The 2013 Beer Awards for the 21st annual Garden City BrewFest – held last Saturday in Caras Park – have been announced. 70 beers and 12 wines were featured and more than 6,000 people attended. The MDA would like to thank sponsors Flathead Lake Brewery, the Top Hat Lounge, Bayern Brewing, the Trail 103.3, Missoula Independent and Montana Headwall, as well the 150 volunteers that made this event possible.
Each year, the Zoo City Zymurgists, Missoula’s home brewers’ club, coordinates and manages a beer judging competition. Lone Peak Brewery from Big Sky, MT swept three awards this year with its American Stout aged in an Elijah Craig bourbon cask, winning Best of Show, Best of Montana, and Best Specialty Beer.
“What made this Brewfest so great were all the Montana beers. Out of 39 breweries and Cider houses, 22 were from Montana with 42 different beers and ciders. It’s great to watch that number grow each year.” Mike Hoffer, long time Zoo City Zymurgists club member.
The club presented 13 awards at Saturday’s event that drew over 6,000 people:
The Zymurgists provide 12 trained judges who sampled each beer and select the award winners based upon a variety of elements, including taste, color, appearance, mouth-feel, flavor, aroma and overall drinkability. The award-winning breweries should receive their medals in the mail in the next two weeks.
The MDA congratulates the winning breweries and thanks all who participated and attended this year’s summer kick-off event. Next year, the 22nd annual Garden City BrewFest will be held Saturday, May 3, 2014 in Caras Park. For more information, please contact the Missoula Downtown Association Website or 406.543.4238.
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