2015 Winners
On behalf of Specialty Competitions LLC and the Washington Beer Commission, we are proud to announce the winners of the third annual Washington Beer Awards®. 716 beers were entered in the competition by 107 Washington breweries. All of the beers submitted must have been both brewed and made commercially available in the state of Washington. The entries were evaluated in a blind format using the Brewers Association Style Guidelines by panels of trained beer judges who awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze placements for each category grouping.
(You can download a PDF version of the winners list here).
(Store owners: you can print out shelf tags of the winners here.)
European Pale Lagers:
Gold: Gordon Biersch Seattle - Golden Export
Silver: Icicle Brewing Company - Crosscut Pilsner
Bronze: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Helles
European Amber & Dark Lagers:
Gold: Gordon Biersch Seattle - Rauchbier
Silver: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Dunkel
Bronze: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Marzen
Strong Lagers:
Gold: Naked City Brewery & Taphouse - Rauch City
Silver: River City Brewing - Congratulator Doppelbock
Bronze: Ram Restaurant & Brewery – Maibock
American Lagers:
Gold: Fish Brewing Company - Premium Lager
Silver: Airways Brewing - Pre Flight Pilsner
Bronze: Pacific Brewing & Malting Co. - 1897 Pale Lager
German Hybrid Beers:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Kolsch
Silver: Standard Brewing - Kolsch
Bronze: Heathen Brewing - Absolution
German Wheat & Rye Beers:
Gold: Fish Brewing Company - Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen
Silver: Stoup Brewing - Stoup Hefeweizen
Bronze: Loowit Brewing Company - Der Couvensteiner Dunkelweizen
Other Wheat & Rye Beers:
Gold: Fremont Brewing - Wandering Wheat
Silver: Fish Brewing Company - Whistling Pig Hefeweizen
Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - Rainy Rye IPA
American Light Ales:
Gold: Redhook Brewery - No Equal
Silver: Reuben's Brews - Cream Ale
Bronze: Ram Restaurant & Brewery - Blonde
Session Beers:
Gold: Aslan Brewing Company - Blueprint
Silver: Black Raven Brewing Co. - Redfeather Session IPA
Bronze: Airways Brewing - PSA - Summer Ale
Bitters:
Gold: No-Li Brewhouse - Spin Cycle Red Ale
Silver: Loowit Brewing Company - Extrabeerestrial ESB
Bronze: Elliot Bay Brewing Company - Organic Alembic Pale
English Ales:
Gold: Fish Brewing Company - Organic IPA
Silver: Flyers Restaurant & Brewery - Barnstormer Brown Ale
Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - English Pale
British Strong Ales:
Gold: Populuxe Brewing - Old Oddvars
Silver: Silver City Brewery - Old Scrooge
Bronze: Strong Arm Brewing - Cincinnatus Strong Ale
Scottish Ales:
Gold: Paradise Creek Brewery - Scottish Stovepipe
Silver: Old Rock Brewery - Misery Whip Scotch Ale
Bronze: Geaux Brewing - Wee Y'at?
Irish Red Ales:
Gold: Menace Brewing - Self-Titled
Silver: Whitewall Brewing Company - Sassy Lassie
Bronze: Kulshan Brewing Company - Red Cap
Robust Porters:
Gold: Reuben's Brews - Robust Porter
Silver: Skookum Brewery - Skookum Porter
Bronze: Flyers Restaurant & Brewery - Pacemaker Porter
Other Porters:
Gold: Harmon Brewing Co. - Puget Sound Porter
Silver: Big Al Brewing - Big Al Smoked Porter
Bronze: Schooner Exact Brewing Co. - King Street Brown
British Stouts:
Gold: Seapine Brewing Company - Sea Witch Milk Stout
Silver: Elliot Bay Brewing Company - Organic No Doubt Stout
Bronze: Dick's Brewing Co. - Dick's Cream Stout
Irish Stouts:
Gold: Reuben's Brews - Foreign Export Stout
Silver: Paradise Creek Brewery - Invective Stout
Bronze: Outlander Brewing - Jamaican Stout
American-Style Stouts:
Gold: Top Rung Brewing Company - My Dog Scout Stout
Silver: Harmon Brewing Co. - Stryker Stout
Bronze: Old Schoolhouse Brewery - Hooligan Stout
Imperial Stouts:
Gold: Old Schoolhouse Brewery - Imperial Stout
Silver: Fremont Brewing - Dark Star
Bronze: Silver City Brewery - Imperial Stout
American-Style Pale Ales:
Gold: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - Stash Box III
Silver: Fremont Brewing - Universale Pale Ale
Bronze: Northwest Brewing Company - Road Trip Pale Ale
American-Style Strong Pale Ales:
Gold: Icicle Brewing Company - Bootjack IPA
Silver: Stoup Brewing - Stoup Citra IPA
Bronze: Old Schoolhouse Brewery - Epiphany Pale
Belgo-American & International Ales:
Gold: Sound Brewery - Ursus Spelaeus
Silver: Aslan Brewing Company - FIFA
Bronze: Fremont Brewing - Summer Ale
American Amber Ales:
Gold: Twelve String Brewing Co. - Crescendo Series Valley Red
Silver: Skookum Brewery - Ambers Hot Friend
Bronze: Populuxe Brewing - Citra Red
American Brown and Black Ales:
Gold: Reuben's Brews - Black Imperial IPA
Silver: English Setter Brewing - Field Point Brown
Bronze: Standard Brewing - Cascadian Dark Ale
American-Style India Pale Ales:
Gold: Kulshan Brewing Company - Bastard Kat
Silver: Big House Brewing/Mill Creek Brewpub - Inmate I.P.A.
Bronze: Big Time Brewing Co. - Citra Smash
Imperial or Double India Pale Ales:
Gold: Bale Breaker Brewing - Bottomcutter IIPA
Silver: Backwoods Brewing Company - Double Cutt
Bronze: Standard Brewing - Imperial IPA
Imperial or Double Red Ales:
Gold: Ice Harbor Brewing - Ice Harbor Imperial Red
Silver: Elysian Brewing Company - Men's Room Black
Bronze: Dick's Brewing Co. - Dick's Imperial Red
Barleywines:
Gold: Icicle Brewing Company - The Decline
Silver: TripleHorn Brewing Co. - BYGG VIN 2014
Bronze: Three Magnets Brewing - Barley Wine
Belgian-Style Wits:
Gold: Aslan Brewing Company - Witbier
Silver: Issaquah Brewhouse - White Frog
Bronze: Northwest Brewing Company - Blood Orange Wit
Belgian Ales:
Gold: Sound Brewery - Bombshell
Silver: Bainbridge Island Brewing - Bainbridge Blonde
Bronze: Wander Brewing - Wanderale Belgian Blond
Abbey-Inspired Ales:
Gold: Sound Brewery - Dubbel Entendre
Silver: TripleHorn Brewing Co. - Stupid Monk-Ee
Bronze: Silver City Brewery - Liquid Sunshine
Belgian Strong Ales:
Gold: Kulshan Brewing Company - Hop Howdy
Silver: Odin Brewing Co. - Equinox
Bronze: Silver City Brewery - Giant Made Of Shadows
Farmhouse Ales:
Gold: Holy Mountain Brewing Company - The Ox
Silver: Puyallup River Brewing - Paradise Blonde Saison
Bronze: Big Al Brewing - Time Capsule September '14
American-Style Brett Beers:
Gold: Propolis Brewing - Beltane
Silver: Propolis Brewing - Gardin
Bronze: Urban Family Brewing Co. - Fancy Sauce: Brennan
Sour Beers:
Gold: E9 Brewery - Raspberry Wild
Silver: Elysian Brewing Company - Zoot Suit Riot Cherry Sour
Bronze: E9 Brewery - Nefelibata
Fruit Beers:
Gold: Puyallup River Brewing - Pineapple Paradise Saison
Silver: Big Block Brewing - Raspberry Blonde
Bronze: Ten Pin Brewing Co. - Sunny Day
Vegetable Beers:
Gold: Wingman Brewers - Cucumber Brett
Silver: Hi-Fi Brewing - Pump Up The Volume
Bronze: Elysian Brewing Company - The Great Pumpkin
Coffee & Chocolate Beers:
Gold: Two Beers Brewing - Cold Brew Coffee Brown Ale
Silver: Puyallup River Brewing - Mud Mt Milk Stout
Bronze: Icicle Brewing Company - Dark Persuasion
Herb & Spice Beers:
Gold: Epic Ales - Hope
Silver: Brickyard Brewing - Southwestern Hatch Green Chili Blonde
Bronze: Propolis Brewing - Fennel
Specialty Beers:
Gold: Naked City Brewery & Taphouse - Smoking Gun
Silver: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - Only The Tip
Bronze: Issaquah Brewhouse - Little Frog
Wood & Barrel Aged Beers:
Gold: Strong Arm Brewing - Magnus Whiskey Barrel Aged Oatmeal Milk Chocolate Espresso Stout
Silver: Boundary Bay Brewery - Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout
Bronze: Old Rock Brewery - El Charro Oaked Agave Amber
Wood & Barrel Aged Strong Beers:
Gold: Schooner Exact Brewing Co. - 2015 Barrel-Aged Imperial Porter
Silver: Heathen Brewing - Bourbon Barrel Aged Epitaph
Bronze: Fremont Brewing - Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star
Wood & Barrel Aged Sour Beers:
Gold: Anacortes Brewery - Broken Link Sour
Silver: Holy Mountain Brewing Company - The Third Nail
Bronze: Bainbridge Island Brewing - Viognier Barrel Blonde
Washington Pro-Am Awards:
Gold: Airways Brewing and Mark Emiley - Berliner Weisse
Silver: Reuben’s Brews and Louis Strouger - Marzen
Best Washington Agricultural Product Inspired Beer: Big Block Brewing - Raspberry Blonde
Small Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by YCH Hops - Yakima Chief - Hopunion): Puyallup River Brewing
Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Washington Hop Commission): Reuben’s Brews
Large Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Briess Malt and Ingredients): Fish Brewing Company