The Virginia Craft Brewers Guild is “dedicated to the growth of independent craft breweries in the Commonwealth.” The annual Virginia Craft Brewers Guild Cup lets brewers face off for awards and recognition in 33 different categories. This year, 106 breweries sent a record 396 beers to the competition. According to Head Judge, Charlie Harr, “This year’s competition proves Virginia has some of the best craft brewers in the nation.”
Beerwerks Trail breweries won seven medals, including two first-place awards. Taste the victory by sampling some of our decorated beers in the brewery taprooms or through retail partners, when applicable.
- Pale Fire Brewing Company won a first-place award in the creams and blondes category for Taking Water.
- Three Notch’d Brewing Company won a first-place award in the hazy IPA category for King of Clouds Juicy IPA, which is hopped with Idaho 7 and Citra. King of Clouds has “notes of mango, orange, and tangerine for a true tropical IPA.”
- Stable Craft Brewing won a second-place award in the hazy IPA category for Robot Cowboy, “a New England-style IPA copiously hopped with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic creating a fruity tropical burst of pineapple and guava.”
- Stable Craft also won second place in the European sour category for Porch Sipping, a wheat-based German-style gose that’s citrus forward with “a crisp tart finish reminiscent of an ice cold glass of old fashion lemonade.”
- Skipping Rock Beer Company won a second-place award in the brown ale category for Roasted Pecan Brown Ale. Skipping Rock describes the English-style brown ale as having “mild caramel and toffee malt flavors pair well with nutty pecan notes, and there are very light chocolate notes on the back end.”
- Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery won a second-place award in the monastic ale category for Belgian Blonde, which it describes as “A light bodied, refreshing beer with floral/herbal aromas, backed up by smooth, bready Pilsner malt flavors. This beer features low hop bitterness with a hint of light red fruit in the finish.”
- Heliotrope Brewery won second place in the porter category for Charm Offensive, a chocolate porter brewed with organic cocoa nibs.
