Barley Brown's, Breakside and 10 Barrel Earn Top Medals at Great American Beer Festival

It's the most prestigious beer event in the country, and for the second year in a row, Oregon took home the event's most prestigious medal: Best American-Style IPA. Breakside Brewery's flagship IPA beat 279 competitors (the most entries of any category) to take top honors at the GABF, held October 2-4 in Denver. Last year, Barley Brown's in Baker City won for its Pallet Jack IPA. The year, the fresh hop version of the beer took gold.

The New School reports that The Great American Beer Festival, held in Denver every fall, received over 5,500 entries from more than 1,300 breweries across the nation. And of the 268 medals, Oregon scored 22. In fact, two Oregon breweries, Barley Brown's and 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend, which is opening a Pearl district brewpub this winter, each won three medals, tying with two Colorado breweries for most medals won.

Other gold winners included: Fresh Hop Pallet Jack from Barley Brown's (Fresh Hop Beer); Hand Truck Pale Ale from Barley Brown's (International Style Pale Ale); Cucumber Crush from 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend (Field Beer); Salmonberry Sour from Bend Brewing (Indigenous/Regional); Dark Ale from Groundbreaker Brewing in Portland (Gluten-Free); and Gold Beach Lager from Arch Rock Brewing in Gold Beach (Kellerbier or Zwickelbeir).