Nashville Brewing Company Wins Award in Great American Beer Festival

The Great American Beer Festival is undoubtedly one of the most (if not the absolute most) prestigious brewing competitions in the country. Hosted in Denver annually, it sort of snuck up on me this year, as my social media wasn’t filled up with news from my industry friends about the events they were attending or the fantastic beers they were consuming — libations most of us civilians would never have the chance to even sniff unless we walked the Earth like Caine seeking out the best of all craft brews.

Still, the show must go on, and this year the big awards ceremony was virtual. When the pixels settled at the end and all the awards were handed out, it was obvious that this has not been a normal year in the beer industry. Fewer awards were handed out, mainly because there were far fewer entries. The reasons for this decline certainly comes from the fact that breweries have had to reel in production to keep themselves afloat, concentrating more on their core recipes rather than those experimental and esoteric brews that might be made in small batches specifically for entering in competitions and to be consumed in the brewery’s taprooms, many of which have been closed at least sporadically throughout the year. Also, I imagine that lots of breweries probably made the decision to save money on entry fees this year.

None of this is to say that any of the the winners are any less worthy, because the judges at the GABF grade beers against a Platonic ideal of the specific style of each category, a talent that they train hard to master — they even have to pass tests to prove their proficiency. Beers are not necessarily ranked against each other in a category, but rather against the model of the style, so in many cases that’s why gold medals are rare and not awarded in every category.

After all that, it’s a pleasure to announce that this year, the singular award to any brewery in the entire state of Tennessee went to a local product, Nashville Brewing Company’s Original Lager, which won a Silver Medal in the Munich-Style Helles category. Nashville Beer Company is the brainchild of local beer historian and enthusiast Scott Mertie, who I’m confident has spilled more brewery knowledge than I’ve ever consumed.

Working with Blackstone Brewing Company’s production facility, Mertie focuses on modern versions of historic German styles of brewing, releasing several different lagers, pilsners and bocks, plus some fun seasonals and festbiers. His award-winning Original Lager is the flagship of his brand, so it’s a real testament that the ultimate expression of his brewing vision has been recognized by the GABF judging panel.

“This year’s GABF competition may have looked a little different, but the beers entered into the competition were as impressive and innovative as ever,” said Chris Swersey, GABF's competition manager. “This has arguably been one of the most challenging years breweries have ever faced, so we hope these awards serve as a symbol not only of brewing excellence but also the resiliency of the craft brewing community as a whole.”

If you’d like to try some of Nashville Brewing Company’s beers, there’s a fantastic opportunity coming up on Thursday Oct. 29 as the brewery and Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen come together for a virtual dinner event honoring one of Nashville’s sister cities, Magdeburg, Germany, which is located along the Elbe River in the northern part of the country about 90 miles west of Berlin. (If you didn’t know that we had multiple sister cities, listen to this entertaining episode from the podcast Neighbors that explains a little bit about the program and focuses on Magdeburg.)

The Zoom event starts at 7 p.m. that evening and will feature a three-course dinner from Von Elrod’s paired with a trio of Mertie’s beers. There will also be presentations and cultural exchanges with our long-distance German neighbors and a performance by Polkawagen. Tickets for the virtual dinner are $50 for a single and $75 for a couple, and participants can pick up their food and beer at Von Elrod’s the afternoon of the event. To see the full menus and purchase your tickets in advance, check out the event webpage. Prost!