Putting GABF 2015 in Context

By now, you’ve heard about how the DMV fared at the Great American Beer Festival. The big story was Alexandria’s own Port City Brewing Company being named the best small brewery in the country, thanks to its two silvers and one bronze. It’s no small feat, especially considering that the small brewery category was by far the most competitive. On top of that, Virginia took home another six medals, with Maryland netting one of its own. For details about the hardware brought home by DMV breweries, check our earlier post. Now, a little context on the competition, provided in part by the BA.

THE COMPETITION

This was the biggest GABF to date by a long shot. The number of entries (6,647) was up by 20% from last year. For the first time in years, every brewery that wanted to compete and/or pour at the festival was able to do so (provided they met the requirements). A total of 1,552 breweries competed across 92 beer categories. In the end, 242 breweries, including 38 first-time entrants, took ho