The Great American Beer Festival Introduces Judged Competition

In 1987, the Great American Beer Festival introduced a formal judged competition alongside its public tasting festival. Before then, the festival had used a consumer preference poll, but the new system brought selected judges together to evaluate commercial beers within defined categories and award gold, silver, and bronze medals. Seven judges evaluated ninety-nine beers during a single five-hour session, awarding thirty-eight medals across thirteen categories. The new competition transformed GABF from a public showcase into an influential professional assessment of American beer and established a medal system that grew alongside the country’s emerging craft-brewing industry.