San Diego breweries won 12 medals at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, including five golds. There were also four silver and three bronze medal winners. This marks the second year in a row five different San Diego breweries won gold medals.
“American’s Finest City had yet another fine performance in the Rockies this year,” said San Diego Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler. “What I particularly love is how the five local Gold Medal winners from this year were all different than the five from 2023. The quality of craft beer is certainly spread throughout the County. As always, we hope San Diegans will go out and try these great beers, along with great food in many cases at these breweries and brewpubs.”
The local Gold Medal winners are San Marcos’ Craft Coast Beer & Tacos for its Chillzner in the “International-Style Pilsner” category, Solana Beach’s Culture Brewing Co for its 3 Citrus Gose in the “Contemporary Gose” category, Oceanside’s Green Cheek Beer Co for its Jeff’s Baltic Porter in the “Strong Porter” category, Imperial Beach’s Pizza Port for its Indie Roo in the “Imperial Stout” category, and Mission Valley’s Puesto Cerveceria for its Puesto Negra in the “International Dark Lager” category.
Gold Medals are awarded for a “world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance,” according to the GABF website.
Pizza Port and Athletic Brewing Co. (Miramar) are the only San Diego operations that won multiple medals. Pizza Port’s Ocean Beach brewery took home a Bronze Medal for its Guillaume in the “Session Beer or Belgian-Style Table” category. (Pizza Port’s San Clemente brewery also won a Gold for its Dusk Til Dawn in the “Coffee Stout or Porter” category.) Athletic Brewing Co. won a pair of Silver Medals.
The Great American Beer Festival, which is presented by the Brewers Association, included more than 9,000 entries within 102 different categories. An average of 85 beers were entered in each category, and the medals were awarded by 285 certified judges and experienced members of the brewing industry. For a complete list of winners, visit https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/2024-winners/.
The local silver and bronze winners are:
Silver (4):
Athletic Brewing Co. Free Wave Hazy IPA “Pale Non-Alcohol Beer” category
Athletic Brewing Co. Tropical Sour “Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer” category
Pure Project (Vista) Mount Eden “Specialty Saison” category
Rouleur Brewing Company (Carlsbad) Domestique Blonde Ale “Belgian- Style Ale or French Style Ale” category
Bronze (3):
Kilowatt Brewing (Clairemont Mesa) Peanut Butter & Jelly Tiempo “Dessert Stout or Pastry Stout” category
Pizza Port (Ocean Beach) Guillaume “Session Beer or Belgian-Style Table Beer” category
Stone Brewing (Liberty Station) Stone LifeBlurred “Other Strong Beer” category
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