Brink Brewing Named 2019 Very Small Brewing Company of the Year, Takes Home Two GABF Gold Medals

Photo © 2019, Brewers Association

CINCINNATI, OH— Brink Brewing was named 2019 Very Small Brewing Company of the Year by the Brewers Association today at the 33rd annual Great American Beer Festival® awards ceremony after receiving gold medals for two of its most decorated beers in the competition. 

Hold the Reins was awarded gold in the English-style Mild Ale category that had 40 entries. This classic “session ale” is full flavored with moderate sweetness, and a bit nutty with a touch of caramel. Chocolate and roast notes give way to a dry finish. This beer, which was originally one of Brink Brewing Head Brewer Kelly Montgomery’s home brew recipes, was awarded a gold medal in 2017 and a silver in 2018 in the same category. “I have been tweaking that recipe for the last decade as new and better ingredients have become available,” he says. “It was always the house beer on tap.” 

Moozie, a rich Milk Stout, was awarded gold in the Sweet or Cream Stout category that had 67 entries. Like a chocolate milkshake without the straw, it features chocolate and coffee notes and is almost chewy thanks to the addition of lactose and flaked oats. Moozie is a family namesake, named after Molly (Brink owners John and Kelly's sister). Their Uncle Jack— whose memory sparked their interest in the craft beer world and inspired the conception of Brink— always referred to her as Moozie. “We wanted to pay homage to both and a Milk Stout seemed fitting (moo!). It also helps that it's one of Molly's favorite styles. The first medal we received a few months after opening was for Moozie, and now she is our most decorated beer with 7 awards,” Montgomery says. 

Moozie also boasts a bronze medal from the 2018 World Beer Cup®, silver at the inaugural Ohio Craft Brewers Cup earlier this year, and a gold medal from the 2018 Great American Beer Festival. 

Brink Brewing is the first brewing company in Great American Beer Festival history to be named Very Small Brewing Company two years back to back. This honor is a huge accomplishment for the brewery, which will celebrate its third anniversary early in 2020. "We went into this year thinking we could never top last year's wins, so the magnitude of exceeding it this year is still sinking in!,” says Brink co-owner John McGarry. “We could not be more proud than to be part of elevating the Ohio beer scene into the top 5 in the US this year based on medals."

If you’d like more information about Brink Brewing or its award-winning beers, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com. 

ABOUT BRINK BREWING

Brink Brewing Co is craft brewery in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati that serves some of Ohio’s most decorated beers. Since Brink’s opening in 2017, the brewing team has accumulated an impressive 22 awards and a World Beer Cup plaque. Brink was honored at the Great American Beer Festival® as Very Small Brewing Company of the Year both in 2018 and 2019. For more information visit brinkbrewing.com.

Funkwerks Launches Distribution in Ohio and Kentucky

FORT COLLINS, CO— Funkwerks is heading east with the expansion of its distribution footprint to include two new US states—Ohio and Kentucky. The new expansion will introduce Funkwerks’ niche-specialized craft beers on draft, in 6-packs, and in variety 12-packs available via Heidelberg Distributing in Ohio and Kentucky this week.

Draft and 6-pack offerings of Funkwerks select year-round beers— Funkwerks Raspberry Provincial, Saison, Tropic King, and their newly released White — will be available in select, craft-centric establishments across Ohio and Kentucky followed by the latest rendition of Winky’s Snack Packs that include Saison, Raspberry Provincial, Deceit, and White.

“We are excited to bring our beer to both Ohio and Kentucky,” explains Funkwerks Co-founder and President, Brad Lincoln. “Both of these areas seem to be teeming with people craving more craft beer and we think Funkwerks will be a great fit.”

Funkwerks invites you to join their team at the following launch events:

March 5 - XYZ Tavern from 7-9pm, Cleveland, OH
March 6 - Bob’s Bar at 6pm, Columbus, OH
March 7 - Pint House at 6pm, Columbus, OH
March 8 - Market District Kingsdale at 6pm, Columbus, OH
March 8 - Buckeye Beer Engine from 5-8pm, Lakewood, OH

March 26 - Louisville Beer Store from 5-7pm, Louisville, KY
March 26 - Kaiju at 7pm, Louisville, KY
March 27 - Shamrock Bar & Grille (Patchen) from 5-7pm, Lexington, KY
March 28 - Sapphire Room at 7pm, Covington, KY

Funkwerks’ beer is available in select locations across ten states including Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, California, Nevada, and now Ohio and Kentucky.

For more information about Funkwerks and their expanded footprint to Ohio and Kentucky, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT FUNKWERKS

Founded in 2009 by brewers Gordon Schuck and Brad Lincoln, Funkwerks is a specialty craft brewery specializing in Saison, Sour, and Belgian-style craft beers made in their small brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. The 2012 winner of the Small Brewery of the Year Award at the Great American Beer Festival, Funkwerks beers are available in 10 US states. Find the brewery online at funkwerks.com.

Brink Brewing Celebrates Award-winning Second Year in Business

CINCINNATI, OH— Brink Brewing, 2018 Great American® Beer Festival Very Small Brewery and Brewer of the Year, is celebrating two years in business following a notable year of awards and accolades. Brink will be celebrating their second anniversary starting on February 15 with an exclusive bottle release of their 2019 Anniversary Blend followed by a weekend of celebrations.

This past year, Brink Brewing produced 650 BBL —a 45 percent increase from 2017 which included 97 batches and 50 new recipes. With these beers Brink Brewing won a multitude of awards ranging in scale from local to international competitions.

Awards won by Brink Brewing during their second year in business include a 2018 World Beer Cup bronze medal (Milk Stout); a gold medal (Sweet Stout), silver medal (English-Style Mild Ale), Very Small Brewery of the Year, and Very Small Brewer of the Year at  The Great American Beer Festival®; gold (England / Hazy IPA), silver (Milk Stout), bronze (English Mild), and best Southwest Brewery at the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup; gold (Brown Ale), gold (English Mild), gold (Scottish Ale), and 2nd Place Overall Nation Champions at the US Open Beer Championship.

For their Anniversary weekend, February 15-17, Brink Brewing will be releasing a coveted lineup of special releases including their 2019 Anniversary Blend bottle release beginning at 3pm on Friday, February 15.

This special second anniversary blend was carefully crafted between their First Anniversary Blend (38.5%), 2017 Barrel Aged Kelly’s Candy Barley Wine (32%),  2018 Armored Heart Russian Imperial Stout (13%), 2017 Barrel Aged Duncan Clan Stout (10%), and 2018 Night Cap Holiday Porter (6.5%) along with Deeper Roots Losantiville cold steeped coffee and copious amounts of vanilla beans.

Brink will also be tapping the following draft-only releases throughout the weekend:

Friday, February 15
Business Meeting Oatmeal Stout with Raspberry and Vanilla Beans
Maple Bacon Moozie Milk Stout
2017 Barrel Aged Bulldog Ole Ale
Father G's Bees Brown Ale with Honey and Maple Syrup
Graham cracker Berlin Wall Berliner Weisse

Saturday, February 16
2017 Barrel Aged Kelly's Candy Barley Wine
Father G's Bees Honey Brown Ale with Maple and Blueberry
Coffee Doughnut Debbie Jean Blonde
Mint Oreo Moozie Milk Stout
Business Meeting Oatmeal Stout with Raspberry and Vanilla

Sunday, February 17
Barrel Aged Duncan Clan Scottish Ale
Toasted Coconut King Cake
Quadruple Dry-hopped JBoy
Barrel Aged Barrel Thieves and Hired Guns with extra EXTRA vanilla
Business Meeting Oatmeal Stout with Raspberry and Vanilla
Father G's Bees Brown Ale with Maple Syrup and Honey

For more information on Brink Brewing and the success of their second year in business, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT BRINK BREWING

Brink Brewing Co is neighborhood Craft Brewery in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Providing quality beers in a welcoming, comfortable taproom. In less than two year a of operation they have accumulated an impressive amount of awards that now include three medals at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®, a Bronze at the 2018 World Beer Cup®, seven U.S. Open Beer Competition medals, three Ohio Craft Brewer Cup awards, and two Denver International Beer Competition awards. For more information visit brinkbrewing.com.

Brink Brewing Recognized as 2018 Very Small Brewing Company of the Year; Wins Two GABF Medals

Photo © 2018 Brewers Association

CINCINNATI, OH— Over the weekend, Brink Brewing Company was named the 2018 Very Small Brewing Company of the Year by the Brewers Association at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival® after winning gold and silver medals for Moozie Milk Stout and Hold The Reins English Mild, respectively.

A great deal of effort goes into winning one let alone two GABF® medals, but rarely does that effort include a hospital stay. Kelly Montgomery, named Very Small Brewer of The Year, was in the hospital with a lung infection the weeks leading up to the dates scheduled to brew the batches submitted to this year’s competition. “We were honestly worried about making the deadline,” says Brink Brewing Co-Owner Sarah McGarry. “When he was released from the hospital Kelly jokingly said Eh, I think I’ve got just enough energy to squeeze out very small brewery of the year… “So, you can only imagine how stunned we were that it actually happened!”

Moozie is a rich Milk Stout. Like a chocolate milkshake without the straw, it features chocolate and coffee notes and is almost chewy thanks to the addition of lactose and flaked oats. This beer also boasts a bronze medal from the 2018 World Beer Cup®, silver at the inaugural Ohio Craft Brewers Cup earlier this year, a bronze from the 2017 Denver International Beer Competition and a gold medal from the 2017 U.S. Open Beer Championship after only being open for four months (one of the youngest breweries to place that year).

Hold the Reins is an English Mild, a classic “Session Ale” while still full flavored. Moderate sweetness, a bit nutty with a touch of caramel. Chocolate and roast notes give way to a dry finish. Last year Brink Brewing was awarded a gold medal for Hold The Reins in the same English Mild Ale category.

“Three GABF medals and Very Small Brewery of the Year in just 19 months of operation is even more than we ever could have hoped for, but tells us we are on the right track,” McGarry adds.

Moozie and Hold The Reins are available year-round on draft at Brink Brewing’s tasting room and at select craft-centric draft accounts in Cincinnati.

Contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com for media inquiries about Brink Brewing.

ABOUT BRINK BREWING

Brink Brewing Co is neighborhood Craft Brewery in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Providing quality beers in a welcoming, comfortable taproom. In less than two year a of operation they have accumulated an impressive amount of awards that now include three medals at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®, a Bronze at the 2018 World Beer Cup®, seven U.S. Open Beer Competition medals, three Ohio Craft Brewer Cup awards, and two Denver International Beer Competition awards. For more information visit brinkbrewing.com.

Brink Brewing Awarded Three Medals, Named Best Southwest Ohio Brewery at Ohio Craft Brewers Cup

Brink Brewing's Gold Medal-winning New England/Hazy IPA, Afterglow. Photo by Samantha Reid

CINCINNATI, OH— Brink Brewing continues their medal-winning streak after competing in the inaugural Ohio Craft Brewers Cup on July 28— taking home gold, silver, and bronze medals. The brewery was named Best Southwest Ohio Brewery of 2018. 

The competition called for twenty-nine style categories of beer with Brink Brewing earning three medals including Gold for Afterglow in New England/Hazy IPA category, Silver for Moozie in the Stout category, and Bronze for Hold the Reins in the Brown/Dark Ale category.

These medals follow the brewery’s awards from last month’s U.S. Open Beer Championships where they took home four medals including gold for Hold the Reins and a silver medal Moozie.

Hold the Reins is an English Mild, a classic “Session Ale” while still full flavored. Moderate sweetness, a bit nutty with a touch of caramel. Chocolate and roast notes give way to a dry finish. Hold the Reins also recently won Gold at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®.

Moozie is a rich Milk Stout. Like a chocolate milkshake without the straw, it features chocolate and coffee notes and is almost chewy thanks to the addition of lactose and flaked oats. This beer also boasts a bronze medal from the 2018 World Beer Cup®, a bronze from the 2017 Denver International Beer Competition, and a gold medal at the 2017 U.S. Open Beer Chamionship and a silver medal in 2018.

Moozie is a rich Milk Stout. Like a chocolate milkshake without the straw, it features chocolate and coffee notes, and is almost chewy thanks to the addition of lactose and flaked oats. This beer also boasts a bronze medal from the 2018 World Beer Cup®, a bronze from the 2017 Denver International Beer Competition, and more medals (gold in 2017 and silver in 2018) from the U.S. Open Beer Championship.

Afterglow is a "New England" style IPA featuring old-school hops combined with new school brewing techniques and almost double the normal charge of dry hops. Brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, and Citra, it is bursting with citrusy hop flavors and has a tropical, citrus, and pine aroma.

If you have questions about Brink Brewing’s recent Ohio Craft Brewers Cup win, or any other media inquiries, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT BRINK BREWING

Brink Brewing Co is neighborhood Craft Brewery in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Providing quality beers in a welcoming, comfortable taproom. In their one year of operation they have accumulated an impressive amount of awards including a Gold at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®, a Bronze at the 2018 World Beer Cup®, seven U.S. Open Beer Competition medals, three Ohio Craft Brewer Cup awards, and two Denver International Beer Competition awards. For more information please visit brinkbrewing.com.

Brink Brewing Brings Home Four Awards From 2018 U.S. Open Beer Championship

CINCINNATI, OH— Brink Brewing Company proudly took home four medals last week from the 2018 U.S. Open Beer Championship. Dow Scoggins, director of the U.S. Open Beer and Cider Championships, presented these medals to the brewery last week at their tasting room in College Hill. Brink received three gold medals and one silver, earning them second place in the competition’s Top Breweries of 2018.

Professional breweries and award-winning home-brewers from all over the world sent in 6,300 beers representing more than 110 different styles for the 2018 U.S. Open Beer Championship. Brink Brewing placed first in the English Mild Ale, Brown Ale, and Strong Scottish Ale categories for Hold the Reins, Father G’s Bees, and Duncan Clan, respectively. Additionally, the brewery placed second for their Moozie in the Cream Stout Category.

Hold the Reins is an English Mild, a classic “Session Ale” while still full flavored. Moderate sweetness, a bit nutty with a touch of caramel. Chocolate and roast notes give way to a dry finish. Hold the Reins also recently won Gold at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®.

Named after the brewery’s College Hill neighbor, Father George, of Saint Clare Parish who also happens to be a beekeeper; Father G’s Bees features 40 pounds of honey from his harvest. The combination of Maris Otter, chocolate, and caramel malts provide a richness while the honey gives a touch of boozy sweetness to this delectable Brown Ale.

Duncan Clan is a Scottish Ale featuring rich, malty flavors of caramel and toffee balanced by roastiness and a subtle rye spiciness. This true-to-style brew is all about featuring the malt, leaving a very subtle hop presence.

Moozie is a rich Milk Stout. Like a chocolate milkshake without the straw, it features chocolate and coffee notes and is almost chewy thanks to the addition of lactose and flaked oats. This beer also boasts a bronze medal from the 2018 World Beer Cup®, a bronze from the 2017 Denver International Beer Competition and a gold medal from the 2017 U.S. Open Beer Championship after only being open for four months (one of the youngest breweries to place that year).

“Any win at this competition is a great achievement for our team, let alone four medals,” says Co-Founder Founder John McGarry. “We take great pride in our ability to brew high-quality beers across a variety of styles and these U.S. Open medals really validates that. Our Co-Founder and Head Brewer Kelly and his team have shown that dedication to their craft can have results, even though we've only been a business for a short time."

If you have questions about Brink Brewing’s recent U.S. Open Beer Championship win or any other media inquiries, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

Kelly Montgomery (left) and Dow Scoggins.

ABOUT BRINK BREWING

Brink Brewing Co is neighborhood Craft Brewery in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Providing quality beers in a welcoming, comfortable taproom. In their one year of operation, they have accumulated an impressive amount of awards including a Gold at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®, a Bronze at the 2018 World Beer Cup®, seven U.S. Open Beer Competition medals, and two Denver International Beer Competition awards. For more information visit brinkbrewing.com.

RadCraft Partners Bring Home Six 2018 World Beer Cup Awards; Malt Barley For Winning Beers

NASHVILLE, TN— RadCraft partner breweries were awarded six medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup®, including two gold medals for German-Style Pilsner and Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin.

Here are the winners in order of announcement at the 2108 World Beer Cup Awards Ceremony at Nashville’s Music City Center.

Category 1: Telluride Brewing received a silver award for its Whacked Out Wheat in the American-Style Wheat Beer category. It was among 53 entries. Whacked Out Wheat also won silver at the 2016 World Beer Cup.

Category 39: Rockyard Brewing was honored to take home the gold medal in the German-Style Pilsener category. Primadonna Pilsner was one of 176 entries into this category. Read the full press release about this win here.

Category 60: Karl Strauss Brewing Company’s Farmhouse was awarded a silver medal in the French & Belgian-Style Saison category, among 87 entries. This small-batch beer was produced at the company’s 4S Ranch satellite brewery in San Diego by Head Brewer Sean Albrecht. There is a full press release about this win and Karl’s recent win at the LA International Beer Competition here.

Category 65: Funkwerks is proud to return home with the gold medal for the Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale category. Oud Bruin, a traditional Flemish-style sour, was produced once a year from a blend of beers aged for a range of up to two years in a variety of oak barrels. Funkwerks was one of 41 entries into this category. Read the full press release about this win here.

Category 97: Bootstrap Brewing’s Wreak Havoc was awarded bronze in the Imperial Red Ale category. This beer was also awarded a bronze in the same category at the 2016 World Beer Cup. Imperial Red Ale had 44 entries this year.

Category 81: Brink Brewing Co. was awarded a bronze medal for Moozie in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category that had 73 entries. "Competitions are great ways for small brewers like us to get our name out there," says Brink Brewing head brewer Kelly Montgomery. "After winning a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival® in 2017, winning a bronze at WBC really validates that it wasn't just a fluke. We're so proud to bring this medal home to the College Hill neighborhood."

Also in this years winner’s circle was Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project’s Hickory Peach Wee Heavy that was brewed with Palisade peaches and Odyssey Pilsner malt from Root Shoot Malting in Loveland, Colorado. It won a silver medal in Category Category 19: Experimental Beer that had 130 entries. “Our beers provide a global experience, but we continue to strive to localize our ingredients,” says Intrepid’s Head of Brewery Operations Andrew Moore. “We're thrilled that we have such a quality malt product so close by.”

The 2018 World Beer Cup was the largest yet, with 8,234 entries from 2515 breweries hailing from 66 countries in 101 categories judged by 295 judges from 33 countries— 72 percent of whom were from outside the United States, according to the Brewers Association. Learn more about the World Beer Cup and all of the 2018 winners at worldbeercup.org.

If you would like to speak with any of the above 2018 World Beer Cup winners, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.