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Chicago Breweries Have Weak Showing At Great American Beer Festival

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 14, 2013 4:30PM

2013_10_14_ebelsweisslogo.gif The Great American Beer Festival wrapped up in Denver over the weekend and Chicago area breweries return home with one of the lowest medal totals in recent memory.

Five medals were awarded to four area breweries. Three actually, since Perennial Artisan Ales, which won a silver medal in the coffee beer category for its Barrel-aged Sump Coffee Stout, is located in St. Louis. BrickStone Brewery won a gold medal for its Belgo APA. Two Brothers took home a silver medal for its Ebel’s Weiss and The Ram Restaurant and Brewery earned two silver medal nods for barrel-aged Frostbite lager and its “Bavarian Sun” wheat ale.

Beer geeks should not read anything into this; there’s little in the way of rhyme or reason to the judging at GABF. Our pal Karl Klockars has a rosier outlook on the Midwest’s GABF haul over at Guys Drinking Beer. Three Floyds, New Glarus, New Holland, Bell’s and even Leinenkugel medaled. If anything, we’re enjoying a richness of spoils when it comes to malted barley and hops in Chicago.