The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Three Creeks Brewing Company (TCBC) claimed three awards at the 39th Great American Beer Festival (GABF). This is the country’s pre-eminent beer festival, and world’s largest professional beer competition. It included a two-day online experience this year, October 16-17, with 900 small and independent craft breweries from all 50 states participating.

Three Creeks Brewing Co. was awarded the following:

• Brewery Group and Brewery Group Brewer of the Year.

• Gold for Conelick’r Fresh Hop IPA (Fresh Hop Beer Category). Conelick’r is TCBC’s annual fresh hop IPA that features 15 pounds of fresh Centennial hops per barrel, from BC Farms in Woodburn.

• Silver for FivePine Chocolate Porter (Brown Porter Category). This robust porter features two pounds per barrel of the finest Belgian chocolate, creating a roasty pint with underlying chocolate sweetness.

“A gold and silver medal — and winning Brewery Group and Brewery Group Brewer of the Year — at this year’s Great American Beer Festival is amazing! These combined awards provide some incredible recognition for the hard work, commitment and passion that our TCBC crew puts in every day,” said Wade Underwood, general manager of TCBC “It’s extraordinary to be awarded for crafting some of the best beers in the country.”

“Of course, we couldn’t do this without our incredible brewing team,” said Jeff Cornett, head brewer at TCBC “This is a remarkable compliment to our whole team!”

Each year, GABF represents the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served, typically in a public tasting event plus a private competition. However, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 festival moved online. The Great American Beer Festival invites industry professionals from around the world to taste beers in each specified style category — without knowing the brand name. The ultimate goal of the GABF Judge Panel is to identify the three beers that best represent each beer-style category as described and adopted by the GABF.

The Professional Judge Panel awards gold, silver, or bronze medals that are recognized around the world as symbols of brewing excellence. The awards are among the most coveted in the industry. Judges are assigned beers to evaluate in their specific area of expertise, and never judge their own product, or any product in which they have concern.

For information visit www.threecreeksbrewing.com.