After a disappointing performance in 2016, Arizona breweries bounced back by winning four medals Saturday at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.
The world’s largest commercial beer competition, which drew nearly 100,000 people, judged a total of 7,923 beers in 98 styles.
This year’s Arizona medal-winners:
- Taildragger’s Clan-Destine from Saddle Mountain Brewing in Goodyear, which won the gold for Scottish-style ale (pictured above: sales rep Luis Herrera, on left, gets the medal at Saturday’s ceremony);
- Pedal Haus Light Lager from Pedal Haus Brewery in Tempe, which won the silver for light lager;
- Machine Gun Teddy from Goldwater Brewing in Scottsdale, which won the bronze for American-style brown ale;
- Cannonball Australian-Style Pale Ale from Scottsdale Beer Co., which won the bronze for Australian- or international-style pale ale.
Arizona’s four medals pale in comparison to the hauls by states with more mature brewing scenes, such as California (which led all states with 56 medals) and Colorado (second with 38).
Still, it’s a marked improvement from last year, when Arizona won just one medal – Flagstaff’s Historic Brewing took the silver for its Avant-Chard in the wood- and barrel-aged sour category. The state also won just one medal in 2014.
It’s also notable that – reflecting a national trend at this year’s GABF – Arizona’s four medals went not to the state’s largest or best-known breweries, but to relative newcomers.
Saddle Mountain launched in late 2014. Pedal Haus, Goldwater and Scottsdale Beer all opened in 2015.
See the full list of this year’s medal winners here.
