Infographic: Beer Hot Spots
To see the power of local beer communities, look no further than 2016’s Great American Beer Festival. Breweries from across the country brought home hardware from the annual competition, but California once again reigned, with Golden State companies bringing home 68 medals across 44 cities. Out of the state’s 479 incorporated municipalities, 9 percent won a GABF medal in 2016.
As those awards pile up, they can help drive more drinkers to a brewery’s taproom. After the beer won a bronze medal in 2015’s inaugural Session India Pale Ale category, Anaheim’s Noble Ale Works saw a spike in demand for Nose Candy, its 4.4% session IPA. Evan Price, head brewer at Noble Ale Works, says he had to triple production of the beer to keep his own taproom and local accounts stocked as more people asked for the beer after its recognition.
“The reaction from the public and our accounts was immediately crazy,” Price says. “It was a crowning achievement for us.”
Where might people flock to for 2016’s big winners? This heat map highlights areas of the country that brought home medals from the most recent competition. —Bryan Roth
This is interesting, but it also may indicate the problem of location bias with GABF entries. Winners are predominantly coming from the west coast and Denver (where GABF is actually held). Legitimately great beer is being made all over the country, but many breweries from further afield are choosing not to attend or send beer for cost and freshness concerns.
As a professional brewer I know that judges come from all over the country, and most breweries send their competition entries in refrigerated trucks all together from each region. You see more winners from the west coast simply because there is a higher concentration of breweries there. Statistically, odds are in favor of a winner to be from the west coast and Denver area simply due to a higher number of breweries in those areas, rather than “bias” or location of where it is held.
Seattle shown as the same intensity as Chicago, GREENSBORO(!)(?), DC, and Austin? Havre any of you ever been to Seattle. Canyou find it on a map? Seattle – and I know this FAR better than you do – is about the same size and caliber brewing culture as Portland. No, they do not self-promote as much as OR breweries in general but the quality level is just as high and there are MORE breweries in Seattle than Portland if you use their whole metro area, instead of just inside the city limits. If you’re going to to graphs like this, it might be nice to include some actual information, rather than just hipster presumptions.
Steve Body, I hope you realize this is a map of places that actually won awards at the GABF and not places that have good beer.
Ummm…Seattle’s Georgetown Brewery won 2016’s
Best IPA at the GABF For their WONDERFUL Bodhizafa IPA
Also won gold for their Gusto Crema coffee ale