Victory in a beer competition is the pinnacle of success for brewers and brewery personnel and no contest is more prestigious than the Great American Beer Festival. Held in Denver each year, the festival just wrapped up its 37th edition in the Mile High City on September 23, 2023, with a total of 303 Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals awarded to 263 breweries.
The Picture of Excellence
The Great American Beer Festival is the largest professional beer competition in the United States. A panel of judges evaluates the beers for adherence to the qualities of their respective styles. Points are tallied, and the top three receive a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal. Chris Williams, the competition director for the Great American Beer Festival, reminds us that the expectations are high, but the rewards are worth it to the breweries that maintain strict quality guidelines.
“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,’” remarked Williams. “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.”
Just the Statistics, Please
Here are some quick facts about the 2023 Great American Beer Festival competition:
- 9,298 total beers judged
- 2,033 breweries with entries in the competition, representing all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico
- 250 judges
- 300+ volunteers
- Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 92
- Category with the most entries was Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale, with 365
- 303 total medals awarded
- 263 medal-winning breweries
- 325 first-time GABF entrants
- 16 first-time GABF winners
Besides the competitive side of things, the Great American Beer Festival is, of course, a festival and it runs for three days, with multiple sessions. Craft beer fans from across the nation and the world converge on the Colorado Convention Center, ready to sample some of the best beers brewed in the United States.
2023 Medal Winners
Now for the part that matters most: The winners list. Here is a complete rundown of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal winners, sorted by category.
I have to make sure my husband sees this. He’s a huge fan of beer, and I think he’d love to try all of these.
Just when you think there’s not an event for that, you find one! This sounds like a great place to be if you are a fan of beer. My friends would love this!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
That is a lot of beer to judge and compare! What an accomplishment to make the list out of so many great contenders.
My husband needs to see this! He loves beer and the Great American Beer Festival is right up his alley. Looks like a great place with lots of award-winning beers to learn about.
Wow. I had no idea there was such a variety of beers and that there were so many companies. It’s amazing and makes sense now that I think about it.
Wow that’s a lot of beer to judge! I didn’t know there were that many. This is a great list to try something new from if it was awarded so highly!
Whew! I feel for the judges and their bodies, after scouting through all those beers. 9,000 is a lot of beers. Congratulations to all the winners.
I`ll send this post to my husband because he loves good beer. I never thought there were so many types of beer. Thank you for the detailed list.
My dad would love to see this. Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Great American Beer Festival, where the finest beers from across the nation compete for the title of ‘Best in Class’.
That was a really love of beer to judge! My dad is going to love this for sure can’t wait to share this with him
Interesting stats, never been to a beer festival but it seems new experience for me. Thank you for the update!
This sounds like such a great place for beer enthusiasts to visit. I know both my husband and dad would be excited to go. I bet the judges had a really enjoyable time testing all of the different entries.
I did not even know that there is a beer competition that is held anywhere in the world. I love beer and thank you for sharing the list of winners. I will try to find at least some of them in India.