3RD ANNUAL ILLINOIS CRAFT BREWERS GUILD
FESTIVAL OF BARREL-AGED BEER
Goose Island Beer Company Voted Champion At 3rd Annual Festival
Of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer
Chicago, IL—November 12, 2005— Over 500 people sampled
from nearly 70 different wood and barrel-aged beers from 31 different
breweries, covering 13 states from Alaska to Illinois to Louisiana.
Goose Island’s Wrigleyville Brewpub hosted
this unique event, featuring beers aged on oak and in whiskey and
wine barrels, for the second straight year. The Festival featured
a competition judged by a panel of brewers, writers and other brewing
industry professionals followed by a public tasting session.
68 different wood-aged beers were judged in 8 categories. Familiar
names such as the Rock Bottom Restaurant And Brewery
and Flossmoor Station Restaurant And Brewery joined
newcomers Jolly Pumpkin Ales and New Holland
Brewing Company in the winner’s circle. "We
just came down [from Michigan] to enjoy the event,” said
John Haggerty, Brewmaster, New Holland Brewing, commenting
on his two Gold medals and Best of Show Runner-up award for Barrel-aged
Mad Hatter. “We are thrilled to do so well.”
The Champion Barrel-aged Beer Award stayed home
for the second straight year, being awarded to Chicago’s own
Goose Island Beer Company for Imperial
Brown Goose. A jubilant John Hall, Goose Island
Founder, hugged Brewer Wil Turner on hearing
the announcement. “I am always so proud of what my brewers
achieve,” said Hall. Goose Island was among the first breweries
to age a beer - an Imperial Stout - in a freshly used Bourbon barrel
over 10 years ago. Previous champions include the Rock Bottom
Restaurant And Brewery, Chicago and Pizza Port,
Solana Beach, CA.
Beer is aged with the intention of imparting the particularly unique
character of wood and/or what has previously been in a barrel. Ultimately,
a balance of flavor, aroma and mouthfeel are sought with the marriage
of beer, wood and/or barrel characteristics. “There are still
a lot of stouts and barleywines,” said festival organizer
Jeff Sparrow, “but experimental beer was
the largest category this year.” “The U. S. craft brewer
has returned to one of the roots of brewing [wood] while still demonstrating
creativity unmatched anywhere in the world,” said Sparrow.
The Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer is presented
by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild and sponsored
by Brewers Supply Group and the Goose Island
Beer Company with additional support from Briess
Malt, Cargill Malt, Hopunion, Siebel Institute Of Technology, White
Labs and the Chicago Beer Society.
3rd
Annual Festival of Barrel-aged Beer Competition Results:
* Champion Barrel-aged Beer: Goose
Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL – Imperial
Brown Goose
* Runner-up: New Holland Brewing,
New Holland, MI – Barrel-aged Mad Hatter
* Classic Porter/Stout
Gold: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Warrenville,
IL – Argus Brown
Silver: Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery,
Flossmoor, IL – Hi Beam Stout
Bronze: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chicago,
IL – Fourth Quarter Porter
* Strong Porter/Stout
Gold: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chicago,
IL – Redline Imperial Bourbon Stout
Silver: Ram Restaurant & Bighorn Brewing, Wheeling,
IL – Ice Breaker Imperial Stout
Bronze: America’s Brewing Company, Aurora,
IL – Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
* Barleywine
Gold: Onion Pub & Brewery, Barrington Hills,
IL – Bourbon Big Game Barleywine
Silver: Big Sky Brewing, Bozeman, MT – Bourbon
Barleywine
Bronze: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Cleveland,
OH – Gukel’s Little Helper
* Classic Styles
Gold: New Holland Brewing, Holland, MI – Barrel-aged
Mad Hatter
Silver: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chicago,
IL – Bourbon Brown Beer
Bronze: Harpoon Brewery, MA – Harpoon
Munich Dark
* Strong/Double/Imperial Pale Beer
Gold: New Holland Brewing, Holland,
MI – Barrel-aged Dole
Silver: Jolly Pumpkin Ales, MI – La
Roja
Bronze: Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery,
Flossmoor, IL– Ol’ Woody
* Strong/Double/Imperial Dark Beer
Gold: Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL –
Imperial Brown Goose
Silver: Glacier Brewhouse, AK – Beam
Bock
Bronze: Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL
– Goose Island Christmas
* Experimental Beer
Gold: Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, Flossmoor,
IL – Angry Mike’s Stoudt Kriek
Silver: Boston Beer Company, MA – Samuel
Adams Utopia
Bronze: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chicago,
IL – Imperial Coffee Surprise
* Wild Beer
Gold: Pizza Port, Solana Beach
CA: Cuvee De Tomme
Silver: New Belgium Brewing, Ft. Collins, CO -
La Terroir
Bronze: Bristol Brewing, CO – Skull
& Bones Cuvee Speciale’
STOUT-PORTER
1) Emmett's Tavern and Brewing, West Dundee, IL - Emmett's
Barrel-aged Imperial Stout
2) Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery,
Flossmoor, IL - Imperial Eclipse Stout
3) Glacier Brewhouse, Anchorage, AK - Ukrainian
Stout
BARLEYWINE & STRONG ALES
1) Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chicago, IL -
Sub-Zero Barleywine
2) Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Warrenville,
IL - Sir Barnaby's Wee
Heavy
3) Mick Finn's Brewery, Libertyville, IL - 3
Johns Barleywine
CLASSIC STYLES
1) Rogue Ales, Newport, OR - Smoak
2) Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery,
Flossmoor, IL - Moonbeam Brown
3) Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL - Imperial
Brown Goose
EXPERIMENTAL
1) Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery,
Flossmoor, IL - Angry Mike's Stoudt Kriek
2) Onion Pub & Brewery, Lake Barrington, IL
- Cherry Bourbon Stout
3) Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Chicago,
IL - Clare's Hungry Ale
SOUR ALES
1) Pizza Port, Solana Beach, CA - Cuvee
De Tomme
2). New Belgium Brewing, Fort
Collins, Co - La Folie
3) Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL - Jubilation
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