2019 Honey Beer Competition
2017 Awards
More than 100 entered, but only one came out on top. Gossamer Wings from The Tap Brewery in Bloomington, Indiana, took home Best of Show honors at the 2017 Honey Beer Competition, hosted by the National Honey Board. This year’s competition had 106 made with honey beer entries, which were submitted from craft breweries throughout North America.
The Honey Beer Competition was judged by 14 certified judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program, and featured nine beer style categories and a cider category. The submitted beers were judged on their aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and the role honey played in the beer.
“This is our third year in a row of doubling the previous year’s entries, which is a testament to the value of honey in brewing. It’s amazing to see how the competition has grown in the last three years, and amazing to see honey’s versatility in beer.” Catherine Barry, National Honey Board’s director of marketing, says. “We tasted beers where honey was used to round out the flavor of hop-forward beers, to add floral aromatics to a saison, and to provide a hint of sweetness to a blond ale.”
2017 Honey Beer Competition Winners
Best of Show: Gold
Gossamer Wings
The Tap Brewery
Bloomington, Indiana
Best of Show: Silver
Old Guard
Service Brewing Company
Savannah, Georgia
Best of Show: Bronze
Bragnarok
Against the Grain
Louisville, Kentucky
Best General Lager
Mexican Honey Imperial Lager
Indeed Brewing Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Silver
Robert Earl Keen Honey Pils
Pedernales Brewing Co.
Fredericksburg, Texas
Best General Ale
Gossamer Wings
The Tap Brewery
Bloomington, Indiana
Silver
Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale
Yards Brewing Company
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bronze
Brandy Barrel Honey Ale
Goodwood Brewing Co.
Louisville, Kentucky
Best Stout & Porter
Cherry Bomb Imperial Stout
New Bohemia Brewing Company
Santa Cruz, California
Silver
Cape May Honey Porter
Cape May Brewing Company
Cape May, New Jersey
Bronze
Buckwheat Honey Porter
Chicken Lips Farm,
dba Screech Owl Brewing
Mills, West Virginia
Best Belgian-Style Ale
Electric Stinger
The Tap Brewery
Bloomington, Indiana
Silver
Y3B (Year Three Beer) Belgian Tripel
Eagle Creek Brewing Company
Statesboro, Georgia
Bronze
Glitter & Gold
Perennial Artisan Ales
St. Louis, Missouri
Best IPA
Battlewagon
Service Brewing Company
Savannah, Georgia
Silver
Hop Bombinate
The Tap Brewery
Bloomington, Indiana
Bronze
Wilma’s Wandering EyePA
Double Barley Brewing
Smithfield, North Carolina
Best Wheat Beer
Beekeeper Honey Wheat
Gizmo Brewing Works
Raleigh, North Carolina
Silver
Honeysuckle Rose
The Front Brewing Co.
Great Falls, Montana
Bronze
Good Day Sunshine
Kalona Brewing Company
Kalona, Iowa
Best Fruit & Spiced Beer
Rosemary Honey Wheat
The Farm at Broad Run
Broad Run, Virginia
Silver
Lavender Sunflower Honey Dates Honey Ale
Indeed Brewing Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Bronze
Blueberry Honey Wheat
The Farm Brewery at Broad Run
Broad Run, Virginia
Best Braggot
Bragnarok
Against the Grain
Louisville, Kentucky
Silver
Marionberry Braggot
Rogue Ales
Newport, Oregon
Bronze
Peach Braggot
All or Nothing Brewhouse
Canton, Ohio
Best Cider
Green Mill
Vander Mill
Grand Haven, Michigan
Silver
Zombie Killer
B. Nektar
Ferndale, Michigan
Bronze
Besieged
Vander Mill
Grand Haven, Michigan
Best Honey – Other Category
Old Guard
Service Brewing Company
Savannah, Georgia
Silver
Bruery Terreux Hoarders Cuvée 2016
Bruery Terreux
Placentia, California
Bronze
Cabernet Barrel Aged Apis IV
Elevation Beer Company
Poncha Springs, Colorado