Virginia Breweries Take Home Awards

The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild annual awards ceremony is markedly different from your typical awards ceremony. Sure, it’s called a “gala.” The Virginia Craft Beer Cup Gala, in fact. But you don’t spot tuxedos and nightgowns. For the competitors, the event is like a homecoming, bringing together friends who share memories – maybe even collaborations – an industry, and a love for beer and for creativity. When the awards ceremony ends, there are winners and losers, but the camaraderie continues.

This year’s Virginia Craft Beer Cup was held at the American Civil War Museum at Tredegar, with nearly 300 in attendance. Following BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) guidelines, 342 beers entered in 35 categories were judged, to be awarded bronze, silver and gold plus best in show and runner-up. Only Virginia breweries that are members of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild are eligible to enter the competition.

Looking for a new-to-you brewery to visit, either in town or on a road trip throughout Virginia? This list can help guide your decision-making process.

Of Richmond-area breweries that entered beers in the competition, the top winner was Fine Creek Brewing in Powhatan, which earned runner-up in Best-in-Show for the Dry Hopped Brett Saison and a first place in the American Wild Ale category. Other local first place winners were Center of the Universe (Ashland), Final Gravity, Lickinghole Creek, Stone Brewing, Strangeways and Trapezium (Petersburg).

All Richmond-area winners were:

• Stone Brewing (Richmond), first in the American Porter and Stout category for Espresso Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout
• Fine Creek Brewing, first in American Wild Ale for Dry Hopped Brett Saison and second place in Best-in-Show for Dry Hopped Brett Saison
• Center of the Universe, first in Trappist Ale for Monkeys Uncle; third in American Wild Ale for Red Ale; and  third in Dark European Lager for Dark Side (from COTU’s Origin Beer Lab)
• Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery, second in Belgian Ale for Belgian Wit
• Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, first in Dark British Beer for One Lion
• Bingo Beer, second in Dark European Lager for Black Lager
• Strangeways Brewing, first place in European Sour Ale for Uberlin
• Castleburg Brewery, second in Historical Beer for Castillian’s Champagne Grodziskie
• Final Gravity, first place in Specialty IPA for Morning Glory
• Vӓsen Brewing, second place in Specialty IPA for Cashmere Secrets
• Trapezium Brewing, third in Standard American Beer for Mexican Lager

2019 Virginia Craft Beer Cup winners

ALTERNATIVE FERMENTABLES BEER
First Place: St. George Brewing Company, Honey Meade Lager
Second Place: Gloucester Brewing Company, DeadRYEz
Third Place: Chaos Mountain Brewing, Glutenless Maximus – Pale Ale

AMBER AND BROWN AMERICAN BEER
First Place: Parkway Brewing Company, Triple “A” American Amber Ale
Second Place: Spencer Devon Brewing, Pulchritudinous Brown
Third Place: That Damn Mary Brewing Company, Easy Money

AMBER BITTER EUROPEAN BEER
First Place: MoMac Brewing Company, Pata De Palo (Pefg Leg)
Second Place: Mustang Sally Brewing Company, Article One Amber Lage
Third Place: Front Royal Brewing Company, Linden Lager

AMBER MALTY EUROPEAN LAGER
First Place: Makers Craft Brewery, Rauche

AMERICAN PORTER AND STOUT
First Place: Stone Brewing, Stone Espresso Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout
Second Place: Old Ox Brewery, BlackOx
Third Place: Adventure Brewing Company, Wicked Nymph Imperial Stout

AMERICAN WILD ALE
First Place: Fine Creek Brewing Company, Dry Hopped Brett Saison
Second Place: Coelacanth Brewing, The Captain
Third Place: Center of the Universe, Red Ale

BELGIAN ALE
First Place: Port City Brewing Company, Optimal Wit
Second Place: Garden Grove Brewing & Urban Winery, Belgian Wit

BRITISH BITTER
First Place: Old Bust Head Brewing Company, Bust Head English Pale Ale
Second Place: Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater Tavern, Great American Restaurants Pale Ale
Third Place: Lake Anne Brew House, Lord Fairfax

BROWN BRITISH BEER
First Place: Three Notch’d Brewing Company, No Veto Brown
Second Place: The Board Room VA, Bishop Brown
Third Place: Ballad Brewing, Fast Mail

CZECH LAGER
First Place: Pro Re Nata Brewing Company, Nature Boy Pilsner
Second Place: Seven Arrows Brewing Company, Aurora Pils

DARK BRITISH BEER
First Place: Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, One Lion
Second Place: Backroom Brewery, Oatmeal Stout
Third Place: The Virginia Beer Company, Elbow Patches Oatmeal Stout

DARK EUROPEAN LAGER
First Place: Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater Tavern, Rusty Roadrunner Lager
Second Place: Bingo Beer, Black Lager
Third Place: Center of the Universe Origin, Dark Side

EUROPEAN SOUR ALE
First Place: Strangeways Brewing, Uberlin
Second Place: Precarious Beer Project, Everywhere You Look There’s Something

FRUIT BEER
First Place: Great Valley Farm Brewery, Peach Farmhouse Ale
Second Place: Seven Arrows Brewing Company, Sour Grapes
Third Place: The Farm Brewery at Broad Run, Dewitt’s Wit

GERMAN WHEAT BEER
First Place: Starr Hill Brewery, The Love
Second Place: 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company, Witch Haze Ale
Third Place: Bike TrAle Brewing Company, Tailwind

HISTORICAL BEER
First Place: Blue Mountain Barrel House, Classic Lager
Second Place: Castleburg Brewery and Taproom, Castillian’s Champagne Grodziskie
Third Place: Beale’s Beer, Gratzer

INTERNATIONAL LAGER
First Place: The Bold Mariner Brewing Company, Frogman Lager
Second Place: Beltway Brewing Company , Batting 1000
Third Place: The Board Room VA , No Limit Lager

IPA – American
First Place: Barrel Oak Farm Taphouse, BOFT IPA
Second Place: 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company, Mosey Along the Dan
Third Place: Big Ugly Brewing Company, Rockers

IPA – Specialty
First Place: Final Gravity Brewing Company, Morning Glory
Second Place: Vӓsen Brewing Company, Cashmere Secrets
Third Place: Twin Creeks Brewing Company, Red Leaf IPA

IRISH BEER
First Place: Pleasure House Brewing, O’Brien Clan Irish Red
Second Place: Old Bust Head Brewing Company, Vixen Irish Style Red Ale
Third Place: Tradition Brewing Company, Red Willie Irish Red

PALE AMERICAN ALE
First Place: Random Row Brewing Company, Mosaic Pale Ale
Second Place: Broken Window Brewing Company, Lucky 13
Third Place: Three Notch’d Brewing Company, Ghost of the 43rd

PALE BITTER EUROPEAN BEER
First Place: New Realm Brewing, Euphonia Pilsner
Second Place: Bald Top Brewing Company, Liberty Light Lager
Third Place: Fair Winds Brewing Company, Quayside Kolsch

PALE MALTY EUROPEAN LAGER
First Place: Great American Restaurants- Sweetwater Tavern, Yippee Ei-O Springbook
Second Place: Brother’s Craft Brewing, Lil’ Hellion
Third Place: Black Hoof Brewing, Reh of Sunshine Helles

SCOTTISH ALE
First Place: 7 Dogs Brewpub, 80 Shilling Scottish Ale

SMOKED BEER
First Place: Bald Top Brewing, Secretly Smoked Lager
Second Place: Alewerks Brewing Company, Pancake House Stout
Third Place: House 6 Brewing, Smoke Eater

SPECIALTY BEER
First Place: South Street, Soft-Serv Ice Cream Porter
Second Place: Smartmouth Brewing Company, Mount Up
Third Place: Blue Mountain Barrel House, Raspberries on Acid

SPICED BEER
First Place: Starr Hill Brewery, Little Red Rooster Coffee Cream Stout
Second Place: 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company, “Just-In” Time for Breakfast
Third Place: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Company (The Vanguard Brewpub), Coffee Blonde Ale

STANDARD AMERICAN BEER
First Place: Reaver Beach Brewing Company, House Lager
Second Place: New Realm Brewing, United Craft Lager
Third Place: Trapezium Brewing Company, Mexican Lager

STRONG AMERICAN ALE
First Place: Beltway Brewing Company, Changing Lanes
Second Place: Alesatian Brewing Company, Hopsneeze Gen2 IPA
Third Place: Rip Rap Brewing, Wind’s Eye

STRONG BELGIAN ALE
First Place: Maltese Brewing Company, Barnfire Saison
Second Place: Bike TrAle Brewing Company, Strongman
Third Place: Lake Anne Brew House, New Year’s First Place:en Ale

STRONG BRITISH ALE
First Place: Adventure Brewing Company, Black Sail Scotch Ale

STRONG EUROPEAN BEER
First Place: Restless Moons Brewing, Inked
Second Place: Big Ugly Brewing, Accelerator
Third Place: 1781 Brewing Company, Kӧnig Fruhling

TRAPPIST ALE
First Place: Center of the Universe, Monkeys Uncle
Second Place: Apocalypse Ale Works, Brohead Fred
Third Place: Skipping Rock Beer Company, Belgian Dubbel

WOOD BEER
First Place: 2 Silos Brewing, Old Dominion Barrel Reserve Series
Second Place: Blue Mountain Barrel House, Chocolate and Coffee Dark Hollow
Third Place: Old Ox Brewery, Cooper’s Cloak Bourbon Barrel-Aged Quadrupel

BEST IN SHOW
First Place: New Realm Brewing, Euphonia Pilsner
Second Place: Fine Creek Brewing Company, Dry Hopped Brett Saison