Three Minnesota craft breweries took home coveted awards this weekend at the nation’s premiere beer competition.
Less than a third of the more than 8,800 beers that were entered into the competition Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Colorado won a medal, and far fewer were awarded a gold medal.
In a testament to the Twin Cities’ vibrant brewing industry, two of this year’s gold medalists hailed from south Minneapolis.
Arbeiter Brewing Co. in the Longfellow neighborhood won gold in the prestigious German-style pilsener category with its flagship pilsener, “HaHa Pils”.
Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub in the Standish neighborhood won gold for its “Eisbock” is the German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock category.
On the North Shore, a brewery in Duluth brought home Minnesota’s third medal this year.
Ursa Minor Brewing won bronze in the Irish-style red ale category with its malty and crisp “Equanimity”.
The ale has won awards in the past, including at a blind taste test competition in Minneapolis earlier this year .