(Nelson County, VA) – Devils Backbone Brewing Company hosted twenty four of Virginia’s craft breweries presenting 48 different local craft beers for tastings at its concert and campgrounds in Nelson County during the inaugural Virginia Craft Brewers Fest this past Saturday. The highlight of the event was the Virginia Craft Brewers Cup contest judged by beer writers who ranked entries by the Beer Judge Certification Program (www.bjcp.org). Beers were presented to judges for double blind evaluation in five categories (Pale Ale, Dark, Belgian, Lager and Specialty/Other) with 2-4 judges participating in each category. These five categories encompassed the 84 styles of this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Each beer was evaluated within the style entered and compared to the others within the category. The judges then selected gold, silver and bronze winners from each category. Final judging for the Virginia Craft Brewers Cup involved the judges determining the “Best of Show” winner from the five Gold medal winners of each category.
“Best of Show” Winner of the 2012 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup
Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Schwartz Bier
Pale Ale Category:
Gold: Port City Brewing Company – Monumental IPA
Silver: Starr Hill Brewery – Double Platinum
Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company – English Summer Ale
Dark Category:
Gold: Capitol City Brewing Company – Oatmeal Stout
Silver: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Gingerbread Stout
Bronze: Port City Brewing Company – Porter
Belgian Category:
Gold: Wild Wolf Brewing Company – Blonde Hunny
Silver: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Azrael
Bronze: Port City Brewing Company – Optimal Wit
Lager Category:
Gold: Devils Backbone Brewing Company – Schwartz Bier
Silver: Lost Rhino Brewing Company – Rhinofest
Bronze: Starr Hill Brewery – Festie
Specialty Category:
Gold: The River Company Restaurant & Brewery – Farmhouse Heffeweizen
Silver: Lost Rhino Brewing Company – Rye Wit
Bronze: Wild Wolf Brewing Company – Ginger Lager
Presented by the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild (VCBG) and the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) along with The Festy, Nelson County and the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s “Love On Tap” promotion in honor of Virginia Craft Beer Month, the 2012 Virginia Craft Brewers Fest was designed to promote Virginia’s burgeoning craft brewing industry and its Guild. Even the rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the 1,250 people in attendance, the staff, the brewers and the bands at the Fest, as it was the largest gathering of Virginia craft brewers ever assembled at one time. Justin Billcheck, co-owner of Cerberus Productions who produced the event, was quite impressed with the turnout for the first year of the event as well as the passion displayed for Virginia craft beer. “We were committed to making this a community event, so we were pleased to have all local vendors participating, including all local fare, as well as all Virginia-based entertainment,” said Justin Billcheck. “We are looking forward to next year to grow the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest on behalf of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild.” The live music line-up included Love Canon, The Downbeat Project and Founding Fathers, all out of Charlottesville, and the No BS! Brass Band out of Richmond.
About Virginia Manufacturers Association
The Virginia Manufacturers Association develops and advocates for constructive public policies and supports a broad array of business services and programs to help ensure that Virginia manufacturing companies can be productive, profitable and competitive in Virginia. Virginia’s 5,000+ manufacturers employ over 200,000 individuals, contribute $34 billion to the gross state product, and account for over 80% of the state’s exports to the global economy. The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild (VCBG) is an affiliate of the VMA serving the needs and concerns of Virginia burgeoning craft beer industry. For more about the VMA and the VCBG, please visit www.vamanufacturers.com.
