Oregon, a great state for craft beer, awarded the winners of the state’s only double-blind tasting competition last week and we’ve all the big winners for you…
According to OregonLive, “ more than 1,200 beers were evaluated by 95 judges, including brewers, industry veterans and journalists in a double-blind presentation to ensure anonymity. The awards ceremony passed out 90 medals in 30 beer-style categories, with entries from 113 breweries.
Northeast Portland’s Breakside Brewery was named Large Brewery of the Year. It also led the competition with 12 medals, four of them gold.
Another Northeast Portland operation, Culmination Brewing, was named Medium Brewery of the Year and Bend, Oregon-based Immersion Brewing of Bend was named the Small Brewery of the Year.
The ceremony also featured a video tribute to Widmer Brothers Brewing co-founders and brothers Rob and Kurt Widmer, who were inducted into the Oregon Beer Hall of Fame
Rob and Kurt Widmer inducted into the Oregon Beer Hall of Fame
The 2020 Oregon Beer Award Winners
Fresh Hop Pale Ales & India Pale Ales
- Gold: Fresh Hop Volatile Substance, Von Ebert
- Silver: Space Potato, Rock Bottom
- Bronze: What Fresh Beast, Breakside
Other Fresh Hop Beers
- Gold: Oktoberfresh, Zoiglhaus
- Silver: Fresh Hop Sterling Pilsner, Breakside
- Bronze: Nuggets of Wisdom Fresh Hop English Pale Ale, Falling Sky
Dark German and European Lagers
- Gold: Baltic Porter, Hop Valley
- Silver: DoorStop Bock, Falling Sky
- Bronze: Time Spiral, Wayfinder
Pilsner
- Gold: Pilsner, pFriem Family Brewers
- Silver: Jaromir Lager, Breakside
- Bronze: Sol Power Pilsner, Worthy
Golden, Blonde and Other Light Ales
- Gold: Packin’ The Arena, Immersion
- Silver: Grassa Bionda, Allegory
- Bronze: Dad Beer, Baerlic
Stout
- Gold: Revive, 10 Barrel
- Silver: Opacus Stout, StormBreaker
- Bronze: Sammyvile Stout, Side A
Light German & European Lagers
- Gold: Vienna Lager, Von Ebert
- Silver: Vienna Lager, Breakside
- Bronze: Fraunhofer Lager, Labrewatory
Classic UK Styles
- Gold: RedeuX, 10 Barrel
- Silver: Mild at Heart, Hop Valley
- Bronze: Capella Porter, Ecliptic
Classic North American Styles
- Gold: Checkered Flannel Brown Ale, Mt Tabor
- Silver: Twheat, 10 Barrel
- Bronze: Revvin’ Up to Neutral, Level
Rare, Historical & Other Traditional Beers
- Gold: Lichtenhainer, Zoiglhaus
- Silver: Mad Dogs of Glory, Bend Brewing
- Bronze: Fólkvangr, Little Beast
American Pale Ales & Other Sessionable Hoppy Beers
- Gold: Cuddle Puddle, Breakside
- Silver: Rippin, Sunriver
- Bronze: Safety Meeting, StormBreaker
Mixed Culture Beers
- Gold: Flanders Blonde, pFriem
- Silver: In the Pocket, Crux
- Bronze: The Body Electric, Breakside
Dark Hoppy Beers
- Gold: Cinder Beast, Sunriver
- Silver: Dark Thoughts Black IPA, Baerlic
- Bronze: Ring The Alarm, Immersion
Barrel-Aged Beers
- Gold: Home at Port, Deschutes
- Silver: Vino de Grano, 10 Barrel
- Bronze: Gin Barrel Punk Rock Time, Baerlic
Barrel-Aged Stouts
- Gold: Blackfisky, Ordnance
- Silver: Wood Worker Night Howler Coconut Ginger Vanilla, Baerlic
- Bronze: Barrel of the Beast, Oregon City Brewing
Red Beers
- Gold: ALTerior Motive, StormBreaker
- Silver: Daywalker Irish Red Ale, Falling Sky
- Bronze: Cloudcap Amber Ale, Mt. Hood Brewing
Imperial India Pale Ale
- Gold: Sticky Hands, Block 15
- Silver: Triple IPA, pFriem
- Bronze: Never Tell, Von Ebert
Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale
- Gold: Interpreter, Ruse
- Silver: Green Skies IPA, Widmer Brothers
- Bronze: Obscured by Clouds, Culmination
Coffee and Smoke Beers
- Gold: Rauch Helles, Von Ebert
- Silver: C4K, 10 Barrel
- Bronze: Tenango Coffee Stout, Grain Station Brew Works
Experimental Beers
- Gold: Terroir Cabernet Sauvignon, Alesong
- Silver: Gindulgence, 10 Barrel
- Bronze: Beachcomber, Breakside
Belgian Beers, German Wheat Beers & Traditional Brett Beers
- Gold: Saison Vert, Upright
- Silver: Zoigl-Weiss, Zoiglhaus
- Bronze: Ferment Bière de Garde, Ferment
Flavored Beers
- Gold: White Tea Lager, Breakside
- Silver: Filbert Brown, McKenzie
- Bronze: Cocoa Cow, Sunriver
Fruit Beers
- Gold: Sun Ripened, Breakside
- Silver: Trippy Henderson, Hop Valley
- Bronze: Incredible Pulp, Boneyard
Fruited Mixed Culture Beers
- Gold: Framboise White, Block 15
- Silver: Old Stoner, 10 Barrel
- Bronze: Deep River Blues, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales
American Sour Beers
- Gold: The Beer Formerly Known as La Tache, The Ale Apothecary
- Silver: Fruit Monster, Great Notion
- Bronze: Bangarang, Silver Moon
Emerging IPA or Experimental Hoppy Beer
- Gold: Citrus Zest IPA, pFriem
- Silver: Star Sprinkles, Breakside
- Bronze: Cloudy & Rowdy, Deschutes
Pastry or Dessert Beers
- Gold: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (a stout after midnight), Culmination
- Silver: Haole at the Moon, Sunriver
- Bronze: Double Stack, Great Notion
Hazy or Juicy Pale Ales
- Gold: Biotransformers, Breakside
- Silver: Saturn Gold, Worthy
- Bronze: Hazy … So Hot Right Now, StormBreaker
American IPA
- Gold: Fort George, Fanzine IPA
- Silver: Breakside IPA, Breakside
- Bronze: Alluvial IPA, Sunriver
Hazy or Juicy IPA
- Gold: Drone Logic, Culmination
- Silver: This is What Space Smells Like, Oakshire
- Bronze: Fogmatic, Little Beast
An academy of over 200 beer awards members also voted on special industry awards…
(Ex Novo Nevermore Black Barleywine wins Label of the Year)
Best Beer Label
- Nevermore, Ex Novo Brewing (North Portland)
Best New Brewery
- Boss Rambler Beer Club (Bend)
Best Brewpub Experience
- Wayfinder Beer (Southeast Portland)
Best Beer Festival
- Festival of the Dark Arts (Fort George Brewery, Astoria)
Hall of Fame
- Kurt Widmer, Rob Widmer (Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.)
Best Beer Bar or Taproom
- The Bier Stein (Eugene)
Best Bottleshop
- Belmont Station (Southeast Portland)
Excellence in Brewing Operations (regional)
- Coast: Fort George Brewery (Astoria)
- Metro: Upright Brewing (North Portland)
- Central: Sunriver Brewing (Bend)
- Northeast: pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River)
- Southern: Caldera Brewing (Ashland)
- Alumni: Block 15 Brewing (Corvallis)
Small Brewery of the Year – Small
- Immersion Brewing (Bend)
Medium Brewery of the Year
- Culmination Brewing (Northeast Portland)
Large Brewery of the Year
- Breakside Brewery (Northeast Portland)
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners…Live long and prosper.