2016 Winners
On behalf of Specialty Competitions LLC and the Washington Beer Commission, we are proud to announce the winners of the fourth annual Washington Beer Awards®. 950 beers were entered in the competition by 139 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 - Helles
Silver: Three Magnets Brewing Co. - Scherler Gold
Bronze: Redhook Brewery – ESL
Pilsners:
Gold: Reuben's Brews - Small Batch Brewery - Pilsener
Silver: Fremont Brewing - Pilsner
Bronze: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Pils
European Amber & Dark Lagers:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Dunkel
Silver: Icicle Brewing Company - Dirtyface Amber
Bronze: Ram Restaurant & Brewery – Vienna
Strong Lagers:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Maibock
Silver: River City Brewing - Congratulator Doppelbock
Bronze: Snipes Mountain - Bandolero Rye Baltic Porter
American Lagers:
Gold: Northwest Brewing Company - Hawk One Lager
Silver: Farmstrong Brewing Company - La Raza
Bronze: Everybody's Brewing - Local Logger Lager
German-Style Kölsch:
Gold: Heathen Brewing - Absolution
Silver: Reuben's Brews - Production Brewery & Taproom - Kolsch
Bronze: Dru Bru – Kolsch
German-Style Altbier:
Gold: Bainbridge Brewing - Arrow Point Amber
Silver: White Bluffs Brewing - Red Alt
Bronze: Resonate Brewery + Pizzeria – Lithium
German Wheat & Rye Beers:
Gold: Stoup Brewing - Stoup Bavarian Hefeweizen
Silver: Seapine Brewing Company - Simian Saber Squabble
Bronze: 5 Rights Brewing Company - Nellie's Nectar
Other Wheat & Rye Beers:
Gold: Loowit Brewing Company - Grimlock Rye Porter
Silver: Republic Brewing Company - Ramblin Rye Ale
Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - Rainy Rye
Golden or Blonde Ales:
Gold: Hellbent Brewing Company - Goldfinch Golden Ale
Silver: Diamond Knot Brewing Co. - Blonde Ale
Bronze: Counterbalance Brewing Company - Abigale Blonde Ale
Cream Ales:
Gold: Puyallup River Brewing Co. - Cream Ale
Silver: Flyers Restaurant & Brewery - Penn Cove Pilsner
Bronze: Wet Coast Brewing Co. - Wet Coast Cream Ale
Session Beers:
Gold: Ten Pin Brewing Co. - Shrunken Head Pin
Silver: Sumerian Brewing Co. - Sargon IPA
Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - Sod Slayer
Bitters:
Gold: Flycaster Brewing Company - ESB
Silver: No-Li Brewhouse - Spin Cycle Red
Bronze: Dick's Brewing Co. - Dick's Best Bitter
English Ales:
Gold: Flyers Restaurant & Brewery - Humbles Blonde Ale
Silver: No-Li Brewhouse - Born And Raised
Bronze: Fish Brewing Company - Organic IPA
English Dark Ales:
Gold: Walking Man Brewing - Barefoot Brown
Silver: Flyers Restaurant & Brewery - Barnstormer Brown Ale
Bronze: Puyallup River Brewing Co. - Springtime Brown Ale
British Strong Ales:
Gold: Sound To Summit Brewing - Wild Willy Wee Heavy
Silver: Silver City Brewery - Old Scrooge
Bronze: Icicle Brewing Company - The Decline
Scottish Shilling Ales:
Gold: Northern Ales, Inc. - Okanagan Highlander
Silver: Waddell's Brewing Co. - Scottish
Bronze: River Time Brewing - Life Changer
Scotch Ales:
Gold: Old Rock Brewery - Misery Whip Scotch Ale
Silver: Heathen Brewing - Highland Charge
Bronze: Silver City Brewery - Fat Scotch Ale
Irish Red Ales:
Gold: Loowit Brewing Company - Two-Sixteen Red Ale
Silver: Heathen Brewing - Mighty Craic
Bronze: Silver City Brewery - Ridgetop Red
Robust Porters:
Gold: Der Blokken Brewery - The Black
Silver: Stoup Brewing - Stoup Robust Porter
Bronze: Reuben's Brews - Production Brewery & Taproom - Robust Porter
Other Porters:
Gold: Kulshan Brewing Co. - Transporter
Silver: Schooner EXACT Brewing Company - King Street Brown
Bronze: Ram Restaurant & Brewery – Porter
Sweet/Cream Stouts:
Gold: Wet Coast Brewing Co. - Sneak Thief Stout
Silver: Bushnell Craft Brewing Company - Dunkadelic Milk Stout
Bronze: Triceratops Brewing Company - Hawthorne Coffee Milk Stout
Irish Stouts:
Gold: Gordon Biersch-Seattle - Irish Stout
Silver: Wander Brewing - Correspondent
Bronze: Paradise Creek Brewery - Invective Stout
American-Style Stouts:
Gold: Flying Lion Brewing - Rye Stout
Silver: Beardslee Public House - Sidewinder Stout
Bronze: Waddell's Brewing Co. - Alligator Stout
Imperial Stouts:
Gold: Fortside Brewing Company - Cocoa-Fied
Silver: Naked City Brewery & Taphouse - Big Lebrewski
Bronze: Black Raven Brewing Co. - Grandfather Raven
American-Style Pale Ales:
Gold: No-Li Brewhouse - Poser
Silver: E9 Brewery LLC - Don Of Time
Bronze: Flying Lion Brewing - Single-Hop Pale
American-Style Strong Pale Ales:
Gold: Heathen Brewing - Vantucky
Silver: Old Schoolhouse Brewery - Epiphany Pale Ale
Bronze: Ten Pin Brewing Co. - Head Pin IPA
Belgo-American & International Ales:
Gold: Gordon Biersch-Seattle - Belgian IPA
Silver: Reuben's Brews - Small Batch Brewery - Triumvirate
Bronze: Reuben's Brews - Production Brewery & Taproom - Crikey IPA
American Amber Ales:
Gold: Elliott Bay Brewing Company - Organic Gateway Amber
Silver: Chainline Brewing Company - Recumbent Red Ale
Bronze: Northwest Brewing Company - Joker Amber Ale
American Brown & Black Ales:
Gold: Riverport Brewing Co. - Bambalam
Silver: No-Li Brewhouse - Crony
Bronze: Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery - Storm Cycle
American-Style India Pale Ales:
Gold: Lucky Envelope Brewing - ENIAC Mosaic IPA
Silver: Loowit Brewing Company - Flawless Victory IPA
Bronze: Ten Pin Brewing - Head Pin IPA
Imperial or Double India Pale Ales:
Gold: Northwest Brewing Company - Crazy Bitch Double India Pale Ale
Silver: Sumerian Brewing Co. - Eruption Double IPA
Bronze: Standard Brewing - Imperial IPA
Imperial or Double Red Ales:
Gold: Cloudburst Brewing - Hoodwink
Silver: Ghost Runners Brewery - Phantom Rojo Imperial Ale
Bronze: Dick's Brewing Co. - Dick's Wreckless Red
Barleywines:
Gold: Old Schoolhouse Brewery - Barleywine
Silver: Fish Brewing Company - Ten Squared
Bronze: TripleHorn Brewing Co - BYGG VIN 2015
Belgian Ales:
Gold: Bainbridge Brewing - Bainbridge Blonde
Silver: Northwest Brewing Company - Three Skulls Blood Orange Wit
Bronze: Reuben's Brews - Small Batch Brewery - Lilywhite Wit
Belgian Tripels:
Gold: Silver City Brewery - Liquid Sunshine
Silver: Hellbent Brewing Company - Mossback Monk
Bronze: Slaughter County Brewing Company - Mon Petit
Abbey-Inspired Dark Ales:
Gold: Wander Brewing - Together
Silver: Valholl Brewing Company - Virgin Hammer Belgian Quad
Bronze: Mollusk - Abbot's Private Reserve
Belgian Strong Ales:
Gold: Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro - Wonderland Belgian Strong Golden
Silver: TripleHorn Brewing Co - Mystic
Bronze: Rainy Daze Brewing Co. - Bewildered Stout
Farmhouse Ales:
Gold: Three Magnets Brewing Co. - Karakterbier
Silver: Urban Family Brewing - Voices Underground
Bronze: Farmstrong Brewing Company - Northwest Farmhouse Ale
Brett Beers:
Gold: E9 Brewery LLC - Friendship
Silver: Standard Brewing - Brett Earl
Bronze: E9 Brewery LLC – Nectarberry
German Sour Beers:
Gold: Seapine Brewing Company - Gose
Silver: E9 Brewery LLC - Wild Tacoma Table Sour
Bronze: Aslan Brewing Co - Disco Lemonade
Sour Beers:
Gold: Elliott Bay Brewing Company - Big Pun
Silver: Stoup Brewing - Stoup American Pale Sour
Bronze: Urban Family Brewing - Lady Of The Night
American-Style Fruit Beer:
Gold: River City Brewing - Huckleberry Ale
Silver: Big Block Brewing - Raspberry Blonde
Bronze: Dick's Brewing Co. - Dick's Grapefruit IPA
Fruit Wheat Beers:
Gold: Ten Pin Brewing - Groove Pineapple Wheat
Silver: TripleHorn Brewing Co - Blood Orange Symbel
Bronze: Ice Harbor Brewing Co. - Tangerine ExBEERience Hefeweizen
Belgian Fruit Beers:
Gold: Propolis Brewing - Pi
Silver: Wander Brewing - Cranberry Fruit Puncheon
Bronze: Schooner EXACT Brewing Company - NW Sour Beer Framboise
Vegetable Beers:
Gold: E9 Brewery LLC - Rhubarb Wild
Silver: Resonate Brewery + Pizzeria - Paradise
Bronze: Anacortes Brewery - 2015 Pumpkin Ale
Chili Pepper Beers:
Gold: Middleton Brewing - Mierda Fuego
Silver: Big Al Brewing - Big Al Chile IPA
Bronze: Lucky Envelope Brewing - Two Pepper Pale Ale
Coffee & Chocolate Beers:
Gold: Elysian Brewing Company - The Fix
Silver: Wet Coast Brewing Co. - El Capitan Brown Ale
Bronze: Puyallup River Brewing Co. - Mud Mountain Milk Stout
Herb & Spice Beers:
Gold: Kulshan Brewing Co. - Royal Tannenbaum
Silver: Hi-Fi Brewing Co. - Pump Up The Volume 2015
Bronze: Elysian Brewing Company - Saison Poivre
Smoke Beers:
Gold: Chuckanut Brewery - Chuckanut Helles Rauchbier
Silver: Whitewall Brewing Company - Firetrail Ale
Bronze: Big Barn Brewing Co - Mountain Smoke Porter
Specialty & Historical Beers:
Gold: Pike Brewing Company - Pike Hive Five Hopped Honey Ale
Silver: Crucible Brewing Co - Crucible Kettle Sour
Bronze: No-Li Brewhouse - Oyster Stout
Experimental:
Gold: Urban Family Brewing - Clouds Of Pale Gold
Silver: Bainbridge Brewing - Windfall Grapefruit IPA
Bronze: Lucky Envelope Brewing - Peanut Butter Porter
Wood & Barrel Aged Beers:
Gold: Wander Brewing - Wild Warehouse
Silver: Fortside Brewing Company - Cocoa-Espresso Port/Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Bronze: River City Brewing - Wine Barrel-Aged Huckleberry Ale
Wood & Barrel Aged Strong Beers:
Gold: Fremont Brewing - Bourbon Abominable (B-Bomb)
Silver: Whitewall Brewing Company - Anniversary Ale
Bronze: Black Raven Brewing Co. - La Mort Bourbon
Wood & Barrel Aged Sour Beers:
Gold: Three Magnets Brewing Co. - 2014 Tart Barrel Aged Helsing
Silver: Riverport Brewing Co. - Barrel Two Batch One
Bronze: Naked City Brewery & Taphouse - The Wild One
Washington Pro-Am:
Gold: Aslan Brewing Co & Jenn Tadder - Lucky Break
Silver: Ram Restaurant & Brewery & Phil Cammarano - Roggen
Bronze: Snipes Mountain & Stephanie Rodriguez - Samsquanch IPA
Best Washington Agricultural Product Inspired Beer: E9 Brewery LLC - Blackberry
Best Washington Malt Beer (Sponsored by Skagit Valley Malting): Four Horsemen Brewery – Black Plague Stout
Small Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by YCH Hops, Yakima Chief – Hopunion): Ten Pin Brewing
Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Washington Hops Commission): E9 Brewery LLC
Large Brewery of the Year (Sponsored by Briess Malt and Ingredients): No-Li Brewhouse