By Jeff Maisey
Veer Magazine’s annual Golden Tap Awards ceremony was held December 3 at Big Ugly Brewing in Chesapeake, and the host brewery claimed the overall Golden Tap Award.
City of Chesapeake Mayor Rick West was on-hand to welcome brewers from across the Hampton Roads region. He acknowledged the many city officials in attendance including Economic Development Director Steven Wright, Sheriff Dave Rosado, and state representatives.
Mayor West also touted the recently launched Chesapeake Ale Trail featuring The Garage Brewery, Wasserhund Brewing, Studly Brewing Co., and Big Ugly Brewing.
For over a decade, Veer Magazine has organized the Golden Tap Awards as a promotional event to showcase the 757 region’s quality craft brewers and the vast array of beers they produce. The event also serves as an opportunity for the entire brewery community and its supporters to gather before the holidays.
For the competition, breweries self-nominated 10 entries in specific beer style categories. These are the same categories used by the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild.
Readers and brewery fans voted in an online poll for their favorite in each category. The “popular” vote was balanced with input provided by our panel that included former National Beer Drinker of the Year Diane Catanzaro, home-brewer Chris Jones, beer ambassador Brian Koski, Jennifer McDonald, yours truly, and three anonymous but highly opinionated beer geeks.
Additionally, the brewers of the Coastal Virginia region recognized COVA Brewing Company’s Matt Topping as their “Coolest Brewer of the Year.”
Following are the complete results:
ALTERNATIVE GRAINS or SUGARS
GOLD: 1700 Brewing, Zero Puckers Hard Lemonade
SILVER: Reaver Beach Brewing, Camp Zama Rice Lager
BRONZE: St George Brewing Co, Honey Lager
AMBER ALES
GOLD: Young Veterans, Rico’s Red
SILVER: Nansemond Brewing Station, Mystic Maiden Scottish Heather Ale
BRONZE: Armed Forces Brewing Co, RED
AMBER LAGERS
GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, Pallet Cleanser Amber Lager
SILVER: The Garage Brewery, Attack of the Märzens
BRONZE: New Realm Brewing Co, Bavarian Prince Maerzen Oktoberfest
AMERICAN LAGERS
GOLD: New Realm Brewing Co, Blackberry Smoke American Lager
SILVER: Reaver Beach Brewing, House Lager
BRONZE: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co, Clydesdale Light Lager
BELGIAN ALES
GOLD: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co, Namur the Merrier Belgian-style Quad
SILVER: Elation Brewing, Jasmine Saison
BRONZE: Tradition Brewing Company, De La Ferme Saison
BRITISH BITTERS
GOLD: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co, Red Ale
SILVER: COVA Brewing Company, Crown & Anchor
BRONZE: Rip Rap Brewing, Dark and Mild English Mild
BROWN ALE
GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Tavern Brown Ale
SILVER: St George Brewing Co, Brown Ale
BRONZE: Tradition Brewing Company, Honey Brown Ale
CREAMS & BLONDES
GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, Sunbeam Blonde
SILVER: COVA Brewing Company, East Beach Blonde
BRONZE: Rip Rap Brewing, Breakwater Cream Ale
DARK EUROPEAN LAGERS
GOLD: Elation Brewing, Schwaz
SILVER: Young Veterans, Death By Powerpoint
BRONZE: MoMac Brewing Company, Giestboot Schwarzbier Black Lager
DOUBLE IPA
GOLD: Bold Mariner Brewing, Liberty Risk
SILVER: Big Ugly Brewing, Maybe Today, Satan Hazy DIPA
BRONZE: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co, Treat Me Wrong IIPA
EUROPEAN SOUR
GOLD: The Garage Brewery, Boss Lady Vol. 2
SILVER: Coastal Fermentory, Semper Fermentis
BRONZE: COVA Brewing Company, Aloha State of Mind
FRUIT
GOLD: Makers Craft Brewery, Raspberry Wheat
SILVER: Benchtop Brewing, Jam Pact
BRONZE: Billsburg Brewery, Radler
GERMAN & AMERICAN WHEAT
GOLD: Vibrant Shore, Doppel Harvest Doppelweizen
SILVER: Makers Craft Brewery, Stairway to Heffen
BRONZE: Wasserhund Brewing, German Shepheweizen Hefeweizen
HAZY IPA
GOLD: Studly Brewing Co, In The Hole Hazy IPA
SILVER: Bold Mariner Brewing, CPO
BRONZE: The Virginia Beer Company, Gorgeous Citra IPA
INTERNATIONAL LAGER
GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, Peake Lager
SILVER: Elation Brewing, That’s Amore
BRONZE: Billsburg Brewery, Classic Lager
IPA
GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, Rockers IPA
SILVER: Coastal Fermentory, Intergalactic Secrets
BRONZE: Benchtop Brewing, Proven Theory
IRISH & SCOTTISH ALES
GOLD: Tradition Brewing Company, Red Willie
SILVER: Nansemond Brewing Station, Myrtle’s Diary Irish Red Ale
BRONZE: Oozlefinch Beers & Blending, Feast of Goibniu
KÖLSCH/LEICHTBIER
GOLD: St George Brewing Co, Morning Dew
SILVER: Thin Brew Line, Kolsch-9
BRONZE: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co, House Beer
MIXED FERMENTATION
GOLD: Coastal Fermentory, Put it in my Foeder
SILVER: Reaver Beach Brewing, Reaver’s Prayer (Wild w/Apricots)
BRONZE: Benchtop Brewing, Brown Bear Honey Pot B5
MONASTIC ALE
GOLD: MoMac Brewing Company, Barrel Point Belgian Dubbel
SILVER: Alewerks Brewing Company, Jubilee XVIII
BRONZE: No medalist
PALE ALES
GOLD: Reaver Beach Brewing, Ghost Ship Pale Ale
SILVER: Alewerks Brewing Company, Chesapeake Pale Ale
BRONZE: Makers Craft Brewery, English Pub Ale
PALE EUROPEAN BITTER/PILSNER
GOLD: Benchtop Brewing, Pilsners Are Lagers
SILVER: The Garage Brewery, Bawnjorno Italian Pilsner
BRONZE: Smartmouth Brewing, Safety Dance
PALE EUROPEAN LAGERS
GOLD: Benchtop Brewing, Crispy Whip
SILVER: Alewerks Brewing Company, Weekend Lager
BRONZE: The Virginia Beer Company, Bellissimo Italian-Style Pilsner
PORTERS
GOLD: Big Ugly Brewing, 22 Porter
SILVER: Studly Brewing Co, The Great Vanilla Bean-O Vanilla Porter
BRONZE: Benchtop Brewing, Walter’s Brunch
SMOKE
GOLD: COVA Brewing Company, Just Right
SILVER: St George Brewing Co, Slumbering Dragon
BRONZE: Post Secondary Brewing, TT-BockBock Doppelbock flavored with Smoked Tea and Honey
SPECIALTY IPA
GOLD: Rip Rap Brewing, Teak Beach Tropical IPA
SILVER: New Realm Brewing Co, Psychedelic Rabbit IPA
BRONZE: Afterglow Brewing, All Rye, All Rye, All Rye
STOUTS
GOLD: Benchtop Brewing, Wicked Walter
SILVER: Coastal Fermentory, Decadence
BRONZE: Tradition Brewing Company, Barrelman’s Breakfast
STRONG ALE
GOLD: New Ream Brewing Co, Oaxaca Choca Mexican Chocolate Imperial Stout
SILVER: Benchtop Brewing, Old Wooden Ship
BRONZE: COVA Brewing Company, Winter Warmer
STRONG EUROPEAN LAGERS
GOLD: MoMac Brewing Company, High Water Helles Bock
SILVER: COVA Brewing Company, Febtoberfest
BRONZE: Wasserhund Brewing, Zero Tolerance Eisbock
VEGETABLE/SPICE
GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Pumpkin Ale
SILVER: The Garage Brewery, No Carrot All
BRONZE: Afterglow Brewing, Cone-fection Waffle Cone Cream Ale
WOOD
GOLD: Alewerks Brewing Company, Cafe Royale
SILVER: Bold Mariner Brewing, Voodoo Style
BRONZE: Coastal Fermentory, Sic Semper Tyrannis
EXPERIMENTAL BEERS
GOLD: Bold Mariner Brewing, Coffee Cake Blonde
SILVER: COVA Brewing Company, Lavender Lemonade
BRONZE: 1700 Brewing, Contact Right
NOTE: The following categories did NOT factor into the overall Golden Tap Award calculation:
BEST BEER NAME
GOLD: Hops-N-Robbers, Thin Brew Line Brewing Co
SILVER: Beaglejuice, Wasserhund Brewing Co
BRONZE: Hazy Like a Fox, New Realm Brewing Co
CAN ART DESIGN
GOLD: How You Doin’ Hazy IPA (Friends 30th Anniversary), Smartmouth
SILVER: Pilsners Are Lagers, Benchtop
BRONZE: Skategoat, New Realm
BREWERY EVENT
GOLD: Pilsner Invitational @ Billsburg
SILVER: Oktoberfest @ Elation Brewing
BRONZE: Missing Digit Fest @ Smartmouth
TASTING ROOM (Indoors only)
GOLD: Elation Brewing
SILVER: Big Ugly Brewing
BRONZE: Back Bay’s Farmhouse Brewery
RESTAURANT BEER SELECTION (quality/uniqueness)
GOLD: The Bier Garden
SILVER: Birch Bar
BRONZE: 1608 Crafthouse
BEER FESTIVAL (Not held at a brewery)
GOLD: 757 Battle of the Beers
SILVER: Liquid Art Beer Fest @ Boardwalk Art Show
BRONZE: Neptune Festival Coastal Craft Beer Festival
GOLDEN TAP AWARD — TOP 5
5th Place (tie): Coastal Fermentory & The Bold Mariner Brewing Co (10 Points)
4th Place: COVA Brewing Co (13 Points)
3rd Place: Alewerks Brewing Co (15 Points)
2nd Place: Benchtop Brewing Co (16 Points)
1st Place: Big Ugly Brewing (17 Points)
