>> RELATED: Fifth Street Brewpub captures 2 golds in beer competition(July 2016)
The event drew entries “from Vermont to Vietnam,” organizers said, and the final round of judging was held at the Quarter Barrel Brewery & Pub in Oxford, Ohio. Judging in the U.S. Open Beer Championships is blind; the judges do not know what beers they are tasting.
>> RELATED: 12 must-try signature Dayton beers
The local winners of 2017 U.S. Open Medals were:
• Gold Medal, Fifth Street Brewpub (listed as "5th Street Brewing" in the results) in Dayton, in the category of "Wood/Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale," for FSB's Barrel Aged Scottish Reign
• Silver Medal, FigLeaf Brewing in Middletown, in the Brown Porter category, for Ponderous
• Bronze Medal, Hairless Hare Brewing in Vandalia, in the category of "Wood/Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale," for Kings Reserve
• Bronze Medal, Crooked Handle Brewing in Springboro, in the category of Peanut Butter/Nuts Beer, for Roadside Peanut Butter Porter
>> Dayton’s craft beer: A guide to breweries
Darren Link, the head brewer at Fifth Street Brewpub, was pretty stoked this morning at the results.
“This is huge to be able to repeat a gold medal in this category,” Link said. “For those that bought bottles of this beer a couple weeks ago (during FSB’s fifth anniversary celebration), Cheers!”
Jeff Fortney, co-founder and head brewer at FigLeaf Brewing in Middletown, said, “We're very proud and excited to have earned a medal in competition like this while we're still less than a year old.
“I've always believed strongly in Ponderous, and porter has always been one of my own personal favorite styles. We look forward to more new beer releases, including a barrel-aged stout later this year, possibly for our anniversary in early October.
The event’s organizers gave a shout-out to a very young Cincinnati brewery in their release as well.
"We're also excited that one of newest breweries in the U.S. and one of the oldest breweries in the world took home medals," said Dow Scoggins, director of the U.S. Open Beer Championship. "Cincinnati's Brink Brewing, which opened in February, won a bronze medal in the golden ale and a gold for its cream stout. The oldest brewery in the world, Weihenstephan, founded in 1040 out of Freising, Germany, won a gold for its Hefeweissbier."
>> RELATED: Fifth Street Brewpub hires former Carillon Brewery brewmaster as general manager
Other southwest Ohio winners included a gold medal for Rhinegeist Brewery in the English Mild Ale category for the brewery’s Uncle; and a silver medal for Taft’s Ale House for its Gustaw Vienna-style beer.
TOP 10 BREWERIES 2017
No Ohio breweries cracked the “Top 10 Breweries 2017” list that honored the highest-performing medal winner breweries. That Top 10 list was:
1. Cherry Street Brewing Cooperative – Cumming, Georgia
2. Black Tooth Brewing – Sheridan, Wyoming
3. Lynnwood Brewing Concern – Raleigh, North Carolina
4. Cigar City Brewing – Tampa Bay, Florida
5. Ecliptic Brewing – Portland, Oregon
6. La Quinta Brewing – La Quinta, Texas
7. Appalachian Mountain Brewing – Boone, North Carolina
8. Guadalupe Brewing – New Braunfels, Texas
9. Revelry Brewing – Charleston, South Carolina
10. Cameron’s Brewing – Oakville, Ontario
10. Straub Brewing – St. Marys, Pennsylvania
About the Author