Tennessee Championship of Beer (TNCB)

JOHNSON CITY, TN — On April 11, more than 19 local and regional breweries descended on Johnson City for the inaugural Tennessee Championship of Beer (TNCB) held in conjunction with the Thirsty Orange Brew Extravaganza. The TNCB was the first professional brewery competition held in the state of Tennessee. The format of the competition was similar in nature to the great American Beer Festival (GABF) in which beers are judged according to style and not against each other. The points awarded during judging determine if the beer is given a medal. Matt Raby of Knoxville, Tennessee was the competition organizer. Raby, a National BJCP judge said, “Being that this was our first year, it had a few frustrations, however, it definitely met my expectations.Over 30 judges of various ranks, including several Master level beer judges, assessed over 85 beers in various categories from pale ales to fruit beers. A testament to the quality of the competition and tuned palates of the judges, was the fact that only four beers attained enough points to be awarded a gold medal. They were Highland Brewing, Asheville, NC – Black Mocha Stout; RJ Rockers, Spartanburg, SC – Boy Genius; Saw Works, Knoxville, TN – Saw Works Brown Ale; and Thomas Creek Brewery, Greeneville, SC – Deepwater Dopplebock Lager. Aaron Carson of Superfly Fabulous Events, Founder of the Tri-Cities Craft Beer Week as well as the TNCB said, “We’ve had an explosion of craft breweries in this region and this is a way to recognize that quality”. Carson added, “We didn’t want a competition that pitted brewer against brewer but an event that let the beer lead and be judged to a standard”.Certainly, the standards were set high with three of the 19 brewery entrants garnering seven medals each. Thomas creek brewery outpaced the field with a solo gold, two silver and four bronze. But what set them apart was that they also won first and second (a gold medal with the Deepwater Doppelbock and silver medal with the Class Five IPA) in the Best of Show Round. Tom Davis, owner and head brewer at Thomas Creek said, “It’s always nice when you get a medal, although that’s not why we brew. I was certainly surprised that we had the two top beers in the best of show round. Speaking of the top beer in the competition, Davis added this about his Doppelbock, “I think it’s a really strong beer in terms of style, we work hard to make sure that it fits the parameters.”StudioBrew, established in 2011 and currently being housed in Kingsport, TN took home two silver and five bronze medals. They also had two beers in the best of show round. Head brewer Erich Allen, said “This was our first professional competition and we are extremely excited about our beer and the way they showed. We work very hard to create unique and flavorful beers, so this comp gives us a sort of street credibility now”. Allen, a former photographer and marketing guru has found a niche in not only aging his beers in bourbon and wine barrels but using them in the initial fermentations as well. Allen, echoed again, “we do work hard and when you have people in your lines from the start to the end of theses festivals, we feel we are doing something right”.A local Tri-Cities, TN/VA favorite, Wolf Hills brewing Co. of Abingdon, VA took home three silver and 4 bronze medals from the TNCB. Head brewer, Drake Scott said, “This will certainly help put some perspective on us and our beers. The more medals with our name on it will excite some people”. Wolf Hills has garnered medals in the past. Most notably in the 2013 Virginia Craft Brewers Competition in which both his Amber Ale and Belgian Tripel grabbed Gold. Scott added, “We’re very critical of all the beers we produce. We’re excited to have this competition available to us”.