23rd Street, Free State beers receive medals

Crimson Phog and Big Sea ESB among top brews at Great American Beer Festival

Beer festival

Follow this link, available at www.GreatAmerican BeerFestival.com, to find a database of winners, searchable by brewery and beer style. The link is www.beertown.org/events/ gabf/medals/medalists.aspx.

Two Lawrence breweries came up winners by putting their brews up against some of the best beers in the country.

The breweries – 23rd Street Brewery and Free State Brewing Co. – received medals during the Great American Beer Festival, conducted last weekend in Denver.

Winning a silver medal in the Irish Red Ale category was 23rd Street Brewery, whose Crimson Phog finished second among 25 entrants. The brew – described as possessing a deep red hue with a subtle caramel finish – is sold at the brewery and at Barley’s Brewhaus locations in the Kansas City area, the Yard House at Kansas Speedway and an Old Chicago in Wichita.

“This is awesome,” said Matt Llewellyn, managing partner for 23rd Street, a restaurant and brewery at 3512 Clinton Parkway. “It’s a huge honor, obviously, and the Crimson Phog – that’s our big beer that we have out there in the community, so it’s a great honor.”

Free State won a bronze medal in the Extra Special Bitter beer-style category – a group of beers considered the most flavorful of English bitters – for its Big Sea ESB. Free State’s brew is described as having firm malt foundation, a light amber color and a relatively high hop character.

“Our quest for gold was bested by two legendary Seattle breweries,” proprietor Chuck Magerl said, referring to Elysian Brewing Co. and Hale’s Ales Brewery. “We’re proud of our standing with such great company.”

Festival winners were selected by an international panel of brewing experts judging 2,832 entries from 474 U.S. breweries competing in 75 categories.