3 Minnesota breweries win medals at Great American Beer Festival

By FOX 9 Staff
Published  October 14, 2024 9:56am CDT
FOX 9

A half-pint of beer. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Three Minnesota breweries — Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub, Arbeiter Brewing Co. and Ursa Minor Brewing— won medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
    • The Great American Beer Festival was held over the weekend in Denver. It's known as the nation's premier beer festival and competition.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Three Minnesota breweries won medals at the Great American Beer Festival. 

The winners

Northbound Smokehouse Brewpub and Arbeiter Brewing Co., both located in Minneapolis, took home gold medals this year, while Ursa Minor Brewing in Duluth won bronze. 

Winning beers:

  • Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub's "Eisbock" won gold in the German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock category.
  • Arbeiter Brewing Co.'s "HaHa Pils" won gold in the German-Style Pilsner category.
  • Ursa Minor Brewing's "Equanimity" won bronze in the Irish-tyle Red Ale category.

What is the Great American Beer Festival?

The Great American Beer Festival is the nation's premier beer festival and competition. It was held in Denver on Oct. 12. 

This year's festival featured 8,836 beers, with 326 awards being handed out. 

What they're saying 

"We have a lot to celebrate about the innovation, quality, and craftsmanship of our local craft beer. Year after year, Minnesota brewers from across the state bring home these prestigious awards," said Jess Talley, Executive Director of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. "Later this year on Nov. 1, we’ll be celebrating MN Beer Day, a state-wide celebration of the history and culture of MN beer. What better way to do so than to visit some of these award-winning craft breweries and brewpubs to try some of the best beer in the nation?"