Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers Award Winners – 2023

One of the nation’s most unique and important beer gatherings, The Festival Of Wood And Barrel-Aged Beer wrapped up last weekend in Chicago. And we’ve got this year’s big winners for you…

Affectionately nicknamed FoBAB, this festival (and its prestigious competition) is the planet’s largest celebration of wood and barrel aged beer. It’s also quite possibly the most extensive showcase of beers that have been aged in wooden barrels (or in contact with wood), under one roof.

If you’re a brewery committed to barrel-aging you NEED to be here, because a win at The Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer is the kind of game-changer that can rocket breweries into the national arena and jumpstart careers.

This year’s two-day, festival featured 160 breweries from all over the country, and the competition saw over 400 entries. Along with Best of Show & Runner Up, winners were awarded Gold, Siver and Broze medals in 12 additional categories.

And the 2023 event was overseen by a panel of 75 expert judges and industry stewards who weighed in on hundreds of barrel-aged beers, ciders, meads and perries from about 200 breweries.

Naperville, Illinois-based Hidden Hand Brewery took home top honors earning best in show overall for its Oaked Val D’Or.  And Huntley, Illinois’ More Brewing Company took home runner-up honors for its Mehndi 2023.

Now in its 21^th year The Festival Of Wood And Barrel-Aged Beer is sponsored annually by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.

The 2022 Festival of Barrel Aged Beers Award Winners

Strong Porter & Stout

• Bronze – Double BA Temple Of Minerva from Jackie O’s Brewery (Ohio)
• Silver – Slappa Da Base from Mikerphone Brewing (Illinois)
• Gold – Mehndi 2023 from More Brewing Company (Illinois)

Specialty Strong Porter & Stout

• Bronze – BA Cuppa Stuffff from Maplewood Brewery & Distillery (Illinois)
• Silver – Veneration Of The Dead from Ever Grain Brewing (Pennsylvania)
• Gold – BBA Ego Death with Vanilla from Resident Culture Brewing (North Carolina)

Barley Wine/Wheat Wine

• Bronze – Two Faced Terror from False Idol Brewing (Texas)
• Silver – Owl Of Athena from Solemn Oath Brewery (Illinois)
• Gold – Moments Of Silent Banter from Taproom Beer Co. (California)

Other Pale Beer

• Bronze – Muon from Loose Ends Brewing (Ohio)
• Silver – Boost from HighGrain Brewing Company (Ohio)
• Gold – Tripel G from Sketchbook Brewing Co. (Illinois)

Lagers

• Bronze – Barrel-Aged Generator Doppelbock from Metropolitan Brewing (Illinois)
• Silver – Brewers’ Reserve Bourbon Barrel-Aged Honey Bock from Lakefront Brewery (Wisconsin)
• Gold – Dark Crator from Boulevard Brewing Company (Missouri)

Other Dark Beer

• Bronze – Skateboard Jesus from 10 Barrel Brewing (Oregon)
• Silver – Orin from Half Acre Beer (Illinois)
• Gold – Bravissimo from Firestone Walker Propagator (California)

Fruit Beer

• Bronze – Polynesian Passion from Sun King Brewery (Indiana)
• Silver – Tako Michu from 10 Barrel Brewing (Oregon)
• Gold – Icky Bob Thornton from Haymarket Pub and Brewery (Illinois)

Specialty & Experimental Beer

• Bronze – All That Was Promised from Magnanimous Brewing (Florida)
• Silver – Astral Predator from Cerebral Brewing (Colorado)
• Gold – Mezcal Barrel Aged Beer For Tacos from Off Color Brewing (Illinois)

Wild Beer Brett

• Bronze – Oak Rado from Penrose Brewing Company (Illinois)
• Silver – Palace Of Gold from Full Mile Beer Co. (Wisconsin)
• Gold – Oaked Val D’Or from Hidden Hand Brewery (Illinois)

Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic

• Bronze – Polyflora from Brewery Bhavana (North Carolina)
• Silver – Cuvee De Josh from Pretentious Barrel House (Ohio)
• Gold – Oblivion from Wicked Weed Brewing (North Carolina)

Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic With Fruit

• Bronze – Soiree from Idyll Forest Artisan Ales (Minnesota)
• Silver – Routes Du Cidre from Idyll Forest Artisan Ales (Minnesota)
• Gold – Peach Horizon from 10 Barrel Brewing (Oregon)

Cider/Perry/Mead

• Bronze – Wealthy Financier from Listermann Fermantorium (Ohio)
• Silver – Rye Barrel Aged Marion from Superstition Meadery (Arizona)
• Gold – Final Act from Garagiste Meadery (Florida)

Best of Show

• Runner Up – Mehndi 2023 from More Brewing Company (Illinois)
• Winner – Oaked Val D’Or from Hidden Hand Brewery (Illinois)

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Congratulations to all of this year’s winners…Live long and proper.

(All image credits: FoBAB / Illinois Craft Brewers Guild)