This weekend the Great American Beer Festival convened in downtown Denver bringing with it over 500 breweries from across the country and 40,000 enthusiasts from around the globe. In addition to being the largest tasting event of its kind, the annual extravaganza, hosted by the Brewers Association, also features the industry’s most influential judging. Today we’re going to reveal who took home the top prizes in those ever-important IPA subcategories.
Although the craft beer landscape has evolved dramatically since that first fateful GABF competition back in 1987, India Pale Ales remain the dominant force for independently-minded American consumers. Characterized by a heavily-hopped flavor profile, the style accounts for a staggering 46% share of the $29 billion craft industry.
So, yeah…They’re kind of a big deal. And they are consistently the most entered type of beer entered amongst the judged liquids—a number that totaled 8,836 across all categories in 2024. Unsurprisingly, there were no less than eight separate categories this year which involved the word ‘IPA,’ including the top three most-entered beer styles: Juicy/Hazy IPA, West Coast IPA and American Style IPA, respectively.
GABF judges take their cues from the Olympics; doling out gold, silver, and bronze awards for each category. For Juicy/Hazy IPA, the gold medal went to Professional Human Being by Ambitious Ales out of Long Beach, California. The 7.2% ABV juice bomb is double dry hopped with Nelson, Citra and Motueka varieties, imbuing its creamy orange body with a lingering blast of tropical fruit and melon notes. As of now it has no national distribution, so if you want to sip some yourself, you’ll have to head to the taproom for a taste. Or take some away in 4-pack tall boys, priced around $20.
Remarkably, the top medal in the West Coast IPA category went to another Long Beach operation. Trademark Brewing snagged the gold for its 7% ABV standout, Codebreaker. It’s dank yet crisp, tickling the tongue with sharp swirls of apricot and pine cones in alternating turns. 4-packs of 16 oz. cans retail for $18 and can be ordered online for shipment across the state of California.
For American-Style IPAs, Highland Park Brewery bested a field of 217 with its aptly named Competition. As opposed to its West Coast counterparts, this subcategory can hold a touch more malt characteristics to balance out the bitter blast of pure, unadulterated hop flower. True to form, the 7.3% ABV offering holds up a sort of toasted cereal note agains the resiny mango of Mosaic, Citra, and Cascade hops. 4-pack cans retail for $22 in and around Southern California.
Speaking of that particular region, it’s nothing short of a small coup that Greater Los Angeles accounts for gold in all three of these top categories. Hats off to the City of Angels, which for years was overshadowed by the craft brewing prowess of its Bay Area brethren to the north, and its San Diego sisters down south.
The complete list of winners at GABF 2024 can be found here. Cheers to all the medalists.
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