3 of best beers in America are made in Kansas City, according to national competition
The Great American Beer Festival honored three Kansas City breweries during its 2022 competition held Oct. 6 to 8 in Denver.
The local winners:
▪ BKS Artisan Ales in East Brookside won a gold medal for its Rockhill & Locust in the English Mild or Bitter category, among 68 entries.
Its English dark mild beer was one of the first beers the brewery offered when it opened in 2017.
“We stuck to how we set out to make it and it has worked for us,” said Brian Rooney, who owns the brewery with his wife, Mary. “We won our first award last year for a different beer, Clouds. It’s a rare thing to win a medal even once.”
He was a longtime home brewer. He first made the English dark mild beer in 2012 and then refined it before opening the brewery.
▪ City Barrel Brewing Co. in the East Crossroads won a bronze medal for its RAD AF in the Juicy/Hazy IPA category, among 375 entries.
James Stutsman, founder, chief executive officer and head brewer, said, “We were blown away.”
“This is the most popular beer style in the country right now, and to win a medal in the biggest competition in the nation is amazing.”
▪ River Bluff Brewing, with locations in the River Market and St. Joseph, won a silver for its Oh Brother!, listed as Brother-Brother in the international dark lager category, which had 86 entries.
Chris Lanman, co-founder, said O Brother! was one of the first to be brewed at the River Market location, which opened in March.
“We are extremely humbled and ecstatic with this win, and cannot believe that in just seven months of operations we are honored with this recognition,” Lanman said. “And for Kansas City to get three medals, it speaks to the volume of great breweries in the city producing stellar products.”
Other regional breweries honored in the competition include Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant in Topeka, which won gold medals for its Blind Tiger Bock and Smoke Follows Beauty. It also won Brewer of the Year in the 1001 to 2000 barrels brewery category.
The Great American Beer Festival, which is hosted by the Brewers Association, is one of the nation’s largest ticketed beer festivals. It celebrated its 40th anniversary, after a two-year hiatus.
“It’s the premier craft beer competition in the United States. The best judges and most knowledgeable people critiquing it, so it is a heck of an accomplishment just to get a medal,” Brian Rooney said.
The Great American Beer Festival 2023 will be held Sept. 22 to 23.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 5:03 PM.