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| Photo courtesy of Brewers Association. |
A long time ago, in a galaxy seemingly far, far away...you would have counted yourself lucky to get a taste of certain beers at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Lines would form at breweries like 3 Floyds, Russian River and Lawson's Finest Liquids for a precious ounce or two of Dark Lord, Pliny the Elder or Sips of Sunshine.
These days, though, beers patrons once chased tend to linger throughout the session (at least on a Thursday night). Even the Holy Grail for some, Samuel Adams Utopias, was still pouring after the usual mass of humanity gathered, got their prize and moved on from the Boston beer-maker's booth.
But then, it's just an example of how the industry and event have evolved in general. With beer, a renewed lean towards lagers is afoot, and there's also the fact that beer no longer holds court as the exclusive attraction at GABF (or your local brewery). Trends in consumption have led to the addition of other beverage options like ciders, seltzers, kombucha, hard sodas and teas, canned cocktails, and now this year...straight-up hard liquor (albeit in quarter-ounce shot samples).
Even so, we'll stick to talking about beer.
So, what beers caused a stir this time around? One popular destination was Weldwerks Brewing Co. of Colorado, for the hazies of course, but also for a beer brewed with one of the more recent viral sensations in foodstuffs, the brewery's Single Barrel Dubai Chocolate Bar Medianoche Imperial Stout.
Crowds also formed, as they always do, at the landing spot of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Delaware while reps were running 120 Minute IPA through a Randall filled with fresh hops.
Then, there was the steady stream of curious quaffers who stopped by the Bero booth, where a familiar face in brewmaster Grant Wood (formerly of Revolver Brewing in Granbury) was pouring samples and talking up the non-alcoholic (NA) beer venture co-founded by actor Tom Holland. Up to now, I've yet to find a NA beer I would drink on regular basis, but that may change after sips of Bero's Noon Wheat and Double Tasty West Coast IPA.
As for style availability on the festival floor, single IPAs and lagers (American-style, hoppy, light, pilsners, Vienna and more) were again predominant, and there was a plethora of seasonal Oktoberfest beers. Conversely, there weren't many sour beers (only three Berliners), dessert/pastry stouts, or even double/imperial IPAs. Those absences more surprising than the lack of Belgian beers and German specialty offerings that has come to be the norm.
Me? I stuck to what I could find in barleywines, stouts, Scottish ales and smoke beers. And for whatever reason, gravitated towards coffee infusions. Favorites among those were:
- Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout Rye Vietnamese Coffee Edition from AleSmith Brewing Co. of California.
- Kill or be Kilt from Quarter Celtic Brewpub of New Mexico.
- Neighbors with Attitude Barrel-Aged Black Barleywine from Boneyard Beer of Oregon.
- Single Origin Coffee Stout from Pizza Port Brewing Co. of California.
- Smoked Cherry Bourbon Porter from Tapped 33 Craft Brewhouse of Georgia.
- Vietnamese Coffee Stout from Dzo Brewing Co. of California.
On the topic of local representation, the recently-opened Glen Rose Brewing Co. poured at GABF for the first time, joining a roster of returnees consisting of 903 Brewers of Sherman, Bankhead Brewing Co. of Rowlett, False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills, Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth, Odd Muse Brewing Co. of Farmers Branch and Peticolas Brewing Co. of Dallas.
Drawing from visits to those above, the best story from this year's GABF comes from a conversation I had with one of the owners. His is a spot that's gotten various types of recognition in the past, especially in relation to its barrel program (one of the area's best), but he made the comment "we haven't really won anything yet," referring to getting a win at one of the two big competitions - GABF or the World Beer Cup.
Well, two days later, False Idol was the first North Texas name called, and the brewery got on the board with not one, but two medals. Plus, neither was for a barrel-aged beer.
Congrats to them and all North Texas winners. The competition summary follows, along with my usual roundup of taproom visits outside the festival.
Cheers!
Competition results
It was a banner year for local brewers at this year's competition, as a new record was set for GABF medals won in a single year by North Texas breweries. The nine medals won in 2025 tops the previous best of six medals, a mark achieved in 2014, 2015 and 2022.
Competition Statistics:
- 8,315 beers judged based on entries sent in from 1,555 breweries and cideries residing in all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington D.C.
- 347 total medals awarded across 116 style categories covering craft beer and cider.
- Most-entered categories in ranked order: Juicy or Hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest, German-Style Pilsener, Hoppy Lager.
- Union Bear Brewing Co. of Denton: Mexican Lager - International Light Lager.
- 903 Brewers of Sherman: Kilt Switch - Scotch Ale.
- Bankhead Brewing Co. of Rowlett: Awesome But Verify - Old/Strong Ale or Barleywine.
- False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills: Fluff Said - Dessert or Pastry Stout.
- Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth: British Bulldog - English-Style Brown Ale.
- Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth: Romanov's Revenge - Imperial Stout.
- False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills: Groovy - Field Beer.
- Flix Brewhouse of Mansfield: The Last Bockbuster - Bock.
- Peticolas Brewing Co. of Dallas: Room for More - Belgian Dubbel.
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| False Idol Brewing, Union Bear Brewing Co., Flix Brewhouse - Mansfield, Peticolas Brewing Co., 903 Brewers, Bankhead Brewing Co. (Photos © Brewers Association). |
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| Source: Individual research. |
- In this edition of taproom trips, the focus is on spots outside of the immediate Denver area, since I've visited most Denver-based breweries in years past.
- Poncha Springs/Salida: Located about three hours southwest of Denver, the adjacent towns of Poncha Springs and Salida are home to five breweries. Of those, Elevation Beer Co. in Poncha Springs once distributed to North Texas. Then in Salida, there's Soulcraft Brewing, on the outskirts of town, with Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub, Tres Litros Beer Co. and Salida Brewing Co. all within a six-block stretch downtown.
As for a recommendation, the mountain views at Elevation can't be beat, but if you prefer proximity to water, Salida Brewing (which I didn't have time to visit) is right on the Arkansas River.
- Estes Park: The gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park now has four breweries within its borders. Estes Park Brewery is the oldest, having been around since 1993. New ownership and a recent renovation have transformed the brewpub's upstairs space into The Hive, which now has a more upscale restaurant vibe. A tasting room/retail area is on the lower level.
Other breweries include Rock Cut Brewing Co., just across the street from Estes Park Brewery, Avante Garde Aleworks, and Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co. (two locations). I opted to hit up Rock Cut after checking in at Estes Park Brewery, the main attraction being their range of barrel-aged beers under the Wooden Mayhem moniker. - Fort Collins: Most recognize Fort Collins as the home of New Belgium Brewing Co., Odell Brewing Co. and Funkwerks, but there are another 20 or so breweries doing business there. Four are steps away from each other in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins, one of the more vibrant downtown districts you'll find. Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing has been around since 1989 and is the elder statesman. It now shares downtown with Equinox Brewing, Gilded Goat Brewing Co. and Salt Road Brewing.
My advice? Start a brewery crawl with dinner and a pint of cask-conditioned ale at Coop's, then make your way around the neighborhood.
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| Images from Salt Road Brewing, Rock Cut Brewing Co, Tres Litros Brewing Co., Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing, Elevation Beer Co., and Gilded Goat Brewing Co. (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D). |
For more on the 2025 GABF and the historical performance of breweries from North Texas, click the links below:
- Official press release from the Brewers Association, with a summary of 2025 festival statistics.
- Download a complete list of 2025 winners in PDF format.
- View a historical chronicle of awards won by North Texas breweries at GABF and the World Beer Cup.
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