Hickory - A perfect weekend for Hickory Hops, one of the South’s most popular beer festivals, culminated for some with the announcement of the big winners in the Carolinas Championship of Beers (CCB) competition.  Over 2000 festivarians were on hand in downtown Hickory, NC on Saturday to enjoy beer from 44 breweries and to applaud the three Best of Show winners.

Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery owner/brewer Paul Philippon was on hand to receive the First Place plaque for his dark and delicious Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout. Coincidentally, that same beer took the gold medal in its class at the World Beer Cup, an international competition, held just two weeks earlier.  Philippon also took three other awards back to his Farmville, NC brewery: gold for Baltic Porter and two silvers for Brown Porter and American Brown Ale.

Nearly 300 beers were submitted for judging in this year’s CCB.  Two weeks prior to the April 17 festival, over 50 people convened to blind-judge the beers, entered in 75 categories, based on very precise guidelines.  Of the lot, the gold medal winners, all 29 of them, were judged in the second-round Best of Show by a group of experts certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program, a national program headquartered in Boulder, Colo. Narrowed down to three that best epitomized established specifications, Second Place Best of Show was awarded to Atlanta brewer Dave McClure for his Red Brick Oatmeal Porter, entered in the Robust Porter category.  Last year, Red Brick Brewing’s Bogart Ale took First Place Best of Show in the Best Bitter style.  Along with the gold, Red Brick scored three bronze medals for Blonde, Pale and 15th Anniversary Ales.

Making a repeat appearance in Third Place was High Point, NC brewpub Liberty Steakhouse.  The engraved plaque for brewer Todd Isbell’s Deep River Wheat will be proudly displayed on the wall near his brew house, next to a similar trophy for last year’s Dry-Hopped Kellerbier, an unfiltered German-style lager.  For the second year running, Isbell also entered the most beers for CCB judging.  His English Brown and Imperial Red Ales also scored gold and were joined by four silver and six bronze medals, claiming the unofficial title of most awarded CCB contestant.

Proceeds from this years CCB, totaling over $1400, were donated to the North Carolina Brewers Guild for use promoting the State’s 40+ breweries.

All festival breweries were eligible to enter the CCB competition.  North Carolina was best represented with 31 breweries.  Georgia sent four and SC had three delegates.  Two local distributors – United Beverage and sponsor Best of Beers - entered craft beer from their portfolio.  Along with the 29 gold medals, 62 silvers and 73 bronze medals awarded.  From a high of 16 entries to a low of only one, 40 breweries contested for honors.  The complete list of medal winners follows, gold (g), silver (s), bronze (b):

Asheville Brewing- Scout Stout (s), Ninja Porter (b).  Best of Beers (distributor)- Redhook Barleywine (g), Redhook ESB (b), Widmer Hefeweizen (b), Blue Point IPA (b), Redhook Long Hammer IPA (b) Starr HillDark Starr Stout (b).  Boone Brewing- Blowing rock Oktoberfest (b), Blowing Rock Bock (b), High Country Ale (b).  Boylan Bridge Brewing- Endless Summer (s), South Bound Stout (s), Polar Bear Winter Beer (b).Carolina Beer & Beverage- Strawberry Ale (b), Cottonwood American Wheat (b), Cottonwood Irish Style Red (b).  Carolina Brewery- Imperial Stout (b), Oatmeal Porter (b). Catawba Valley Brewing- Farmer Ted’s Cream Ale (b).  Craggie Brewing- Swannanoa Sunset (g), Battery Hill (b).  Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery- Milk Stout (g), Baltic Porter (g), Brown Ale (s), Brown Porter (s).  Foothills Brewing- Torch Pilsner (g), Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout (s), Bourbon Barrel Total Eclipse Stout (s), India Style Brown Ale (s), Hoppyum IPA (s), Total Eclipse Stout (b).  Front Street- Hellmutt (b), Organic Keller Pilsner (b), Dram Tree Scottish Ale (b). Gordon Biersch- Dampf Bier (g), Golden Export (s), Hefeweizen (s), Marzen (s), Schwarzbier (b), Czech Pilsner (b).

Green Man- Red Star (s), ESB (b), The Truth (b), Porter (b), Stout (b).  Ham’s- Blasphemy (g), Charlie’s India Brown Ale (b), Peg Leg Pale Ale (b).  Heinzelmännchen- Chocolate Covered Gnome (s).  Highland- Black Mocha Stout (g), Kashmir IPA (s), Gaelic Ale (s), Oatmeal Porter (s).  Hops- Pale Ale (s), Flying Squirrel Nut Brown (s).  Huske Hardware House- Filthy Kilt Wee Heavy (s), Sledgehammer Stout (s), Farmhouse Ale (b), Level Headed Blonde (b).  Lexington Avenue Brewery- Whitey (g), Goldie (s).  Liberty Steakhouse- Deep River Wheat (g), Nut Brown Ale (g), Decade (g), Saison de Wall (s), India Pale Ale (s), Drye Hopped Rye (s), Smoked n’ Oaked Robust Porter (s), Blackberry Wheat (b), Miss Liberty Lager (b), Dry Hopped Kellerbier (b), Oaked Decade (b), DeBeen Espresso Stout (b), Oatmeal Stout (b).  LoneRider- Sweet Josie (g), Dead Eye Jack Porter (g), Peacemaker (b).  Mash House- Kristal (g), Red Ale (s), Peach Hefeweizen (b), Raspberry Porter (b), Stout (b).  Moon River- Rosemary Swamp Fox IPA (s), The Captain’s Porter (s).  Mother Earth- Dark CloudMunich Dunkel (g), Endless Summer Kolsch (s).  Natty Greene’s- Cannonball Double IPA (g), Old Town Brown (g), Farmhouse Ale (s), Black Powder Imperial Stout (s), Buckshot Amber (b), Wildflower Wit Bier (b), Guilford Golden Ale (b).

Olde Hickory Brewery- Dopplebock (s), ESB (s), Bardstown Brand (s), Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (s), Piedmont Pilsner (s), Imperial Stout (b), Irish Walker (b), Table Rock Pale Ale (b).  Olde Mecklenburg- Copper (g).  Oyster House- Moonstone Oyster Stout (g).  Pisgah Brewing- Porter (g), German Pilsner (g), Cosmos (s), Hellbender (s), Valdez (s), Solstice (b), Dopplebock (b), IPA (b).  Red Brick- Oatmeal Porter (g), 15 Anniversary (b), Blonde (b), Pale Ale (b).  RJ Rockers- Buckwheat Ale (g), Buckwheat After Dark (s), Light Rock Ale (s), Rockhopper IPA (s), Bald Eagle Brown Ale (s), Black Perle (b), Bell Ringer (b), Patriot Pale Ale (b).  Rock Bottom- Randolph’s Ride Red Ale (g), Irish Red Ale (s), Prospector’s Pilsner (s), Brewer’s Select ESB (b), Winter’s Nip Bock (b), Southern Flyer Light Lager (b), Iron Horse Stout (b), Stingin’ Brits IPA (b).  SweetWater Brewing- 420 (g), Sch’Wheat (s), Black Berry Creeper (s), Happy Ending (s), IPA (b), BSP (b).

Terrapin Beer- Big Hoppy Monster (g), Pumpkin Fest (s), Hopsecutioner IPA (s), The Dark Side (b), Golden Ale (b), Rye Pale Ale (b).  Thomas Creek Brewing- Pump House Porter (s), Appalachian Amber Ale (s), Class Five IPA (s), Dockside Pilsner (b), Deep Water Dopplebock (b).  Top of the Hill- Kenan Summer Lager (g), Iron Mine Pale Ale (s), Ellie’s ESB (b).  Triangle Brewing- White Ale (s), Double Red (s), Habanera (b), Winter Stout (b).  United Beverage (distributor) - Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils (s), Oskar Blues Old Chub (s), Yuengling Bock Beer (b).  Wedge Brewing- 3rd Rail (g), Golem (b), Iron Rail (b).