Oxford, Ohio(2024) – Breweries from the coast of Kona, Hawaii to the rocky coast of Portland, Maine sent more than 9,000 beers representing over 170 different styles to the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship. Today, the U.S. Open Beer Championship announces the medal winners and Grand National Champion.
Third Eye Brewing of Hamilton, Ohio was awarded the 2024 Grand National Champion by winning 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. Their gold medal winners included Higher Consciousness, Double Astral, Dark Aura, and Inner Sight. Third Eye Brewing is known for brewing some style-defining beers that are consistent winners throughout many competitions. Most notably, Third Eye won the Brewery of the Year at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival.
Monday Night Brewing, from Atlanta, Georgia placed second overall by winning 4 gold and 4 bronze medals. Gold medals included Spoken Wisdom, Tears of Our Enemies, Madrigal, and Simple Illusion. Monday Night Brewing not only makes great beers, this Georgia brewery has finished in the U.S. Open’s Top Ten Breweries several times.
Sun King Brewery out of Indianapolis, Indiana placed Third by winning 3 golds for their Barrel Aged Scout Badge, Banana Daquiri, and their Collaboration Beer, Up For Anything, brewed with 18th Street Brewery. They also took home a silver and 2 bronze medals. Sun King Brewery has been crowned Grand National Champion in the 2019 and 2022 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
The U.S. Open Beer Championship judges more beer styles than any other competition in the world. The U.S. Open is also the only major beer competition to allow the gold medal winners of the AHA’s National Homebrew Competition to participate. This year, 3 homebrewers won medals which ties the U.S. Open record. Big congratulations go to Christopher Burgess from Castle Rock, CO for winning a gold medal for his Like Falling Off A Bike, Brutt IPA, to Lucas Orr from San Diego, CA for winning a gold medal for his Kilt Dropper, Strong Scottish Ale, and to Mark Kunzelmann from St Louis, MO for winning bronze for his Belgian Pale Ale.
The U.S. Open judging was held at the U.S. Open Event Center in Oxford, Ohio. The U.S. Open became the first beer competition to be held in its own venue which is a 6,000 square-foot Amish pole barn located on a small farm. The barn consists of a judging area, a serving area, two 450-square-foot coolers, an office, and a nano brewery. To see “The Barn”, Click here to see a YouTube video of the 15th Anniversary of the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Most importantly, we would like thank all the volunteers and judges. The majority of our volunteer staff were from 6 different countries and 11 different states.
Top 10 Breweries in 2024’s U.S. Open Beer Championships
1. Third Eye Brewing — Ohio
2. Monday Night Brewing – Georgia
3. Sun King Brewery – Indiana
4. O.H.S.O. Brewery Gilbert – Arizona
5. Cherry Street Brewpub at Halcyon – Georgia
6. Urban Artifact – Ohio
7. Boulevard Brewing Co. – Missouri
8. Feather Falls Brewing Co. – California
8. Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. – Iowa
9. Sonder Brewing – Ohio
10. Burgeon Beer Co. – California
2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship Medal Winners – Click Here
Pink Boots Category: Toms River Brewing takes home the Gold
The U.S. Open Beer Championship partnered with the Pink Boots Society, an organization that assists, inspires, and encourages women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage profession through education, to create the Pink Boots Blend Category. The organization has partnered with Yakima Chief Hops for several years to sell a special hops blend to benefit the Pink Boots scholarship fund, and all beers developed using this hop blend were eligible to enter the category. Hear Us Roar, brewed by Toms River Brewing in Toms River, NJ, brought home the gold medal. All entry fees for the category will be matched by the U.S. Open Beer Championship and donated back to the Pink Boots Society Scholarship Fund.
What’s in a Name?
U.S. Open beer judges always enjoy the creativity behind the names that breweries choose for their products, and judge winners subjectively (based on laughter volume) at the competition’s conclusion. This year’s Top 10 on the laughs meter included:
Top 10 Beer Names at the U.S. Open Beer Championship
1. Barrel-Aged Macadizzamia Nizzut – Unrefined Brewing – Florida
2. All Cap’n, No Crunch – Tarnished Hallow Brewing Co. – Indiana
3. Just Give Me ALL The Bacon – Akademia Brewing – Georgia
4. Fat Kids Birthday Party -Cherry Street Brewing at Vickery Village – Georgia
5. Not My Gumdrop Buttons – Model A Brewing Company – South Carolina
6. Hot Sauce Committee – Good Line Beer Co. – Texas
7. The Elves Have Gone Too Far – Bickersons Brewhouse – Washington
8. Bones Are Their Money – Site-1 Brewing Co. – Nebraska
9. Spaghetti Policy – South O Brewing – California
10. Hopswitch Engage – Afterglow Brewing – Virginia