WINNERS’ CIRCLE
Honoring beers worth their weight in gold
On a recent bluebird May day, more than 70 beer lovers willingly convened in a windowless, subterranean room at Elliott Bay Public House & Brewery in Lake City. Their unified purpose? To do what they do best—sip, savor and rate Washington state’s bounty of beer. It’s a tough job, but we suppose somebody’s got to do it…
At the forefront of the operation stood Mark Emiley, co-organizer of the Washington Beer Awards. Again this year, he helped hand-pick the judges, taking into consideration factors like good table manners and, more importantly, the ability to objectively and expertly taste hundreds of beers. In total, 51 judges—ranging from industry professionals to home brewers—worked in teams of three to assess the brews’ success in adhering to certain categories plus their technical merit and stylistic strengths. (All submissions had to be brewed in Washington state and made commercially available here.)
Mark Emiley-WA Beer Awards
In order to land in their coveted seat, judges went through a formal process—taking classes and earning certification; on the big day, they steadily sampled six panels of beer, stopping only for lunch and brief breaks. (The brownie tray was merely a trail of crumbs by the time we arrived…) Thanks to an intricate, “evolved assignment process” that features countless checks and balances, Emiley deems this the “ultimate blind system.” After all is said and done, each brewer receives feedback on submissions, making it a win-win for everyone involved.
The 2015 competition boasted 55 percent more entries than last year’s, resulting in some impressively high stats. We’re talking: 716 beers. 107 brewers. 103 Brewers Association categories. 45 award categories. And perhaps the most impressive feat of all: Completion of all this judging in a single, sunny, eight-hour day.
2015 Small Brewery of the Year-Puyullap River Brewing
The winners received the good news at the Washington Brewers Festival, a rocking celebration that took over Marymoor Park June 19 through 21. A couple weeks later, we asked some of the gold medal-winners to reflect on the sweet taste of victory.
Matt Lincecum of Fremont Brewing—who happily won gold in the “Other Wheat & Rye Beers” category (among other accolades)—says, “Winning is always better than not winning, and Fremont is thrilled to take home five awards again this year. However, the real award comes when beer drinkers enjoy one of our creations and then come back for more.”
Tom Handy of Paradise Creek Brewery—gold-winner in the “Scottish Ales” section—adds, “The Washington Brewers are a close-knit community, so entering and winning a Washington Beer Award is especially meaningful. It gives us recognition among our peers and proves we make some of the best beer in the Northwest. It also gives our new customers the confidence to purchase our products whether it is for personal enjoyment or for resale.”
Meghann Quinn of Bale Breaker Brewing, located just 10 minutes from downtown Yakima, says, “We are pretty jazzed to get recognized for our hoppiest beer [Bottomcutter IIPA].” With the brewery anchored by fourth-generation hop farmers and located smack-dab in the middle of a hops field, this award seems the ultimate compliment. Although their popular double IPA, released earlier their spring, is currently available in limited supply outside of Bale Breaker, it’s always pouring in their tap room. So pack up the kids, the dogs, whomever you can gather, and head Yakima-way for friendly lawn games, alfresco food truck fare and some tasty, award-winning brews that offer an extra “pop” of hop.
In Bavarian-themed Leavenworth, Pamela Brulotte owns popular hangout Icicle Brewing Company, gold-winner for the Bootjack IPA (in “American-Style Strong Pale Ales”) and The Decline (for the Barleywines category). She says, “We feel very honored to have our beers be recognized as recipients of the recent Washington Beer Awards. Our head brewer Dean Priebe and the Icicle Brewing Company Brew Crew have done an excellent job brewing high-quality, consistent, fresh craft beer for beer lovers throughout the past four years. We are so thankful and proud to be a part of an outstanding community comprised of Washington breweries.”
John Bryant owns Spokane’s No-Li Brewhouse, where guests can casually sip beers like the gold-medal champion Spin Cycle Red Ale in riverside Adirondack chairs. Three years ago, this venue was one of three breweries in town; today, there are about 30. “Cool innovations are happening over here,” he marvels about the expansion of Spokane’s brewery scene.
Bryant admits that, while it’s exciting to win such awards (“a validation of sorts”), he most values the camaraderie involved in belonging to such a special club. He raves about times “when all these artists, entrepreneurs and passionate people come together to celebrate,” like they did at the recent Brewers Festival—to pour side by side and break from normal routines. “All of our cultures are slightly different,” he notes, “but they’re very similar, too.” Bryant relishes the greater goal shared by Washington brewers—working together to enhance the state’s craft beer scene—regardless of whether they medal or not.
Nary a gloating winner in this humble bunch, and that makes us even prouder to call them our own.
Click here for a link to the complete list of the 2015 Washington Beer Awards winners: http://wabeerawards.com/2015winners
