This year has been a doozy. The COVID-19 pandemic has totally rocked the food and drink industry, but against all odds, a local, newish brewery has news worth celebrating.
With only a year on the scene under its belt, and after jumping into its first competition, 5 Branches Brewing in Tarpon Springs won a silver medal during the 34th annual Great American Beer Festival for its “Doggin Wrench” stout in the Imperial Stout Category.
The brewery also took home awards for “Very Small Brewing Company of the Year” and the “Very Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year.”
To qualify for the Very Small Brewing Company of the Year category, a brewery must produce less than 1,000 barrels in 2019. To give you an idea, the Small Brewing Company of the year produced anywhere from 1,000-14,999 barrels and the Mid-Size cranks out 15,000–6,000,000 barrels.
That is something to raise a glass to in these weird times.
“This has arguably been one of the most challenging years breweries have ever faced, so we hope these awards serve as a symbol not only of brewing excellence but also the resiliency of the craft brewing community as a whole,” Chris Swersey, competition manager for Great American Beer Festival, wrote in a release.
Socially distanced judging took place in 35 sessions over 18 days with strict safety measures in place. The festival featured beers 1,720 breweries from around the nation in 91 categories covering 170 different beer styles.
If you want a taste of what 5 Branches has brewing, swing by for the Halloween celebration Flight of the Living Dead Night on Oct. 31, beer flights will be 20% off. There will also be a costume contest with a $50 gift card for first place, and a stein hoist competition. The event kicks off at 6 p.m., the brewery is located at 531 Athens St. in Tarpon Springs.
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