Soul Brewing Company is Awarded a Gold Medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival® Competition
- October 24, 2024
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- Allen Wallace
Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest is recognized as one of the best brews in the country at the nation’s largest professional beer competition
Pleasantville, New York • October 24,2024 - Soul Brewing Company has earned a Gold Medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival (GABF®) competition, hosted and presented by the Brewers Association. Soul Brewing Company’s Gold Medal winning beer is available only at the brewery and taproom in Pleasantville, NY, and a few select restaurants and retail venues.
In the 2024 competition, beers and ciders spanning 107 categories and 175 different styles (including all subcategories) were judged meticulously by 285 judges over 7 days. Awards presented during the Great American Beer Festival competition are considered coveted symbols of brewing excellence globally, and brews that receive an award are considered the most excellent representation of their style category.
Soul Brewing Company was recognized in the German Maerzen beer-style category for its Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest, a traditionally brewed Bavarian Märzen-style lager, luxuriously malty with notes of fresh bread and bread crusts, toffee, a subtle floral spice presence from the use of noble hops, and a balanced finish. Soul Brewing Company is a community-oriented 7- barrel microbrewery located in Pleasantville, NY that prides itself on its meticulously balanced and highly drinkable, European influenced, interpretations of modern and traditional lagers and ales.
"We are honored to be recognized with a Gold Medal for our Märzen, which reflects our hard work and unwavering dedication to crafting the most flavorful and enjoyable beers possible,” said Allen Wallace, Owner and Brewmaster at Soul Brewing Company.
This Gold Medal is one of six total GABF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals awarded to New York State breweries this year, one of only three medals awarded in the greater Hudson Valley and New York City, and the only one awarded in Westchester. The category in which Soul Brewing Company won this Gold Medal was one of the most contested in the competition this year, with one of the highest number of entries.
Thanks to a panel of 285 professional judges from around the world and over 250 volunteers, the Great American Beer Festival competition analyzed 9,216 entries over two phases and 7 days. The 2024 competition saw entries from 1869 breweries and cideries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
"The Great American Beer Festival competition recognizes greatness in innovation and craftsmanship from brewers all over the country, and the Brewers Association takes great pride in crowning one winner from each category as ‘Best in Class,’” remarked Chris Williams, competition director for the Brewers Association. “The Brewers Association is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of this year's winners.”
The 2024 medals were unveiled during a ceremony held at the Bellco Theatre in Denver on Saturday, October 12, 2024, as part of the Great American Beer Festival. The ceremony was live streamed via The Brewing Network. For more information on the Great American Beer Festival competition, including a complete 2024 winners list and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.