Cheers to Beer

Though the world’s largest commercial beer competition in the world is now in its 39th year, the Great American Beer Festival went virtual for the first time this month. In the Gluten-Free Beer category, the judges awarded Gold and Silver medals, with the top prize going to western Pennsylvania's Auroch Brewing Co. 

Auroch's Hazy IPA (6.7% ABV) is described by the brewers as "dynamic tropical fruit flavor and aroma.  The hops pack a punch to the nose with notes of papaya, mango, peach, and orange. A soft, pillowy mouthfeel that rests on your tongue. Extra quinoa for turbidity. Hazy and juicy. Brewed with millet, quinoa, buckwheat, hops, and yeast." 

Hazy IPA is one of Auroch's styles that is available for shipping to residents of Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Auroch's beers are also sold at retailers throughout Pennsylvania.

In second place was 1808 (5.6% ABV), from Madison, Wisconsin's ALT Brew. According to the brewers, this porter is a "malty dark ale with complex roasty characteristics and a balanced bitterness."

The Festival’s Gluten-Free Beer category includes only beers made from fermentable sugars, grains and converted carbohydrates. Gluten-reduced beers are not considered part of this grouping because their gluten levels – derived from malted barley – have been reduced by enzymes or other processes.