OnTap Magazine

30 | Summer 2024 | ontapmag.co.za was Sam Adams Utopias, boasting an impressive 28% ABV. This rare, bi- annual, boundary blending, barrel aged masterpiece drew the longest lines at the Festival. Other popular examples included Revolution Brewing’s DBVSOD (Double Barrel Very Special Old Deth) at 17%, a double barrel aged imperial oatmeal stout; Fremont Brewing Company’s Rusty Nail, a Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout infused with liquorice and cinnamon bark, coming in at 14.5%; and Firestone Walker’s Bendy Foldies, a 14% double oaked ale with red foxy vanilla beans and toasted pistachios. …OR HOW LOW? Lager and lighter styles are having their moment in the spotlight and there were plenty of excellent examples at the Festival. Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh Hop King Crispy is a German-style pilsner which medalled in the latest competition, while Uinta Brewing Co.’s Was Angeles (5%) proudly took home a gold medal in the cream ale category! ‘BEYOND BEER’ After indulging in a plethora of hop- forward IPAs and/or high-strength barrel- aged beers, it was refreshing to cleanse the palate and explore something new with an easy-drinking non-beer beverage such as a hard tea from Upslope Brewing Co. or a hard lemonade from Denver Beer Co. Both beverages made their debut at the Festival this year, demonstrating the innovation and creativity that American craft breweries are embracing to remain competitive in an ever-evolving market. LOW AND NO ALCOHOL Another strategy for navigating GABF was to seek out unique alcohol-free options. Athletic Brewing Co., a high-profile brand available in many international markets, picked up two medals at the GABF competition, making it an excellent choice, and Fremont Brewing won gold in the amber to dark non-alcohol category. The low and no-alcohol beer segment is still small but is rapidly expanding within the American craft brewing market. THE WEIRD, WACKY AND WONDERFUL For the adventurist, the Festival presented a cornucopia of experimental concoctions, notably, 903 Brewers’ Zesty Ranch Taco, a 6% cream ale, that delivered the savoury umami experience of eating a taco in liquid form! A festival favourite overseas, Destihl Brewery’s Dill Pickle Sour offered a distinctive flavour experience, while Denver Beer Co.’s intriguing Fennel Rye Ale took home a gold medal at the competition. SAVE THE DATE: WORLD BEER CUP South African breweries are invited to compete on the global stage and register for the World Beer Cup 2025, the largest and most prestigious beer competition in the world. Registration is open 12 November – 13 December 2024, with winners announced at the annual Craft Brewers Conference ® in Indianapolis, 28 April – 1 May 2025. Check out the details on www.worldbeercup.org SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! The Great American Beer Festival is a beer lover’s paradise and has been dubbed by Thrillist as ‘the one beer festival to try before you die’. I would 100% echo these sentiments and recommend booking time off now for 9-11October 2025! See you there! The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org ABOUTTHE AUTHOR ABOUTTHE BREWERS ASSOCIATION TheBrewersAssociation(BA)isthenot- for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,600-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewersealisawidelyadoptedsymbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup ® , Great American Beer Festival ® , Craft Brewers Conference ® & BrewExpo America ® , Homebrew Con TM , National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week ® . The BA publishes The New Brewer ® magazine, and Brewers Publications ® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com ® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association ® and the free Brew Guru ® mobile app. Lotte Peplow is the American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London, UK. She is a Certified Cicerone®, BDI accredited Beer Sommelier, beer writer, author, beer communicator, international beer judge, homebrewer and beer lover.