The 2021 Oregon Beer Awards were announced via a livestream show last night, the broadcast and winners were notable for a variety of reasons. Watch the hilarious cold open sketch video here. The awards were first held in 2015 and were entirely chosen by a group of around 30 members of the Oregon beer industry without a formal competition. In 2016 the OBA’s moved into a professional double-blind judged beer style competition with a handful of category awards voted on by committee and that same year handed out honors at Revolution Hall in southeast Portland. For the last 5 years the awards ceremony has sold out Revolution Hall and been a major attraction to the beer industry and it’s fans. Last year on February 18th 2020 the ceremony snuck in less than one month before the Coronavirus changed the world. As such the 2021 Oregon Beer Awards were the first that were truly effected by the pandemic and the first ever OBA ceremony held online rather than at a venue.

You might think that the Oregon Beer Awards would take a hit with everything that’s been going on for the last year + but the number of beers entered into the competition was the second highest of all-time at 1,097. And although the actual ceremony was perhaps the aspect most effected by the pandemic, it was still MC’d by the two lovely hosts Ben Love of Gigantic Brewing and Joe Sanders of Old Town Brewing who returned for their third year in a row. This year they just traded the sparkly suits for swim trunks and the stage of Revolution Hall for a backyard hot tub.

Judging the double-blind beer competition was also very strange this year. Judges were in the same warehouse but at their own personal tables sometimes dozens of feet apart in different rooms. After receiving flights of beer groupings and tasting through them the judge groups convened with each other over zoom to discuss their tasting and debate on the beers merits.

2021 OBA STATS:

• 1,097 entries from 105 breweries across the state

• 42 judges

• 133 flights over 6 days

• 7 categories will be judged in 3 rounds; 22 categories will be judged in 2 rounds

• 1 category with only 1 flight (Rare and Historical Beers)

• Biggest categories: IPA (85), Hazy IPA (63), Classic UK (60)

• IPA and All Hoppy Ales - 277 entries

• Classic Pub Styles (UK, North American, Red Beers, Dark Hoppy, Golden) - 194 entries

• Lagers - 138 entries

• Sour/Mixed Ferm - 116 entries

• Adjunct Specialty Beers - 111 entries

• Barrel Aged Strong Beers - 100 entries

WINNERS IN NON-BEER CATEGORIES

Over 300 registered members of the Oregon beer industry vote on this non-judged portion of the awards that celebrates excellence in other areas of the community.

HALL OF FAME

Lisa Morrison (watch the video here)

BEST BOTTLE SHOP

Belmont Station

BEST BEER BAR OR TAPROOM

The Beermongers

BEST PATIO OR BEER GARDEN

TopWire Hop Project

BEST PANDEMIC PIVOT

Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom *** TIE *** Road Beers

BEST NEW BREWERY

ForeLand Beer

BEST BEER LABELS

Wayfinder Beer

EXCELLENCE IN BREWING OPERATIONS

Regional Awards

• CENTRAL Sunriver Brewing

• COAST Fort George Brewery

• METRO Breakside Brewery

• NORTHEAST pFriem Family Brewers

• SOUTHERN Caldera Brewing

• VALLEY Block 15 Brewing

OBA JUDGED COMPETITION WINNERS

Pilsner

GOLD pFriem Family Brewers Pilsner

SILVER Ex Novo Brewing Co. Perle Haggard

BRONZE Breakside Brewery Noble Pilsner

Golden, Blonde, and other Light Ales

GOLD Breakside Brewery Breakside True Gold

SILVER Pelican Brewing Kiwanda Cream Ale

BRONZE Immersion Brewing Packin' The Arena

Pale Lagers

GOLD 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Money Cat

SILVER Breakside Brewery Breakside SoCal Pils

BRONZE Ecliptic Brewing Ecliptic + Wayfinder Cold IPA

Light German and European Lagers

GOLD Zoiglhaus Brewing Company Zoigl-Hell

SILVER pFriem Family Brewers Vienna Lager

BRONZE Wayfinder Luna Muerta

Dark German and European Lagers

GOLD 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Captivator

SILVER Wayfinder Funeral Bock

BRONZE Threshold Brewing & Blending Neptune

Classic UK Styles

GOLD Ecliptic Brewing Magnetar Scotch Ale

SILVER Fort George Brewery Smiling Eyes

BRONZE Breakside Brewery Breakside ESB

Classic North American Styles

GOLD Hop Valley Brewing Hefeweizen

SILVER Cascade Lakes Brewing Company 20 Inch Brown

BRONZE 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Twheat

Belgian Beers, German Wheat Beers, and Traditional Brett Beers

GOLD Alesong Brewing and Blending Pacific Bliss

SILVER Deschutes Brewery Blue Butterfly

BRONZE Von Ebert Brewing Channel Capacity

Red Beers

GOLD Breakside Brewery Breakside Disco Queen Lager

SILVER StormBreaker Brewing ALTerior Motive

BRONZE Sasquatch Brewing Co. Journey To Red Planet

American Pale Ales

GOLD Breakside Brewery Breakside Woodlawn Pale Ale

SILVER Oregon City Brewing Co Temporary Stairs

BRONZE Migration Brewing Company MoHaze-Ic

American IPA

GOLD Von Ebert Brewing Volatile Substance

SILVER Sunriver Brewing Company Howdy!

BRONZE Sunriver Brewing Company Clearview

Hazy or Juicy IPA

GOLD Ruse Brewing Star Senders

SILVER Ruse Brewing Similar Science

BRONZE Sunriver Brewing Company Life Above

Imperial IPA

GOLD 10 Barrel Brewing Co. All Ways Down

SILVER Oakshire Brewing A Life Beyond the Dream

BRONZE StormBreaker Brewing Buffalo Smile

Dark Hoppy Beers

GOLD Ecliptic Brewing Oort Imperial Stout

SILVER Sunriver Brewing Company Cinder Beast

BRONZE Baerlic Brewing Co. Night Howler

Barrel Aged Beers

GOLD pFriem Family Brewers Cognac Barrel-Aged Belgian-Style Strong Dark

SILVER Alesong Brewing and Blending Rackhouse Reserve

BRONZE Buoy Beer Company Decapitator

Barrel Aged Stouts

GOLD Ecliptic Brewing Barrel-Aged Oort Imperial Stout

SILVER Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Cubed Amburana

BRONZE Alesong Brewing and Blending Coconut Rhino Suit

Flavored Beers

GOLD pFriem Family Brewers pFriem + Alesong

SILVER Barsideous Brewing Chocolate Casanovia

BRONZE Xicha Brewing Co. 505 Pale

Fruit Beers

GOLD Breakside Brewery Breakside Desert Bloom

SILVER 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Passionate Envy

BRONZE Public Coast Brewing Company Coconut Brown Ale

Coffee and Smoke Beers

GOLD Wayfinder Linear Ashes

SILVER Away Days Brewing Dope Days Brown Ale

BRONZE Mt. Hood Brewing Co. Multorporter Smoked Porter

Experimental Beers

GOLD Alesong Brewing and Blending Gose Anejo

SILVER Fort George Brewery Pipiopi

BRONZE Upright Brewing Special Herbs

Rare, Historical, and other traditional beers

GOLD Zoiglhaus Brewing Company Berliner Weisse-Bock

SILVER 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Baywindow

BRONZE Oregon City Brewing Co Beast of Burton

Pastry or Dessert Beers

GOLD Deschutes Brewery Peach Cobbler

SILVER Great Notion Peanut Brother

BRONZE Alesong Brewing and Blending Senor Rhino

Emerging IPA or Experimental Hoppy Beer

GOLD 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Equatorial

SILVER Wayfinder Chronokinetic IPA

BRONZE StormBreaker Brewing Liquid Hot Enigma

American Sour Beer

GOLD Cascade Brewing Winter Sage

SILVER Gratitude Brewing Daddy Said I Could Have Unicorns

BRONZE Breakside Brewery Passionfruit Sour

Mixed Culture Beer

GOLD Ex Novo Brewing Co. Dripping Sun

SILVER Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery Friends in Far Places

BRONZE Little Beast Brewing Empire of Oak - Ekuanot

Fruited Mixed Culture Beer

GOLD Von Ebert Brewing Alma

SILVER Von Ebert Brewing Rain Shadows

BRONZE Breakside Brewery Breakside What Peaches And What Penumbras!

The following three awards for FRESH HOP beers were judged and announced in early October 2020 at the peak of the season:

Fresh Hop Pale Ales and India Pale Ales

GOLD Breakside Brewery Fresh Hop Cascade Wanderlust

SILVER Breakside Brewery Fresh IGA

BRONZE Three Creeks Brewing Co. Conelick'r Fresh Hop IPA

Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ales and India Pale Ales

GOLD Ruse Brewing About That Time

SILVER Breakside Brewery & Beer Hall What Fresh Beast

BRONZE Sasquatch Brewing Co.Fresh Hop Mouth Pillow

Other Fresh Hop Beers

GOLD Breakside Brewery + Taproom Fresh Hop Sterling Pils

SILVER Zoiglhaus Brewing Company Fresh Hop Zoigl-Kölsch

BRONZE Baerlic Brewing Co Fresh Hop Pioneer

Large Brewery of the Year

Breakside Brewery

Medium Size Brewery of the Year

Von Ebert Brewing

Small Brewery of the Year

Alesong Brewing and Blending