Stratford Brewery Medals At Great American Beer Festival

STRATFORD, CT — A Stratford brewery won a medal this past weekend at the Great American Beer Festival that wrapped up Saturday in Denver.

Stratford’s Two Roads Brewing Company won a silver medal for its Juicy NA IPA in the category of "Non-Alcohol Beer." The brewery touts the beer's "big tropical and citrusy hop aroma typical of a classic juicy IPA with a touch of bitterness," despite containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume.

The festival is the nation’s largest for professional brewers and hands out some of the industry’s most sought-after accolades. The festival ran over nine days, with 250 beer experts from 10 countries serving as judges.

Judges evaluated nearly 9,445 entries from 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, including collaborations between professional breweries and pro-am collaborations from professionals and amateurs. Among those, 303 medals were awarded to 263 breweries across 99 categories and 175 beer styles. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded.

Counter Weight Brewing Company's Ein Helles beer won a bronze medal in the category of "Munich-style helles," a traditional German pale lager produced primarily in Southern Germany. According to the Cheshire-based brewer's website, the beer was crafted to celebrate the taproom's one-year anniversary.

Also hauling home a bronze medal was Newtown's NewSylum Brewing Company's Schmoke 'Em Up. The beer won in the category of "smoke beer," which derives its distinct character from using malted barley dried over an open flame in its brewing.