VA breweries take home 13 awards at last weekend’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver

by | Oct 11, 2016 | BREWS, SPIRITS & WINE

Each year, the Great American Beer Festival brings together brewers from around the U.S. and in a public tasting event, the Denver-based festival awards those who have created the best beer. This past weekend’s festival, 286 medals were awarded, with Virginia breweries snagging 13 of them.

Each year, the Great American Beer Festival brings together brewers from around the U.S. and in a public tasting event, the Denver-based festival awards those who have created the best beer. This past weekend’s festival, 286 medals were awarded, with Virginia breweries snagging 13 of them.

Two Richmond breweries were awarded medals for their beers. Ardent Craft Ales took home the bronze for their Brett Saison in the Brett Beer category and Hardywood Park Craft Brewery took home a silver medal for their Grobe Teufel in the Historical Category.

Nine other Virginia breweries took home awards at the festival including Devil’s Backbone (who won 2), Spencer Devon Brewing, Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater Tavern, Lost Rhino Brewing Co, Ornery Beer Co., Ocelot Brewing, Port City Brewing Co., South Street Brewery (who won 2), and Blue Mountain Barrel House and Organic Brewery.

Devils Backbone took home two gold medals from the festival, one for their flagship beer, Vienna Lager, in the Vienna-Style Lager category and one for Danzig, a member of the Trail Blazer series, which won gold in the Baltic-Style Porter category.

To check out all the winners from each state click here.

Amy David

Amy David

Amy David was the Web Editor for RVAMag.com from May 2015 until September 2018. She covered craft beer, food, music, art and more. She's been a journalist since 2010 and attended Radford University. She enjoys dogs, beer, tacos, and Bob's Burgers references.




more in eat drink

Review | Get In My Boca! What’s Happening at the Triangle?

Every time I go to the Aldi on Arthur Ashe at Broad St., En Su Boca tries to seduce me with its tequila and tacos perfume. It doesn’t work all the time, but I feel the pull when I’m browsing the nonsense in Aldi’s middle aisle. I once bought sweatpants there. I’m not...

Can Richmond Have Bars? New Virginia Law Eases Food-to-Alcohol Rules

Virginia lawmakers have approved changes to the state’s long-standing food-to-alcohol sales requirement for restaurants, easing restrictions that many operators have said no longer reflect how the industry works. The legislation, HB975, passed during the 2026 General...

New Menu, Who Dis? Get Tight Gets Tighter.

Randy O’Dell has a posse. The co-owner of Get Tight Lounge, and owner of En Su Boca, and beloved bars and restaurants of RVA legend, has always known how to attract incredible talent in his kitchen and behind the bar. He’s joined forces with Drew Schlegel in keeping...

Opinion | Virginia’s Liquor Laws Were Always Weird. Change Is Coming

Editor’s Note: This column is informed by recent reporting from Brad Kutner at Radio IQ and WVTF on proposed changes to Virginia’s food-to-alcohol sales ratio, as well as conversations with people connected to the restaurant and hospitality industry. Virginia’s liquor...

What This Year Really Looked Like for Virginia Farmers

2025 has been a tough year for farming across the country, and from the outside looking in, it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening versus what’s being spun. So instead of guessing about beef prices or egg shortages, it made sense to ask someone dealing with these...

Richmond New Year’s Eve 2025-2026! The Ultimate Rundown

Richmond has its own way of ringing in the New Year. A little backward glance, a little chaos, and just enough polish to feel intentional. You can lean into loud live shows, dress up for something splashy, or keep it simple with a solid drink and good company. However...

How a New Richmonder is Fostering Community Through Tiramisu

Editor’s note: Since this story was originally written, Alex Na hosted another free tiramisu drop over the weekend, continuing to build a following around his community dessert project. This feature was submitted by Jordan Smith, a journalism student at the Richard T....