The Great American Beer Festival competition have announced the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal winners in the Fresh Hop Beer category for 2021. Judges from Colorado evaluated 83 entries submitted by 69 breweries from 14 states during three consecutive elimination rounds in a single day with health and safety measures in place. Washington state won 2 out of the 3 medals.

The GABF festival did not take place this year, instead the Brewers Association held the prestigious competition portion of the festival on it’s own and announced the winners in early September. But because of the timing related to the hop harvest and the release schedule for fresh hop beers, the judging for the main beer competition was held in August ahead of the hop harvest. Rather than completely cancel the fresh hop competition, the organizers chose to delay their judging into a separate round. The winners were just announced this morning via a live stream.

“The Fresh Hop Beer category continues to grow each year along with drinker and brewer interest,” said Chris Swersey, GABF competition director. “These seasonal beers celebrate fall harvest, and the flavor experience is truly special, showcasing aromas and flavors that hallmarks of different hop varieties, and which are only found in fresh-off-the-bine hops.”

FRESH HOP CATEGORY 98 WINNERS:                                                                                

GOLD:

Energy Cone – Single Hill Brewing Co., Yakima, WA

SILVER:

Fresh Hop Green Battles – Pinthouse Pizza North, Austin, TX

BRONZE:

Seems So Long Since We Walked in the Moonlight – Burke-Gilman Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

Single Hill Brewing of Yakima, Washington is directly adjacent to the worlds largest hop growing region. Their gold medal winning Energy Cone also recently won ‘Best of Show’ at the 2021 Yakima Fresh Hop Festival.

Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson noted on twitter “Washington has now won 4 out of the 9 fresh hop medals in the last 3 years”

About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,400-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol 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®, SAVOR™: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Homebrew Con™, 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. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.