2015 Great American Beer Festival Awards and Records

Strategic Insights -

The 2015 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, organized by the Brewers Association, awarded a record-breaking 275 medals to the best commercial breweries in the United States. The event, in its 29th year, saw a significant increase in participation, with 6,647 competition entries from 1,552 breweries across 50 states and Washington, D.C. The competition panel, consisting of 242 judges from 15 countries, evaluated beers in 92 style categories, including new categories introduced this year.

Key Takeaways:

  • The 2015 GABF competition set a new record for participation, with 6,647 competition entries from 1,552 breweries.
  • The Brewers Association awarded a record 275 medals to commercial breweries in the United States.
  • The top three states by ratio of medals to entries by state were Maine (21%), Rhode Island (10%), and North Dakota (8%).
  • The most medals won by a brewery in a single year was achieved by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. with three medals.
  • The GABF competition introduced three new style categories: Category 8: Chili Pepper Beer, Category 16: Session India Pale Ale, and Category 24B: Mixed Culture Brett Beer.
  • The most-entered category was American-Style India Pale Ale (IPA), with 336 entries.
  • The winners in the most-entered categories were:

1. American-Style India Pale Ale (336 entries): Gold - BNS Brewing & Distilling Co., Revolver IPA

2. Imperial India Pale Ale (208 entries): Gold - Fat Head's Brewery, Hop Juju Imperial IPA

3. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer (179 entries): Gold - Nebraska Brewing Co., Melange A Trois

4. Session India Pale Ale (161 entries): Gold - Societe Brewing Co., The Coachman

5. American-Style Pale Ale (160 entries): Gold - Central Coast Brewing Co., Monterey St. Pale Ale

  • 38 first-time entering breweries won awards.
  • The highest ratio of medals to entries by state was achieved by Maine with 21% of its entries winning medals.

Statistics:

  • 6,647 competition entries from 1,552 breweries
  • 275 medals awarded by the Brewers Association
  • 3,800 beers served at the festival
  • 60,000 attendees at the festival
  • 3,400 volunteers involved in the festival and competition combined
  • 242 medal-winning breweries
  • Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 72 (excluding Pro-Am beers)
  • Category with highest number of entries: American-Style India Pale Ale (336 entries)
  • 20% increase in competition entries from 2014

Sources:

  • Brewers Association, "2015 Great American Beer Festival Winners"
  • Brewers Association, "2015 Great American Beer Festival Statistics"