Free State Brewing Co. takes home gold medal in Great American Beer Festival

Lawrence’s beloved Free State Brewing Co. scored big at last weekend’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, taking home the gold medal in the Herb and Spice Beer category for its limited edition Garden Party lager.

“It feels great, it really does. It’s a pretty prestigious recognition, a jury-of-your-peers sort of thing,” says Steve Bradt, Free State’s director of brewing operations. “When you manage to win a gold medal in a category with 142 entries in it, you feel like you did OK.”

Free State released the light and refreshing brew (it’s flavored with cucumber and basil from Linwood’s Irick Farms, plus juniper berries) back in July as part of the outfit’s limited-release Front Porch series.

Bradt says the winning lager ended its run on-tap at Free State (which is closed Monday and Tuesday for scheduled maintenance and repairs, it should be noted) a few weeks back, though he’s hoping an extra keg or two might resurface. Cork and Barrel is still selling bottles at its Mississippi Street and 23rd Street locations.

Free State’s third Front Porch outing, Yakimaniac, should hit Lawrence liquor stores as early as Monday or Tuesday, Bradt says. Named for hop hotspot Yakima, Wash., the unfiltered IPA boasts some “hoppy” and “fresh, citrus-y flavors,” he says.

Locally, Kansas City’s McCoy’s Public House and KC Bier Co. also performed well at the festival, earning a gold and silver medal, respectively, for Ursa Minor (an imperial brown ale) and Weizenbock in the Other Strong Beer and German-Style Wheat Ale categories.

Held every year in Denver, the Great American Beer Festival is the largest of its kind in the U.S., and this year awarded 275 gold, silver and bronze medals in 92 categories.

Check out a full list of winners here.