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Washington state breweries cleaned up at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Eighteen breweries that call the Evergreen State home took home 22 medals after the festival wrapped up last week, and one of them scored this year's "Brewery and Brewer of the Year."
That honor went to Seattle's Cloudburst Brewing!
"Since Cloudburst arrived on Western Avenue in 2016, [Steve] Luke and his team have clocked a dizzying lineup of IPAs, but also a host of other styles that balance technical proficiency and creative verve. Their beer names alone probably deserve a medal," Seattle Met wrote.
The Ballard brewery also scored a gold medal for their Entschuldigung! and a silver medal for Happy Little Clouds!
"It’s been one helluva grind this year for our little brewery, and we couldn’t be prouder of our entire team. We’d be nowhere without them - and we’d be nowhere without the continued support of YOU (YES, YOU!), our Seattle beer community," the brewery wrote on Instagram.
The Brewers Association puts on the huge festival every year, which is the country's largest beer competition. Judges handed out 290 medals to 265 breweries this year, and writers say Washington nabbed over 7% of the honors.
Here's the breakdown of medals: seven golds, nine silvers, and six bronzes.
Click here to check out all the Washington winners. To see the full list of winners, click here.