Washington, DC was shut out of medals at the Great American Beer Festival for the second year in a row, but it’s possible that Atlas Brew Works was the only brewery in the District to submit beers for judging; this was the case last year and the year before. Thus, let’s turn to a brewery 3 blocks away from the DC line in Maryland. Silver Spring’s Silver Branch Brewing Company took gold in the Czech-Style Pale Lager category for Glass Castle, besting 125 other entries. “We use Czech malt and hops, use reverse osmosis to emulate the soft water prevalent in the Bohemia region, and the beer is traditionally decocted and step mashed for the soft, bready malt flavor characteristic of the style,” Silver Branch co-founder and CEO Christian Layke tells us.
“We’ve been serving it on Lukr faucets in the Silver Spring taproom using the proper methods since 2019. Back then we actually had to import the towers because there were no conversion kits available for US systems at the time,” adds co-founder and COO Brett Robison. “It’s the only beer we have continually produced since our opening in 2019.” As the brewery expands, beer production is moving to Rockville, so it’s a fitting send off for the Silver Spring location; that space will focus more on events and the taproom and kitchen. This isn’t Layke’s first medal for a Czech-style pilsner. He used to brew at the now-closed Gordon Biersch in Rockville, not too far from the new brewery. Silver Branch head brewer Jonathan Reeves medaled for a German-style pilsner when he was at Port City.
Keeping it Montgomery County, a pair of breweries took silver in a special Collaboration Competition category (68 entries). La Lumbre, from Waredaca Brewing Co. and Mayan Monkey Brewing Co. is a smoked Helles-style lager, so you know the DC Beer crew will be heading up MD-355 to check that out. Elsewhere in Maryland, if you don’t mind a longer drive or MARC train ride, Frederick’s Monocacy Brewing Company won bronze for Riot Rye in the Rye Beers category (36 entries), and Baltimore’s Union Craft Brewing took silver for Old Pro Gose, a staple on menus in the DMV, in the German Sour Beer category (30 entries).
Moving back to the DC burbs, Hyattsville’s Franklin’s earned bronze for Treetop in the Kellerbier or Zwickelbier category (61 entries). It’s an impressive feat for the brewpub because many larger production breweries, like those mentioned above, are able to utilize canning lines to make sure that their beers are well-packaged and presented at the festival. Franklin’s doesn’t have that luxury; every beer they bottle comes off of a two-head machine, meaning that only two bottles can be filled at a time. Head brewer Jeff Hancock was ready for the competition; he manually pre-purged each bottle he sent to GABF, removing oxygen that might damage his beer. He then set the bottle filler to its longest carbon dioxide cycling time to further eliminate oxygen and ensure that the beer was well-presented, especially important for a beer that is naturally carbonated. “That’s one of the benefits of having a small operation where details like this can be followed specifically for competition beers,” he tells us.
But you want to hear about the beer. “I was able to source German-grown Perle wet hops. They are preserved through a proprietary process at a small manufacturer that allowed me to brew with them well outside of the normal 48 hour window that we’re accustomed to with American wet hop beers. It’s a testament to making a beer that much better when you’re able to brew with the freshest ingredients possible and having that translate into the final product. The beer was then fermented and naturally carbonated through traditional German spunding techniques.” It’s available at Franklin’s in bottles and on tap. While you’re there, check out the ice cream parlor, which opened last week.
Next up, Virginia. Vienna’s Caboose Brewing Co. won two medals, a gold for Caboose Altbier in that category (38 entries) and silver for Boxcar Brown (49 entries). We’ve had our share of Boxcar Brown over the years, now it’s time to visit this altbier. It also wouldn’t be a GABF if Sweetwater Tavern didn’t win a medal; the Sterling restaurant took silver in the German-Style Maerzen category, which had 161 entries. A Sweetwater property has now medalled in nine of the last ten years, a most impressive feat. Slightly further afield, Stafford’s Barely Naked Brewing Co. took bronze for Irish Prenup stout in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category (33 entries).
One Virginia beer you might have trouble getting your hands on that medaled is Mieza Blendery’s A Host of Delights, a mixed fermentation beer with plums. It took bronze in the Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer category (52 entries), and is (was?) only available via the Alexandria brewery’s membership program. “Anyone interested in trying the best Mieza beers should strongly consider signing up,” Mieza’s founder, owner, and brewer Alex Lynch tells us. “We currently have a waitlist up for the 2026 season and will open up enrollment at the beginning of the year.” As for the beer, Lynch notes that it’s a “delicate expression [of plums] so I’m glad it was able to be appreciated within a flight” of beers in that category. Mieza’s beer made it to GABF thanks to neighboring Port City, which serves as an area logistics and distribution point for other area breweries’ beers sent to the festival.
In trends that are not great for the beer business, 8,315 beers and ciders from 1,555 entrants were evaluated at the 2025 GABF, continuing a decline in participation. The 2024 Great American Beer Festival saw 8,836 beers judged, down from 9,298 beers in 2023 and 9,904 in 2022. In 2024 1,869 breweries & cideries competed, but in 2023 it was 2,033 breweries and 2022 saw 2,154 breweries. On the plus side, all 50 states and DC were represented in the competition and we at DC Beer extend our hearty congratulations to the winners.
