CHICAGO, Illinois: The Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB), North America’s premier and largest barrel-aged beer festival and competition, is organized by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. Showcasing hundreds of craft breweries, FoBAB offers extensive sampling opportunities and a highly competitive awards segment for top honors. The 20th annual event, held on November 3-4, 2023, featured breweries vying for accolades across 12 categories. Below are the 2023 FoBAB winners, celebrated for their exceptional wood and barrel-aged creations.
Cider/Perry/Mead
Gold: Final Act – Garagiste Meadery
Silver: Rye Barrel Aged Marion – Superstition Meadery
Bronze: Wealthy Financier – Listermann Fermatorium
Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic W/Fruit
Gold: Peach Horizon – 10 Barrel West Side
Silver: Routes Du Cidre – Idyll Forest Artisan Ales
Bronze: Soiree – Idyll Forest Artisan Ales
Wild Beer Mixed Culture/Acidic
Gold: Oblivion – Wicked Weed Brewing
Silver: Cuvee De Josh – Pretentious Barrel House
Bronze: Polyflora – Brewery Bhavana
Wild Brett Beer
Gold: Oaked Val D’Or – Hidden Hand Brewery
Silver: Palace of Gold – Full Mile Beer Co. & Kitchen
Bronze: Oak Rado – Penrose Brewing Company
Specialty & Experimental Beer
Gold: Mezcal Barrel Aged Beer For Tacos – Off Color Brewing – Production
Silver: Astral Predator – Cerebral Brewing – Congress Park
Bronze: All That Was Promised – Magnanimous Brewing
Fruit Beer
Gold: Icky Bob Thornton – Haymarket Pub and Brewery
Silver: Tako Michu – 10 Barrel West Side
Bronze: Polynesian Passion – Sun King Brewery-Fishers
Other Dark Beer
Gold: Bravissimo – Firestone Walker Propagator
Silver: Orin – Half Acre
Bronze Skateboard Jesus – 10 Barrel East Side
Lagers
Gold: Dark Crator – Boulevard Brewing Company
Silver: Brewers’ Reserve Bourbon Barrel-Aged Honey Bock – Lakefront Brewery
Bronze: Barrel-Aged Generator Doppelbock – Metropolitan Brewing
Other Pale Beer
Gold: Tripel G – Belgian Style Tripel – Sketchbook Brewing Co. Skokie
Silver: Boost – HighGrain Brewing Company
Bronze: Muon – Loose Ends Brewing
Barley Wine/Wheat Wine
Gold: Moments of Silent Banter – Taproom Beer Co.
Silver: Owl of Athena – Solemn Oath Brewery
Bronze: Two Faced Terror – False Idol Brewing
Specialty Strong Porter & Stout
Gold: BBA Ego Death W Vanilla – Resident Culture Brewing
Silver: Veneration of the Dead – Ever Grain Brewing
Bronze: BA Cuppa Stuffff – Maplewood Brewery & Distillery
Strong Porter & Stout
Gold: Mehndi 2023 – More Brewing Company
Silver: Slappa Da Base – Mikerphone Brewing
Bronze: Double BA Temple of Minerva – Jackie O’s Brewery
Best of Show
Runner Up: Mehndi 2023 – More Brewing Company
Winner: Oaked Val D’Or – Hidden Hand Brewery
For more information on the 2023 Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer, Click Here.
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