Six Utah brews bring in medals
World Beer Cup like the Olympics for brewers
By Kathy Stephenson
The Salt Lake Tribune Article
April 25, 2008
Brewers from the Beehive state brought home six medals - two gold, three silvers and a bronze - from 2008 World Beer Cup competition, considered the Olympics for the brewing world.
Utah brewers captured both first and second in the German-style brown ale category at the event, held last weekend in San Diego. Squatters Pub Brewery earned gold with Alt and In the Way, while the Utah Brewers Cooperative's took silver with Bobsled Brown.
While Bobsled Brown is readily available in bottles and on tap, beer lovers will have to wait until early fall to try the deep, copper-colored Alt - the German word for old or aged, said Jen Talley, the Squatter's brewmaster.
She said the malty rich beer, whose name is a play off a Grateful Dead song, is only made twice a year. "I'll be making it again toward the end of August and the beginning of September," Talley said. It will be available at Squatters locations in downtown Salt Lake City, Park City and the airport.
The Utah Brewers Cooperative, which produces all the bottled and keg products for Wasatch and Squatters, earned two additional medals. Its Polygamy Porter and Provo Girl Pilsner captured silver and bronze, respectively, in the low strength ale or lager category.
In addition, the Cooperative was named one of the "Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies" by the Brewers Association, which sponsors the World Beer Cup. The Advertisement listing is based on annual sales.
Uinta Brewing Co. picked up Utah's second gold medal in the ordinary bitters category, with its Cutthroat Pale Ale. This was the beer's fourth World Cup medal, said Uinta President Steve Kuftinec. Because of its previous success, Cutthroat was served with one of the courses of the World Cup's awards dinner on Saturday.
Finally, Redrock Brewing Co. earned a silver in the American-style brown ale category for its Redrock Nut Brown Ale. With 30 entries, it was one of the largest beer categories at the global competition, which is held every two years.
This year's competition attracted 644 breweries from 58 countries and 45 U.S. states. The breweries entered 2,864 beers in 91 beer-style categories.
Redrock's head brewer, Kevin Templin, said this is the fourth time the nut brown ale has won a World Cup medal. It also won in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
"It's just a balanced American-style brown ale with a good amount of hops and a soft, chocolate character," Templin said. It is available on tap at the Redrock Brewing, 254 W. 200 West.
Here are the Utah beers that won medals at the 2008 World Beer Cup competition:
GOLD * Alt and In the Way, Squatters Pub Brewery; German-style brown ale. * Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta Brewing Co.; ordinary bitter.
SILVER * Bobsled Brown, Utah Brewers Cooperative; German-style brown ale. * Redrock Nut Brown Ale, Redrock Brewing Co.; American-style brown ale. * Polygamy Porter, Utah Brewers Cooperative; low-strength ale or lager.
BRONZE * Provo Girl Pilsner, Utah Brewers Cooperative; low strength ale or lager.
For a list of all winners visit www.WorldBeerCup.org