Beer Distribution News
Goose Island Beer Co. Wins Great American Beer Festival® Medal for 10th Year in a Row
(Chicago) On September 30, Goose Island Beer Co.’s 312 Urban Wheat won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival – the largest beer competition in the United States. In a blind tasting by brewers and beer experts, 312 was judged to be the top beer in its category, English-style Summer Ales. The 2006 Great American Beer Festival Competition winners were selected from an impressive field of 2,443 entries from 450 breweries. Goose Island Beer Co. can now boast a solid decade of Great American Beer Festival awards.
“I think I speak for the entire team of Goose Island brewers,” says Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall, “when I say I couldn’t be happier that 312 has won our 11th Brewers Association gold medal and has joined the ranks of Honker’s
Ale, India Pale Ale, Nut Brown Ale, and Matilda.” The Brewers Association, which sponsors the Great American Beer Festival, also hosts the World Beer Cup® – a competition which includes breweries from around the world.
312, the newest addition to the Goose Island family of beers, is an unfiltered wheat ale with a crisp, fruity flavor and smooth, creamy body. Market response to 312 has been enthusiastic. With a 60 percent growth rate in Illinois this year, 312 has been Goose Island’s most successful launch to date.
Founded in 1988, Goose Island is committed to creating innovative, high-quality craft beers that both cater to and challenge the evolving tastes of its growing market. While all Goose Island beers are bottled and brewed in Chicago, more than half of the company’s sales come from outside Illinois. Goose Island beers are currently available in 13 states and the United Kingdom. The company bottles 14 different craft beers at present, eight of which are available year-round. As of 2006, Goose Island’s beers have earned 21 national and international awards. In addition to the company’s Fulton Street brewery, the Goose Island family includes two Chicago brewpubs – one in Lincoln Park and another in Wrigleyville. These brewpubs serve all of Goose Island’s bottled craft beers in addition to specialty “pub beers” brewed on premise.
Goose Island's Brewers Association Awards
312 URBAN WHEAT
• Gold Medal 2006 - Great American Beer Festival, English Summer Ale
HONKER'S ALE
• Gold Medal 1997 - Great American Beer Festival, English Style Bitter
• Bronze Medal 2006 - World Beer Cup, Classic English Style Pale Ale
INDIA PALE ALE
• Gold Medal 2000 - Great American Beer Festival, English Style India Pale Ale
• Silver Medal 2004 - Great American Beer Festival, English Style India Pale Ale
• Bronze Medal 2001 - Great American Beer Festival, English Style India Pale Ale
NUT BROWN ALE
• Gold Medal 2006 - World Beer Cup, American Brown Ale
SUMMERTIME KÖLSCH
• Gold Medal 2002 - Great American Beer Festival, Golden or Blonde Ale
MATILDA
• Gold Medal 2005 - Great American Beer Festival, Belgian and French-Style Ale
• Silver Medal 2006 - World Beer Cup, Belgian and French-Style Ale
BOURBON COUNTY STOUT
• Gold Medal 2006 - World Beer Cup, Wood and Barrel-aged Beer
OATMEAL STOUT
• Bronze Medal 1992 - Great American Beer Festival, Sweet Stout
PMD MILD ALE
• Gold Medal 1992 - Great American Beer Festival, English Brown Ale
NAUGHTY GOOSE
• Gold Medal 2003 - Great American Beer Festival, American-Style Brown Ale
PILS
• Gold Medal 2002 - Great American Beer Festival, German-Style Pilsner
BLONDE ALE
• Gold Medal 1999 - Great American Beer Festival, Golden/Canadian Style Ale
BADERBRAU PILSNER
• Gold Medal 1998 - Great American Beer Festival, Bohemian-Style Pilsner
CHICAGO VICE WEIZEN
• Silver Medal 1989 - Great American Beer Festival, Wheat Beer
SCHWARTZBIER
• Bronze Medal 2004 - Great American Beer Festival, German-Style Schwartzbier
