Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a quote from Rahr.
North Texas' craft beer scene may not be as established as others around the country, but with each passing competition comes more notoriety. Monday, the U.S. Open Beer Competition announced seven local operations placed in the annual contest, which judges beers from all across the world, and one was even named among to the top 10 craft breweries of the year.
Rahr and Sons Brewing Co. in Fort Worth placed 10th among this year's Open contenders, garnering three awards across an estimated 90 categories of beer. The brewery earned a gold medal for its Summertime Wheat in the German hefeweizen category, gold for the Regulator in the Doppelbock/strong bock category and silver in the Munich helles category for Rahr Blonde.
"Rahr & Sons is beyond proud to represent North Texas and be recognized as one of the top breweries in the country," said Fritz Rahr, owner of Rahr & Sons, in a statement. "I commend our entire team for consistently making many award-winning craft beers that put us in great company among the best of the best."
Rahr wasn't the only Texas establishment to crack the top 10. Guadalupe Brewing Co. out of New Braunfels snagged eighth place with four medals, including two gold.
Breweries worldwide entered 5,000 beers and ciders for judgment. Winners were determined by a total number of points based on how their beers ranked (first place was weighted more heavily than second, third, fourth and fifth).
Overall Texas took home 26 medals, 12 of which belonged to Dallas-Fort Worth breweries. See the local winners, a.k.a. beers you should try, below, and peep the full winners' list here.
Rahr and Sons Brewing Co.
- Gold for Summertime Wheat (German hefeweizen)
- Gold for Regulator (Doppelbock/strong bock)
- Silver for Rahr Blonde (Munich Helles)
Peticolas Brewing Co.
- Silver for The Duke (Barley wine)
- Silver for Great Scot! (Scottish ale)
Rabbit Hole Brewing
- Gold for 10/6 English Pale Ale (English pale ale)
- Bronze for Rapture Fusion Brown Ale (American brown ale)
903 Brewers
- Silver for Sasquatch (American stout)
Grapvine Craft Brewery
- Gold for Brewers Reserve Wee Heavy (Strong Scottish ale)
- Silver for Nightwatch Oatmeal Stout (Oatmeal stout)
Deep Ellum Brewing Co.
- Silver for Rye Pils (American lager/pilsner)
Lakewood Brewing Co.
In 2015, Lakewood Brewing Co. placed 2nd overall.
- Silver for Sin Mint Temptress (Experimental beer)
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the number of medals attained by D-FW breweries.
