Arizona breweries shut out at national beer competition

Arizona brewers were shut out at the Great American Beer Festival’s awards on Saturday in Denver. It was the first time since 1995 that breweries from the state failed to net any medals.

Each year, breweries from around the country gather in Colorado for the colossal tasting event and awards, which are among the most coveted in the craft beer world. The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild and five local breweries were in Denver over the weekend to share the state’s beer, Guild Executive Director Andrew Bauman shared via email.

“We are all disappointed that Arizona beers did not capture any medals in this highly competitive competition, and are still thrilled that Arizona breweries win awards in many competitions each year,” he said.

This year’s Great American Beer Festival awards grew to include cideries. In total of 326 medals were awarded to 273 breweries and cideries in 102 categories across 170 styles, according to the Brewers Association, which hosts the event. Beers are judged by 285 experts who evaluate the entries in three phases over seven days.

The Great American Beer Festival has hosted a judged competition since 1987. Arizona won its first medal in 1990 – a bronze in the category of European Pilsner by former Cave Creek brewer Black Mountain Brewing Co.

In 2023, five Arizona breweries took home six medals, including Phoenix’s Wren House Brewing Co., Scottsdale’s Fate Brewing Co. and Flagstaff’s Lumberyard Brewing Co. The full winners list for 2024 is available here.

Now, the craft beer community will turn its attention to the next competition. The World Beer Cup will announce its 2025 award honorees on May 1.