SAN DIEGO — A total of 18 medals were awarded to San Diego County breweries at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival this past weekend in Denver, Colorado.
Known as the “The Oscars” of the craft beer industry, the festival is the nation’s largest professional brewing competition.
The following is where each local brewery placed:
Gold Medal
- Ballast Point Brewing Company – Little Italy for Barometer Drop in the “Strong Porter” category
- Belching Beaver Brewery – Oceanside Brewhouse for Tropical Terps IPA in the “Experimental IPA” category
- Santee’s BNS Brewing and Distilling for Gatling Gun in the “Imperial Stout” category
- East Village Brewing Company for IZOLA Kvass in the “Historical Beer” category
- TapRoom Beer Company in North Park for PB Haze in the “Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale” category, the San Diego Brewers Guild said in a press release Monday.
Silver Medal
- Bagby Beer Company in Oceanside for Herd of Turtles in “Strong Porter” category
- Burgeon Beer Company in Carlsbad for Carlsbad Crush in “International-Style Pale Ale” category
- Modern Times Beer in Point Loma for Mega Devil’s Teeth: Double Dutch S’mores Edition in “Dessert Stout or Pastry Stout” category
- North Park Beer Company for X-Raying Flowers in “Juicy or Hazy Imperial IPA” category
- Pizza Port Ocean Beach for Giullaume in “Session Beer or Belgian-Style Table Beer” category
- Rouleur Brewing Company in Carlsbad for DOMESTIQUE Blonde Ale in “Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale” category
- Rip Current Brewing in North Park for Breakline Bock in “Bock” category
Bronze Medal
- AleSmith Brewing Company in Miramar for Nut Brown in “English-Style Brown Ale” category
- Breakwater Brewing Company in Oceanside for Rye Dawn in “Rye Beers” category
- Fall Brewing Company in North Park for Tora! In “International-Style Pilsener” category
- Modern Times Beer in Point Loma for Chaos Grid: The Final Final Course in “Dessert Stout or Pastry Stout” category
- Second Chance Beer Company in Carmel Mountain for Fistful of Gummies in “Fruited Sour” category
- Second Chance Beer Company in Carmel Mountain for Tabula Rasa in “Robust Porter” category
“Our breweries showed incredibly well once again in the Mile High City,” said San Diego Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler. “It seems like every year we justify our moniker as The Capital of Craft, and I couldn’t be happier for the medal winners and the entire San Diego craft beer scene. Even with summer over, the beer-drinking weather doesn’t really stop, and I hope San Diegans will go out and support all their favorite breweries whether they won a medal or not. There are extraordinarily talented people in America’s Finest City making the finest beer around.”
Last year, San Diego County breweries took home 15 medals, including three golds, at the festival.
