For the second year in a row, Devils Backbone Brewing Co. in Nelson County won top honors in its category at the Great American Beer Festival.
The brewery’s Basecamp operation was named Small Brewing Company of the Year, and head brewer Jason Oliver was again named Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year. (Devils Backbone also has an “outpost” brewery in Lexington.)
In judging results announced Saturday at the festival in Denver, Devils Backbone led the way in a record showing among Virginia breweries with six medals, including two golds — for Old Virginia Dark (an American-style dark lager) and Azreal (in the Belgian- and French-style ale category). Breweries in the Old Dominion brought home 14 medals, with Lost Rhino in Ashburn and Port City in Alexandria each winning gold.
Another moment in the spotlight came to Richmond’s Mekong Restaurant, voted America’s top beer bar for the second year in online voting. An Bui, the restaurant’s chief beer officer, was on hand to accept the award.
The 14 medals tops last year’s showing of 12 in 2012 and shows steady increase over the eight medals won in 2011 and seven in 2010. In addition to Devils Backbone, Lost Rhino and Port City, breweries that medaled include Three Brothers in Harrisonburg, Smartmouth in Norfolk and Great American Restaurants in Northern Virginia.
The Great American Beer Festival represents the nation’s most vigorous beer event and most prestigious competition. More than 4,800 beers from 745 breweries in 49 states, plus Washington, D.C., were judged in 84 style categories. The number submitted for judging represents a 12 percent increase over 2012.
For many, the festival in Denver represents the pinnacle of beer destinations in the United States. About 49,000 people turned out to sample more than 3,100 beers served by 624 breweries in the festival hall.
The record number of medals won by Virginia breweries coincides with robust growth in the state’s craft brewing sector, which now has at least 64 licensed breweries. At the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest in August, Devils Backbone also made a strong showing by capturing Best of Show for its Smokehaus Lager.
Breweries and their award-winning beers include:
Devils Backbone
Gold, Old Virginia Dark, American-style dark lager category
Gold, Azreal, Belgian- and French-style ale
Silver, Gold Leaf Lager, American-style or international-style pilsener
Silver, Berliner Metro Weiss, German-style sour ale
Bronze, Danzig, Baltic-style porter
Bronze, Ale of Fergus, English-style mild ale
Port City
Gold, Optimal Wit, Belgian-style witbier
Silver, Oktoberfest, Vienna-style lager
Bronze, Colossal One, aged beer
Bronze, Colossal Two, smoke beer
Lost Rhino
Gold, Rhinofest, German-Style Marzen
Great American Restaurants
Silver, Octoberfest, German-style Marzen
Smartmouth
Bronze, Notch 9 Double IPA, Imperial India Pale Ale
Three Brothers
Bronze, Rum Barrel Belgian Dubbel-Style Ale, wood- and barrel-aged beer
