These local breweries won medals in national beer championship held in Butler County

Municipal Brew Works in Hamilton won a silver medal in the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship in the Honey Beer category for its Anniversary Double IPA (DIPA), an Imperial India Pale Ale with Honey. CONTRIBUTED

Municipal Brew Works in Hamilton won a silver medal in the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship in the Honey Beer category for its Anniversary Double IPA (DIPA), an Imperial India Pale Ale with Honey. CONTRIBUTED

Breweries from Hamilton to Hawaii sent in more than 7,000 beers representing more than 130 different styles for the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship, and four breweries in Butler and Warren counties were among the 15 southwest Ohio breweries that walked away with medals.

The final round of judging was held at Grandfather's Barn at 6901 Stillwell Beckett Road in Oxford.

Judging in the U.S. Open Beer Championship is blind; the judges know only the categories, but they do not know what beers they are tasting.

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The competition, which has been held since 2009, is the only one to include beers from professional breweries and award-winning home-brewers, with judges from England, Canada and the United States.

The U.S. Open Beer Championship judges more beer styles than any other competition in the world. This year, the new styles included a half dozen new barrel-aged beers.

Sun King Brewing from Indianapolis, Indiana was named Grand National Champion after winning three gold medals and three silver medals. Twenty Ohio breweries took home medals with 16 of those in Southwest Ohio — 13 in the Cincinnati area and 3 in the Dayton area.

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In Butler and Warren counties, medal winners by catergory included:

• Honey Beer, Silver: Anniversary DIPA – Municipal Brew Works (Hamilton)

• English Brown Ale, Bronze: We Been Dancin' – Swine City Brewing (Fairfield);

• Belgian Witbier; Gold: Blanc – Sonder Brewing (Deerfield Twp.)

• Coffee Flavored Beer, Bronze: Lulu Bean – 16 Lots Brewing Company (Mason).

The championship also “awarded” YMCA Camp Campbell Gard in Hamilton a donation of hundreds of ice packs used to pack and deliver U.S. Open Beer entries. YMCA Camp Campbell Gard near Cincinnati has one of the best summer camps in the country for special needs children.

Winners from the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas included:

American Amber Lager

Silver: White Legs – Brink Brewing

American Brown Ale

Silver: Mother Fuggle – Eudora Brewing Company – Ohio

American Style Fruit Beer

Bronze: Tangerine Vibes – Taft’s Brewing

Barrel Aged Pale Beer

Silver: Chamomile Joon – MadTree Brewing

Barrel-Aged Strong Stout/Porter Specialty

Bronze: Broken Empire – The Dayton Beer Co.

Barrel-Aged Fruited Sour Beer

Bronze: Levanto Oscuro – Madtree Brewing

Barrel-Aged Barley Wine

Bronze: Kelly’s Candy – Brink Brewing

Brut IPA

Gold: Soundcheck – Fretboard Brewing

Belgian Pale Ale

Gold: Crazy Train – Fretboard Brewing

Bronze: Doom Pedal – Fifty West Brewing

Belgian Witbier

Bronze: Doom Pedal – Fifty West Brewing – Ohio

Brandy Barrel Aged Beer

Gold: Peach Brandy BA Imperial Chickow! – Listermann Brewing

Barrel-Aged German Lager

Bronze: Beast of Tadmor – The Dayton Beer Company

Coconut Beer

Gold: Coconut Porter – Narrow Path Brewing

English Mild Ale

Gold: Uncle – Rhinegeist Brewery

Silver: Hold The Reins – Brink Brewing

Extra Special Bitter

Gold: Balloon Factory ESB 1 – Heavier Than Air Brewing

Fruit Gose

Gold: Sobbing Mathematically – Streetside Brewery

Specialty Beer/Anything Goes

Silver: Guava Tangent – Rhinegeist Brewery

Bronze: Perceptual Passion – Rhinegeist Brewery

Nut

Silver: Chickow! Listermann Brewing

Tequila Barrel Aged Beer

Silver: Tequila Mockingbird – Streetside Brewery

For a complete list of winners, click here.

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