Two Cincinnati breweries took home medals at this year's Great American Beer Festival awards, "the premier U.S. beer festival and competition."
The festival was held virtually due to the pandemic. The awards ceremony on Oct.16 honored College Hill's Brink Brewing Company with a gold medal in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category for its Moozie, and Blue Ash's Fretboard took home the silver for its Crazy Train in the Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale category.
Both beers are currently on tap at the respective breweries.
Of the award, Fretboard posted to Facebook, "'CRAZY TRAIN' BELGIAN ALE WON A SILVER MEDAL AT GREAT AMERICAN BEER FEST! Talk about a beer that is carrying some hardware. That damn brew has gotten love from the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup, the US Open Beer Championship, and now GABF."
And Brink posted:
Started in the 1980s in Colorado, the Great American Beer Festival competition brings together brewers from around the country to vie for medals in different beer categories. A panel of professional judges decides the winners.
This is the third consecutive year that Brink has taken home top honors in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category. In a release, the Ohio Craft Brewers Association says Brink has taken home at least one medal from the Great American Beer Festival since the brewery was founded in 2017 and that Fretboard has previously won awards at the Brewers Association's World Cup competition, canceled this year due to COVID.
“In a year that has been defined by struggles, it’s very satisfying to see our Ohio breweries celebrating a victory today,” said Mary MacDonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, in a release. “As much uncertainty and turbulence as our industry has seen, the constant that has remained is that Ohio breweries are still making world-class beer despite all of 2020’s challenges.”
Brink Brewing Co. is located at 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. Get more info and current COVID policy protocls at brinkbrewing.com.
Fretboard Brewing Co. is located at 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash. Get more info and current COVID policy protocols at fretboardbrewing.com.