Opening day of the 2020 Farm Show, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Cheryl Cook announced winners of the second annual Pennsylvania Farm Show Beer Competition.
Saucony Creek Brewing Company of Kutztown won Best of Show with its Rum Barr Aged Maple Mistress. Saucony Creek Brewing Company also won the PA Preferred Legacy Award for a beer made with predominantly Pennsylvania-sourced ingredients for their PA Preferred English Ale.
“This is our second statewide beer contest and we are ecstatic with the number of unique entries we received,” Cook said. “Craft brewers demonstrate the passion, talent, and drive that make Pennsylvania number one in the nation in the volume of craft beer produced. Thanks to our competitors, and to their customers who create their success.”
This year, experts from eight states judged 262 craft brews from breweries in 25 counties.
This second year of the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s Beer Competition saw an increase of more than 100 entries, all demonstrating creativity and innovation. Pennsylvania is number one in the U.S. for craft beer production, brewing more than 3.7 million barrels a year.
Craft brewing has grown from 88 craft breweries in 2011 to 354 this year. It generates $5.78 billion for our state economy and is responsible for 10,000 jobs across the state.
More than 20 Pennsylvania craft brews have been registered as PA Preferred Brews since the program launched in September 2017. PA Preferred Brews are made with primarily locally grown ingredients, including hops and grain from Pennsylvania farms.
Jeff Musselman, of Brewmaster at Millworks, Harrisburg, is the volunteer committee chair who organized the Farm Show Beer Competition for 2019 and 2020. Musselman was one of the first to brew a PA Preferred Brew when the program began in 2018.
Winners of the First PA Preferred Legacy Award took home a handblown and carved glass trophy, a giant pilsner glass surrounded at the base by images representing the journey craft beer takes from seed to pint.
Samples of these beers will be available in the Main Hall at the Bier Garden for the duration of the show, and visitors can meet beer producers each day and receive tastings.
Barrel-Aged
- 1st Place: Rum Barrr Aged Maple Mistress – Saucony Creek Brewing Company, Kutztown, Berks County
- 2nd Place: Ralphios – Free Will Brewing Company, Perkasie, Bucks County
- 3rd Place: Hegemony Anniversary Reserve – Boniface Craft Brewing Company, Ephrata, Lancaster County
