A Frosty Glass of Victory

Eric Koeppel |

Come on, guys, get to the point.
Come on, guys, get to the point.

Cheese yesterday and beer today ... Over 2,500 beers were submitted by breweries and home-brewers world wide to this year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship. And after long hours of drinking, discussing, and probably some karaoke, the judges have announced this year’s list of the Top 10 breweries in the country. But that’s not all; the list includes not one, but two Wisconsin favorites. Taking first place overall is the Capital Brewery in Middleton, and coming in third is Stevens Point Brewing.

The breweries were ranked based on a per-beer system, meaning that beers placing first in their category received three points, beers placing second received two, etc … The points were then tallied up for each brewery or home-brewer. Other breweries on the list include Sweetwater Brewing in Atlanta, GA; Neustadt Springs Brewing in Neustadt, ON; and Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea, HI.

Not only did the U.S. Open Beer Championship claim Capital Brewery as the Grand National Champion, they suggested that Wisconsin change its nickname from “The Dairy State” to “The Beer State.” But I say why not both? “The Dairy and Beer State.” It has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?