09 Jul US Open Beer Championship Awards Ten Medals to Indiana Breweries
By Mark Lasbury for Indiana on Tap
Indiana breweries have once again done the state proud in an international beer competition. Early on July 9, 2018, the US Open Beer Championship sent out the list of award winning beer and breweries from Oxford, OH, with Indiana breweries taking home a total of ten medals. The US Open Beer Championship had over 6300 entries in 110 different categories, from home, US professional, and international brewers. This competition is unique in that it pits home brewers against professional brewers – there were even four medals awarded to two college brewing programs.
Four different Indiana breweries won two medals each, led by the two gold medals of Daredevil Brewing. Their Ripcord beer won a gold in the Imperial IPA category while the Daredevil Maibock took home the top prize in the hellerbock/maibock group. Metazoa Brewing repeated its double medal performance at the World Beer Cup in May with two more medals at these championships. The Wee Bit Left wee heavy repeated it third place award at WBC with a bronze in the Strong Scottish Ale category, while a bronze medal was also earned by Hog Body in the American Barleywine group.
Rob Malad and Chris Knott at Flix Brewhouse in Carmel show no signs of slowing their growing medal pile by taking two prizes as well. Das Umlaut won gold in the Maerzen/Octoberfest group, while the Tripel Carmel-ite won bronze in the Belgian tripel category. The US Open also has judges’ awards for the ten best beer names in the competition, and I can’t see why Das Umlaut didn’t win one of those as well. Sure, We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Cucumber and Another One Bites the Must are great names, but Das Umlaut is just as good as Shipfaced, which was named one of the ten best.
The final brewery from Indiana that won two medals was Sun King. Their often awarded Razzleblaster Busey took bronze in the Belgian Style Fruit Ale style, and the wood/barrel-aged pale beer category rewarded Clay and Dave’s Lonesome Dove entry with a gold medal. Rounding out the Indiana booty, two breweries took single medals home – still a major accomplishment. Chilly Water’s breakfast stout called Sticky Fingers won a silver medal in the non-traditional wood/barrel-aged strong stout group. This is one of our favorite beers, the oatmeal in the stout gives great body while the roast is present but nowhere near harsh. Joining Chilly Water was Grand Junction Brewing in Westfield, with a bronze for their collaboration with Broad Ripple Brewpub called #inserthypehere in the strong/imperial brown group. In all, Indiana took home four golds, a silver, and four bronzes, quite the haul for any competition, and even better for one this inclusive.
Indiana On Tap would also like to give a heft of the ol’ beer mug to a couple of breweries in Ohio as well. The state that is home to the US Open Beer Championship took home a slew of medals, including a 2nd place overall finish for Brink Brewing on the north side of Cincinnati. Brink won four total medals – three gold and a silver. Not bad for a brewery that’s been open only a bit over a year. And finally, Listermann Brewery in Cincinnati won yet another gold medal for their peanut butter porter called Nutcase. That’s a good reminder that Walter and I need to get down there and drink some Nutcase soon.
Congratulations to all the winners. See the full list of awards here.
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