Ohio breweries win record 19 medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival

Canton Repository
·4 min read
Royal Docks Pumpkinslayer won a bronze medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the pumpkin beer category. It was the Jackson Township-based brewery's second medal at the prestigious event, held annually in Denver.
Royal Docks Pumpkinslayer won a bronze medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the pumpkin beer category. It was the Jackson Township-based brewery's second medal at the prestigious event, held annually in Denver.

Ohio breweries — including Royal Docks Brewing Co. in Stark County — hauled in a record 19 medals at the Great American Beer Festival this year.

The previous record was 15.

"Our independent breweries are proving without a doubt that Ohio is a top-tier destination for craft beer," Ohio Craft Brewers Association Executive Director Mary MacDonald said in a prepared statement. "From our perennial powerhouse breweries to our impressive young upstarts, you can find award winning, world-class beer all over the state."

The association noted that 60 Ohio craft breweries have combined to win 202 medals, including 70 gold, at the Great American Beer Festival since 1987. The prestigious event is held each year in Denver. This year's winners were announced Saturday.

Royal Docks wins medal at Great American Beer Festival

Royal Docks, which operates a production brewery and taproom in Jackson Township and a brewery and taproom in Plain Township, won a bronze medal for its Pumpkinslayer in the pumpkin beer category. The beer is a spiced pumpkin ale with coffee.

"We've literally doubled the amount of Pumpkinslayer we release each of the last four years and still it sells out before Oct. 1 every year," Royal Docks brewmaster Dave Sutula said. "It's super exciting that the judges at the Great American Beer Festival have seen what our customers (and everyone in line at pretty much every coffee shop in Ohio) have known for years: Pumpkin pie and coffee is delicious no matter the medium."

He credited the brewing team of Zane Charnas, Logan Nodo and Justin Foy for the win.

It's the second Great American Beer Festival medal for Royal Docks. In 2018, the brewery won a gold medal at the event for its Pendragon in the herb and spice beer category.

Stark County beer news: The Brew Kettle buys Canton Brewing Co.

Which Ohio breweries won medals at the Great American Beer Festival?

Royal Docks wasn't the only brewery with a Stark County tie to win at the event.

Fat Head's Brewery, which has locations in North Olmsted, Middleburg Heights and Plain Township, won three gold medals: Head Hunter in the IPA category, Alpenglow in the German wheat ale category and Goggle Fogger in the South German-style hefeweizen category.

All three are previous winners. Alpenglow has won gold five times at the event. Head Hunter also won gold in the same category at this year's World Beer Cup.

MadTree Brewing Co. in Cincinnati, which was co-founded by Massillon native Brady Duncan, also won a bronze medal in the light lager category for Legendary Lager.

Here's a rundown of other Ohio winners, the medal and category:

Third Eye Brewing in Cincinnati

  • Chai Eye Captain – Gold – Herb and Spice Beer

  • Double Astral – Gold – Chocolate Beer

  • Gourd Darn-it – Silver – Pumpkin Beer

Brink Brewing in Cincinnati

  • Lil Zoomie – Gold – Coffee Stout or Porter

  • Moozie – Bronze – Sweet Stout or Cream Stout

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron

  • Smashing Honey Blonde – Gold – Honey Beer

Rhinegeist in Cincinnati

  • Kiwi (The Bird) – Gold – New Zealand India Pale Ale

The Brew Brothers in Columbus

  • Toasty – Silver – English Mild or Bitter

Eudora Brewing in Dayton

  • Daytonian Rhapsody – Silver – Bohemian-Style Pilsener

Inside the Five Brewing in Sylvania and Perrysburg

  • Megaphone – Silver – Irish-Style Red Ale

Narrow Path Brewing in Loveland

  • Restless Seas – Silver – German Sour Ale

Noble Creature Wild Ales & Lagers in Youngstown

  • Earth & Aether – Silver – Belgian-Style Sour Ale

Seventh Son Brewing in Columbus

  • Stone Fort – Silver – English-Style Brown Ale

Narrow Path/Third Eye collaboration

  • Mounds of Importance – Silver – Collaboration Beer

Overall, there were 303 medals awarded to 263 breweries across 99 beer categories. For a full list of winners, go to: https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/2023-winners/.

The competition was judged by 250 beer experts from 10 countries. They evaluated 9,298 commercial brewery entries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

"The Great American Beer Festival competition serves as a platform for the finest beers from across the nation to undergo rigorous scrutiny and vie for the title of ‘Best in Class,’” Chris Williams, competition director for the Great American Beer Festival, said in a prepared statement. "The beer community's unwavering commitment to pushing the frontiers of innovation and quality is truly commendable. The Brewers Association takes great pride in recognizing the achievements of this year's winners."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio breweries win record haul at 2023 Great American Beer Festival