At this year's Great American Beer Festival — the country's largest professional beer competition — Ohio's breweries showed up and showed out. Eleven breweries from the Buckeye State brought home 21 medals overall — tied for sixth among all states and marking our best result ever.
The undisputed star of the festival, however, was my local, Fat Head's Brewery. No brewery won more medals than Fat Head's, which took home five in total: two golds, one silver, and two bronze.
🥇 Goggle Fogger — South German-Style Hefeweizen
🥇 Battle Axe — Strong Porter
🥈 Bone Head — Strong Red Ale
🥉 Hop JuJu — Imperial India Pale Ale
🥉 Excursion Journeyman — Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer
🏆 Fat Head's also won BREWERY OF THE YEAR (15,001 – 100,000 barrels). 🏆
Not to be outdone, its downstate compatriot, Cincinnati's Third Eye Brewing Co. won three medals of its also and Brewery of the Year (2,001 – 5,000 barrels).
From neighborhood taprooms to nationally recognized powerhouses, Ohio beer showed that it belongs on the stage with the industry's heavyweights.
So yeah, I'm proud to be a beer lawyer. But even more, I'm proud to stand with an industry that captures the best of Ohio — authentic, passionate, and quietly exceptional.
If you love beer, put Ohio on your map. The pints are top-notch, and the industry's people are even better. The lawyers? Not too shabby either. 😉
Click here for information on Wickens Herzer Panza's craft beer legal practice (or just email me).
For more info on Ohio's craft-beer industry as a whole, check out the Ohio Craft Brewers Assocation.