Great American Beer Festival Winners Announced

300 medals awarded to 268 breweries in the nation’s largest professional beer competition

Denver, Colo. — The 2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition awarded 300 medals to the best commercial breweries in the United States. Presented by the Brewers Association (BA), GABF is the nation’s largest professional beer competition and the premier symbol of brewing excellence.

Award-winning breweries received prestigious gold, silver, and bronze medals in 98 beer categories covering 177 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the country. In addition, three GABF Collaboration medals pairing two professional breweries, and three GABF Pro-Am medals pairing homebrewers with professional brewers, were announced. The awards ceremony was held at the Bellco Theatre in Denver during the 40th anniversary Great American Beer Festival.

Great American Beer Festival Dancing — *The festival draws beer lovers from around the world to sample beers and celebrate the craft of brewing. Photo © Brewers Association*

The competition took place in three phases over a period of nine days and was judged by 235 beer experts from seven countries, including the U.S. In addition to 9,904 commercial brewery entries, the judging panel also evaluated 35 Pro-Am entries and 94 Collaboration entries. The competition was made possible with the help of 310 volunteers.

“Each year the Great American Beer Festival showcases the best that American brewers have to offer,” said Chris Williams, competition director, Great American Beer Festival. “With 9,904 entries, this year’s competition was the most competitive to date. Congratulations to all the winners who truly demonstrated why the U.S. is the best brewing nation in the world.”

GABF Competition Statistics

36th edition of the GABF competition
9,904 beers judged
177 beer styles
2,154 breweries in the competition from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico
235 judges
310 volunteers
Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 99
Category with the highest number of entries: American Style India Pale Ale (423 entries)
300 total medals awarded, including 3 Pro-Am and 3 Collaboration medals
268 medal-winning breweries
301 first-time GABF entrants
18 first-time GABF winners

GABF kegs of beer — *Brewers from the country presented kegs of their best beer for judging at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Photo © Brewers Association*

Most-Entered Style Categories

The winners of the top five most-entered categories were:

GABF beer pouring — *The Great American Beer Festival had a record number of entries this year. Photo © Brewers Association*

Most-Medaled Brewery

North Park Beer Co. | San Diego, CA
GOLD: English India Pale Ale or New Zealand India Pale Ale (Cat. 59)
SILVER: Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale (Cat. 67)
BRONZE: American-Style India Pale Ale (Cat. 64)
BRONZE: Imperial India Pale Ale (Cat. 66)