Today, the winners of the professional brewing competition held as part of the San Diego International Beer Festival were announced. San Diego County breweries brought home 18 gold, 22 silver and 21 bronze medals. The most prolific winners were Belching Beaver Brewery, which won four total medals, three of which were gold, and Pizza Port, which also collected four medals, one of which was gold. Three of each company’s respective brewing locations combined for those wins while Council Brewing (which will soon have multiple facilities when it opens its Santee brewery and tasting room later this year) picked up the most medals of any single-location operation with three, two of which were gold.
Other breweries to earn three medals from one spot were The Lost Abbey, Rip Current Brewing (which took gold and silver in the German-style bock category) and Home Brewing. Nine breweries won two medals. That group was highlighted by gold medalists Bagby Beer Co., Duck Foot Brewing, Groundswell Brewing and Resident Brewing.
Particularly impressive was the fact San Diego brewing companies swept three of the 57 total style categories: Brett & Other Sour Beer (gold—Council Brewing, silver—Toolbox Brewing, bronze—The Lost Abbey), Australian/International-style Pale Ale (gold—Ballast Point Brewing, silver—Barrel Harbor Brewing, bronze—Home Brewing) and Bold Stout (gold and silver—Pizza Port, bronze—Culver Beer Co.). Additionally, local mead producers earned two gold, two silver and one bronze (with ironically-named Miralani Makers District newcomer Lost Cause Meadery claiming one each and Oceanside’s Golden Coast Mead nabbing the other two). Ramona’s Turquoise Barn Cider led the cidery pack with a gold and silver in its respective categories.
San Diego County’s medal count was down by seven, going from 68 in 2017 to 61 this year. It’s still a strong showing, but to put things in perspective, San Diego breweries swept a whopping eight style categories last year. And this year’s San Diego International Beer Festival champion brewery isn’t a local operation. Long Beach-based Beachwood BBQ & Brewing earned that distinction with a rather astounding four golds, three silvers and one bronze.
The San Diego International Beer Festival will take place at the Del Mar Fairgrounds as part of the San Diego County Fair from June 15 to 17. The total list of local winners is as follows…
Gold
- Chocolate & Chili Beer: Mexican Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, Belching Beaver Brewery, Oceanside
- Specialty Beer: III Anniversary Bier de Miel, Council Brewing, Kearny Mesa
- Session Beer: Industrial Gris, Resident Brewing, Downtown
- Rye Beer: Rye You Trippin?, Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing, Chula Vista
- Brett & Other Sour Beer: Staircase of Everlasting Peaches, Council Brewing, Kearny Mesa
- Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer: Redrum, Duck Foot Brewing, Miramar
- Wood & Barrel-Aged Strong Stout: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Serpent’s Stout, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos
- European Lager: Sweet Ride, Bagby Beer Co., Oceanside
- German-style Bock: Delaminator Dopplebock, Rip Current Brewing, San Marcos
- English-style Pale Ale: Bugger Off!, South Park Brewing, South Park
- Australian/International-style Pale Ale: Aloha Sculpin, Ballast Point Brewing, Little Italy
- Scottish-style Ale: Clan Ross Scotch Ale, Legacy Brewing, Oceanside
- Irish-style Red Ale: Mulligan Irish-style Red, Second Chance Beer Co., Carmel Mountain Ranch
- American-style Brown Ale: Piloncillo Brown, Groundswell Brewing, Santee
- German-style Ale: Kolner Krusher, Belching Beaver Brewery Tavern & Grill, Vista
- Belgian-style Sour Ale: Batch 2, Belching Beaver Brewery, Vista
- Bold Stout: Athena’s American Stout, Pizza Port, Ocean Beach
- British-style Strong Ale: Ruby Red, Prohibition Brewing, Vista
- Traditional Mead: Buck It All, Lost Cause Meadery, Miramar
- Spiced & Specialty Mead: Spiced Sour, Golden Coast Mead, Oceanside
- New England & Fruit Cider: Apple Maple Hard Cider, Turquoise Barn Cider, Ramona
Silver
- American Wheat Ale: Kottbusser, Eppig Brewing, North Park
- Fruit Beer: Funky Buss, Barrel Harbor Brewing, Vista
- Fruit Wheat Beer & Vegetable Beer: Coconut Contender IPA, Duck Foot Brewing, Miramar
- Herb & Spice Beer: Kali Kush, Breakwater Brewing, Oceanside
- Specialty Beer: Falling Rock, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos
- Hybrid Belgian-style Ale: Monk’s Lunch, Home Brewing, North Park
- Brett & Other Sour Beer: Rustique d’Abricot, Toolbox Brewing, Vista
- Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer: Table Beer On Oak, Benchmark Brewing, Grantville
- Pilsener: Choppy Surf Czech Pilsner, Rip Current Brewing, San Marcos
- German-style Bock: Breakline Bock, Rip Current Brewing, San Marcos
- Golden or Blonde Beer: Your Favorite Beer, Home Brewing, North Park
- Australian/International-style Pale Ale: San Dingo, Barrel Harbor Brewing, Vista
- American-style Pale Ale: Rio, Novo Brazil Brewing, Chula Vista
- Bitter: Super Fresh, Knotty Brewing, East Village
- American-style Brown Ale: Liz’s Brown Ale, Council Brewing, Kearny Mesa
- French & Belgian-style Ale: Golden Kiss, Resident Brewing, Downtown
- Belgian-style Pale Ale: The Damsel, Societe Brewing, Kearny Mesa
- Belgian-style Dark Ale: Quadruppel, Novo Brazil Brewing, Chula Vista
- Porter: Dawn of the Deft Porter, Deft Brewing, Bay Park
- Bold Stout: Zman, Pizza Port, Carlsbad
- British-style Strong Ale: Private Stock Ale, AleSmith Brewing, MIramar
- Barley Wine: Old Numbskull, AleSmith Brewing, Miramar
- Traditional Mead: Mirth: Orange Blossom, Gold Coast Mead, Oceanside
- Spiced & Specialty Mead: Zydeco Buzz, Lost Cause Meadery, Miramar
- New England & Fruit Cider: Apple Pomegranate Hard Cider, Turquoise Barn Cider, Ramona
Bronze
- American Wheat Ale: Follow Us on Twheater, Bagby Beer Co., Oceanside
- Fruit Beer: Grapefruit Solis, Mike Hess Brewing, North Park
- Herb & Spice Beer: Cerveza Postre, Rock Bottom Brewery, La Jolla
- Hybrid Belgian-style Ale: Puncheur Pale Ale, Rouleur Brewing, Carlsbad
- Brett & Other Sour Beer: 24 Steps, The Lost Abbey, San Marcos
- Wood & Barrel-Aged Strong Stout: Equilibrium, Toolbox Brewing, Vista
- European Lager: Export, Abnormal Beer Co., Rancho Bernardo
- American-style Lager: Pilsner the Conqueror, 32 North Brewing, Miramar
- Australian/International-style Pale Ale: Sharks with Lasers, Home Brewing, North Park
- American-style Strong Pale Ale: Your Mama’s Boy, Groundswell Brewing, Santee
- Imperial India Pale Ale: Bruce Banner Grade, Nickel Beer Co., Julian
- American-style Amber/Red Ale: Luiseno Red Ale, Indian Joe Brewing, Vista
- Imperial Red Ale: Elevator Red, OB Brewery, Ocean Beach
- Bitter: Banksy ESB, Burning Beard Brewing, El Cajon
- English-style Brown Ale: Hancock St. Brown, Bay City Brewing, Point Loma
- German-style Weiss: Junk In Da Trunkel Dunkel, Pizza Port, Ocean Beach
- Belgian-style Wit or White Ale: Fanny Pack Wit, Pizza Port, Bressi Ranch
- French & Belgian-style Ale: Rooftop Saison, OB Brewery, Ocean Beach
- Belgian-style Dark Ale: Dubbel Dragon, Belching Beaver Brewery Tavern & Grill, Vista
- Bold Stout: Daily Routine, Culver Beer Co., Carlsbad
- Imperial Stout: Stone Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout, Stone Brewing, Escondido
- Spiced & Specialty Mead: Devilish Grin, Lost Cause Meadery, Miramar
- Specialty Cider & Perry: Blue Dream, Newtopia Cyder, Scripps Ranch