: Take 16 Brewing, Country Mile Kölsch
Strong Ales
1st Place: Jack Pine Brewery, Big Buck Barleywine
2nd Place: 10k Brewing Llc, Wee-Heavy
3rd Place: Pryes Brewing Company, 2021 Lost Moon
Brown Ales & Porters
1st Place: Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Roasty Toasty Porter
2nd Place: Bald Man Brewing, Tupelo Honey Brown Ale
3rd Place: Omni Brewing Company, Shanty Town
Stouts
1st Place: Ltd Brewing Co., Nightmare
2nd Place: Pantown Brewing Company, Drop Forge Milk Stout
3rd Place: Thousand Lakes Brewing Company, Breakfast For Supper
Imperial Stouts & Baltic Porters
1st Place: Forgotten Star Brewing Company, Dark Skies
2nd Place: Lift Bridge Brewery, Barrel Aged Silhouette Imperial Stout
3rd Place: Warrior Brewing Company, Barbarian
American Wild Ales
1st Place: Locale Brewing Company, Sibling
2nd Place: Locale Brewing Company, Aromaticity
3rd Place: Revelation Ale Works, Deviation: 02
Sour & Funky Ales
1st Place: Arbeiter Brewing Company, Acid Factory Gose
2nd Place: Pryes Brewing Company, Royal Raspberry Sour
3rd Place: Barrel Theory Beer Company, Simply Ravishing
Wood Beers
1st Place: Lupulin Brewing Company, Barrel God Cuvée – 2020/2021 Blend
2nd Place: Giesenbräu Bier Co, Nova Praha Med Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout
3rd Place: Pryes Brewing Company, 2021 Barrel Aged Lost Moon
Fruit Beers
1st Place: Lift Bridge Brewery, Mango Blonde
2nd Place: Lake Monster Brewing, Purple Rain
3rd Place: Inbound Brewco, Jam Bam
Spice, Herb, & Vegetable Beers
1st Place: Excelsior Brewing Co, Spresso Milk Stout
2nd Place: Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Cold Press Black Ale
3rd Place: Wooden Hill Brewing Company, Dry Bean Coffee Blonde Ale
Specialty Fruit & Spice Beers
1st Place: Bauhaus Brew Labs, Guavatron
2nd Place: Bad Weather Brewing Company, Due Date 5
3rd Place: Venn Brewing Company, Lunarising
Experimental & Specialty Beers
1st Place: Modist Brewing Company, False Pattern
2nd Place: Indeed Brewing Company, Mexican Honey Imperial Lager
3rd Place: Inbound Brewco, Mn Rice
Best in Show
1st Place: Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Roasty Toasty Porter
2nd Place: Venn Brewing Company, Venn Pils
3rd Place: Unmapped Brewing Co., Tonka Lite
The Lupulin Brewing Company was awarded for Best Art and Design
Modist Brewing, Blackstack Brewing, and the Fair State Brewing Cooperative won Best Collaborative Beer for their Double Local Dream Mirror
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Congratulations to all this year’s winners…Live long and prosper.
