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).

 

 

WABA Award

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