Winning at the Great American Beer Festival

In terms of professional recognition, are there any honors higher than those awarded by peers? For brewers in the United States, the largest peer judged competition would have to be the Great American Beer Festival. Hundreds of breweries enter thousands of beers to be judged in a blind tasting by judges carefully picked from the beer industry.

If you've watched similar industry competitions, like the Academy Awards, you might imagine evening gowns, tuxedos, and drinks that call for an extended pinky finger. At GABF, folks are a bit more down to earth, even if they feel every bit as excited. Check out these winners:

The folks who wear the medals are hot stuff, yet all you really need to meet them and try their beer is a ticket to GABF. Isn't the beer industry great? High five!