From gold medal to glass; how competition makes for better beer.
For both professional and amateur brewers, there’s nothing like the buzz of beer competitions. Winners earn validation, along with the potential for more sales. Competitors receive feedback and industry insights, while consumers get better and more interesting beer — there really are no losers. In Sacramento, host of two major brewing contests, more than 50 breweries add to the state’s whopping 931 craft breweries. Gold medals and blue ribbons signify quality, and that can help sort out the crowd of options.
At the 2023 Brewers Cup of California, which was hosted in March, Sacramento’s Alaro Craft Brewery won six medals, including gold for Goons & Glory blonde ale. “It’s so cool to be recognized by your peers,” says owner Ray Ballestero. In just five years since winning a 2018 gold at Denver’s Great American Beer Festival one week after opening in Midtown, Alaro has won 64 medals.
