National Honey Board announces winners of Annual Honey Beer Competition

Gossamer Wings from Honey Tap Brewery named Best Honey Beer

More than 100 entries were submitted to the third annual Honey Beer Competition this year. Gossamer Wings from The Tap Brewery, Bloomington, Ind., took home Best in Show honors at the 2017 competition, hosted by the National Honey Board, Firestone, Colo. This year’s competition had 106 made-with-honey beer entries, which were submitted from craft breweries throughout North America, it says.

Gossamer Wings is a traditional German Kolsch with wildflower honey. The honey in the beer lightens the body and provides a soft floral honey note, making the beer easy to enjoy on a hot summer day, the company says. In addition to Best in Show, The Tap Brewery also took home the Best Belgian-Style Ale for its Electric Stinger.

The Honey Beer Competition was judged by 14 certified judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program and featured nine beer style categories and one hard cider category. The submitted beers were judged on their aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and the role honey played in the beer.

“This is our third year in a row of doubling the previous year’s entries, which is a testament to the value of honey in brewing. It’s amazing to see how the competition has grown in the last three years, and amazing to see honey’s versatility in beer,” said Catherine Barry, National Honey Board’s director of marketing, in a statement. “We tasted beers where honey was used to round out the flavor of hop-forward beers, to add floral aromatics to a saison and to provide a hint of sweetness to a blond ale.”

The following are the winners of the 2017 Honey Beer Competition:

Best in Show Winners

Gold Medal: Gossamer Wings — The Tap Brewery, Bloomington, Ind.
Silver Medal: Old Guard — Service Brewing Company, Savannah, Ga.
Bronze Medal: Bragnarok — Against the Grain, Louisville, Ky.

Category Winners

General Lager: Mexican Honey Imperial Lager — Indeed Brewing Co., Minneapolis
General Ale: Gossamer Wings — The Tap Brewery, Bloomington, Ind.
Wheat Beer: Honey Wheat — Gizmo Brewing Works, Raleigh, N.C.
Belgian-Style Ale: Electrical Stinger — The Tap Brewery, Bloomington, Ind.
Fruit and Spice Beer: Rosemary Honey Wheat — The Farm at Broad Run, Broad Run, Va.
Braggot: Bragnarok — Against the Grain, Louisville, Ky.
IPA: Battlewagon — Service Brewing Co., Savannah, Ga.
Stouts and Porters: Cherry Bomb Imperial Stout — New Bohemia Brewing Co., Santa Cruz, Calif.
Other Category: Old Guard — Service Brewing Co., Savannah, Ga.
Cider: Green Mill — Vander Mill, Grand Haven, Mich.