In craft beer it takes skill, experience, and attention to finite detail to win the Gold in a World beer competition-Imbibe Brewing did just that!
The Reno area offers a plethora of craft beer options, not only in the number of breweries, but in the varieties of styles they produce. The numbers of breweries in Northern Nevada may not rival neighboring markets, but their reputations are renowned. As a fan of the Reno Brewery District, virtually all the Reno Brewery District’s breweries are on most everybody’s published list of– “Best of Nevada Craft Beer”.
This year’s stand-out in the Brewers Associations “World Beer Cup” is Reno’s Imbib Brewing in Reno/Sparks.
The Brewers Association does an excellent job representing the craft beer industry, from the smallest to largest. One event they sponsor is the, now annual, World Beer Cup competition. On May 5 they announced the winners of this World event that included beers from 103 style categories. This event brought together a total of 10,542 beer style entries from 2,493 breweries from fifty-seven countries.
The largest style category, coming as no surprise, is the American IPA followed by the Hazy IPA.
“The World Beer Cup showcases the incredible breadth and talent of the global brewing community,” said Chris Swersey, competition director, World Beer Cup. “Winning an award at this extremely competitive event symbolizes one of the greatest accomplishments in the art of brewing. Congratulations to this year’s winners on their outstanding achievements.”
The craft beer category did see growth in key indicators: craft breweries now total 9,120 in the U.S. and that is an increase of two hundred breweries over 2020; craft production increased 7.9% versus 2020; and taproom closings have decreased 2021 versus 2020.
The 2022 BA Convention in May gave a Reno brewery a chance to display real talent. There were more than 10,000 attendees at the conference. “Perhaps also relevant is that the World Beer Cup competition had 10,542 entries. That’s the most ever for a BA competition, and perhaps may be the most ever for a professional beer competition globally,” says Bart Watson, PhD-Chief Economist at BA.
Nevada has two breweries that won in two distinct categories, and both won Gold. Able Baker Brewing from Las Vegas won with their Belgian Style Abby Ale, competing against 109 entrants. For locals in Reno it does substantiate the growth of quality craft beers in Northern Nevada. Great news, Imbib Brewing of Reno/Sparks won the Gold with their Belgian Style Sour Ale in which there were ninety-seven entrants. This is an important recognition in the global community of craft beer industry.
It is interesting to note that Nevada has 2.2 breweries per 100,000 adult population. By comparison, Arizona has 2.3 breweries per 100,000 adult population. Arizona (a neighboring market) has 121 breweries versus Nevada with fifty-one. The elephant in the room is still California, from the North to the South, California was well represented in the BA Cup competition.
Imbib Brewing has two locations in the Reno area. Their location in the Reno Brewery District area is on Second Street. The co-founders got their start in humble beginnings. “With more than 25 years combined experience as at-home brewers, we made the transition from hobbyists to professionals and attribute much of our success to our home-brewing roots,” says Jason Green and Matt Johnson.
Triad is the prized Sour Ale and represents a very complex brewing method to get the taste for which it has become known for Around the World.