Firestone Walker Brewery takes away 3 gold medals

—Firestone Walker Brewing Company scored three gold medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup, a prestigious biennial global competition that this year included 2,515 breweries from 66 countries.

A total of 8,234 beers were entered in 101 different categories, and only one gold medal was awarded per category.

Firestone Walker’s C-Hops pale ale earned the lone gold medal in the crowded “American-Style Pale Ale” category. This marks the fifth time since 2004 that Firestone Walker has taken the gold in that category.

The brewery’s flagship DBA won the gold medal in the “Ordinary or Special Bitter” category, while STiVO (made in collaboration with Russian River Brewing Company) won the gold medal in the “Kellerbier or Zwickelbier” category. Krieky Bones from Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks also earned a silver medal in the “American-Style Sour Ale” category.

The 2018 World Beer Cup took place in Nashville and the awards were announced on the evening of May 3. The 2018 judging panel included 295 brewers and beer experts from 33 countries, with 72 percent of the judges coming from outside the United States. Judging is done “blind” so that judges do not know the identity of the beers or what breweries are entered into the competition.

C-Hops is a new release that is available exclusively in the Firestone Walker’s Lion’s Share mixed 12-packs. It is a new-age pale ale brewed with old-school American hops, including Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, CTZ, and Cashmere. The result is a modern throwback, balancing assertive hoppiness with a full malt middle.

“I am excited for our brewing team, because we put a lot into perfecting this pale ale,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “I’m also excited for the craft beer industry—the quality of the beers at this event was nothing short of remarkable, and it’s clear that the craft beer revolution has never been stronger.”

Added David Walker, “California Central Coast brewers showed well, making us proud of the 805.”