(Smartmouth Brewing Company’s Safety Dance wins Best of Show Virginia Craft Brewers Cup 2017)
The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild held the 2017 Virginia Craft Beer Cup Awards Ceremony Monday, June 5, 2017, at WestRock in Richmond, Virginia. There were more than 240 brewers in attendance to celebrate excellence in craft beer this year. The Virginia Craft Beer Cup competition was managed by master Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge Tom Cannon and 40 judges. The competition also benefits from the continued counsel of Bill Butcher, Port City Brewing, and Bill Madden, Mad Fox Brewing. This year 356 beers in 24 categories were entered into the competition. The judging took place Saturday, May 13th at Fair Winds Brewing Company in Lorton, Virginia.
The Virginia Craft Beer Cup continues to be the largest state competition of its kind in the United States. The VCBG is committed to giving its members the opportunity to compete in VA, obtain critical feedback from certified judges and get noticed statewide. “The Virginia Craft Beer Cup recognizes brilliant independent craft beer and the creativity of the brewers that make it all happen,” said Brett Vassey, President & CEO, Virginia Craft Brewers Guild. “Congratulations to all the teams that competed in this year’s Cup.”
The 2017 Virginia Craft Beer Cup winners are as follows:
| Best of Show | ||
| First Place Best of Show | Smartmouth Brewing Company | Safety Dance |
| Second Place Best of Show | Old Ox Brewery | Black Ox |
| Third Place Best of Show | St. George Brewing Company | Summer Ale |
| Pale Bitter European Beer | ||
| First Place | Smartmouth Brewing Company | Safety Dance |
| Second Place | Hardywood Park Craft Brewery | Pils |
| Third Place | Mustang Sally Brewing Company | Dortmunder Lager |
|
Pale Malty European Lager |
||
| First Place | Alewerks Brewing Company | Weekend Lager |
| Second Place | Fair Winds Brewing Company | Hells Navigator |
| Third Place | Strangeways Brewing | Helles Frozen Over |
|
Amber and Dark European Lager |
||
| First Place | Caboose Brewing Company | Crossroads |
| Second Place | Green Flash Brewing Company | Sea to Sea |
| Third Place | Hammer & Forge Brewing Company | Night Witches |
|
Czech Lager |
||
| First Place | Lost Rhino Brewing Company | Rhino Chasers |
| Second Place | Adventure Brewing Company | Classic Lager |
| Third Place | Port City Brewing Company | Downright Pilsner |
|
International Lager and Strong European Beer |
||
| First Place | South Street Brewery | Virginia Lager |
| Second Place | Ardent Craft Ales | Defenestrator |
| Third Place | Big Ugly Brewing | Ghost Rider Porter |
|
Scottish and Irish Ale |
||
| First Place | Brass Cannon Brewing | Smoothbore |
| Second Place | Three Notch’d Brewing Company | Blackwall Porter |
| Third Place | The Bold Mariner Brewing Company | Red Maiden |
|
British Pale Ale |
||
| First Place | St. George Brewing Company | Summer Ale |
| Second Place | Red Dragon Brewery | Cook Lane |
| Third Place | Lake Anne Brew House | Lord Fairfax English Pale Ale |
| Brown British Ale | ||
| First Place | Heroic Aleworks | Max Nix |
| Second Place | Anne Lake Brew House | Beer Run Recovery Ale |
| Third Place | Three Notch’d Brewing Company | No Veto Brown |
| Dark British Ale | ||
| First Place | Studio Brew | Ferguson |
| Second Place | Crooked Run Brewing | Dulce De Leche |
| Third Place | Great Valley Farm Brewery | GVFB Stout |
|
Strong British Ale |
||
| First Place | Big Ugly Brewing | Barnfind Barleywine |
| Second Place | Garden Grove Brewing Company | Old Iron Dog |
| Third Place | Heritage Brewing Company | Kings Mountain |
|
Standard American Beer |
||
| First Place | Castleburg Brewery and Taproom | Castleburg Cream Ale |
| Second Place | Backroom Brewery | Festival Wheat Beer |
| Third Place | Rip Rap Brewing Company | Breakwater |
|
Pale American Beer |
||
| First Place | Port City Brewing Company | Essential Pale Ale |
| Second Place | Pale Fire Brewing Company | Skinny Dennis |
| Third Place | Green Flash Brewing Company | GFB |
|
Amber and Brown American Beer |
||
| First Place | Capitol City Brewing Company | Amber Waves |
| Second Place | Stable Craft Brewing | Britchin Brown Ale |
| Third Place | Trapezium Brewing Company | Brown Ale |
|
American Porter and Stout |
||
| First Place | Old Ox Brewery | Black Ox |
| Second Place | Coelacanth Brewing Company | Quiet Storm |
| Third Place | Castleburg Brewery and Taproom | Court Jester Porter |
|
IPA |
||
| First Place | Barrel Oak Farm Taphouse | BOFT IPA |
| Second Place | Alesatian Brewing Company | Hop Sneeze |
| Third Place | South Street Brewery | Astrognomer |
|
Strong American Ale |
||
| First Place | Beer Hound Brewery | Kujo |
| Second Place | Pale Fire Brewing Company | Village Green |
| Third Place | Green Flash Brewing Company | West Coast IPA |
|
German Wheat Beer |
||
| First Place | Starr Hill Brewery | The Love |
| Second Place | The Oozlefinch Craft Brewery | Lady in White |
| Third Place | Ardent Craft Ales | Berliner Weisse |
|
Belgian Ale |
||
| First Place | Lake Anne Brewhouse | New Year’s Golden Ale |
| Second Place | Center of the Universe Brewing Company | Chic Saison |
| Third Place | Port City Brewing Company | Optimal Wit |
|
Trappist Ale |
||
| First Place | Extra Billy’s Smokehoue & Brewery | Tripel Overtime |
| Second Place | Garden Grove Brewing Company | Minor Threat and the Funkadelic 4 |
| Third Place | Garden Grove Brewing Company | Barrel Aged Death |
|
Historical, Alternative, and American Wild Ale |
||
| First Place | Coelacanth Brewing Company | Passion Fruit Gose |
| Second Place | Spencer Devon Brewing | Ol’Goseanna |
| Third Place | Pro Re Nata Brewing Company | Go Johnny Gose |
|
Wood Aged and Smoked Beers |
||
| First Place | Studio Brew | Bourbon Barrel Furguson |
| Second Place | Legend Brewing Company | Bourbon Barrel Brown Ale |
| Third Place | Maltese Brewing Company | Barrel Aged Joe’s Stout |
|
Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer |
||
| First Place | Great Valley Farm Brewery | Lemongrass Basil Saison |
| Second Place | Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery | Great Commander Imperial Stout |
| Third Place | The Bold Mariner Brewing Company | Baja Roasted Ale |
|
Fruit Beer
First Place |
Trapezium Brewing Company | Strawberry Blonde |
| Second Place | BadWolf Brewing Company | Mother Pucker |
| Third Place | Wild Wolf Brewing Company | Area 151 |
|
Specialty Beer |
||
| First Place | Benchtop Brewing Company | Trial of Dmitri |
| Second Place | Wasserhund Brewing Company | Haagen Dog Stout |
| Third Place | Fair Winds Brewing Company | Siren’s Lure |
Award winners will be featuring their beers in their tasting rooms, at festivals and through their wholesale and retail partners. The VCBG encourages craft beer enthusiasts to tour these breweries and sample these great craft beers. To learn more about these breweries and plan your next trip, visit our craft brewery directory at http://virginiacraftbrewers.org/guild.aspx or go to the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s craft beer site to plan your next weekend or vacation www.virginia.org/craftbeer/.
The VCBG also encourages anyone interested in tasting many of these award-winning beers at one place to register for the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest coming up on August 19 in Charlottesville, VA – www.vacraftbrewersfest.com.
