Earth Rider Brewery was awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. The Superior brewery was recognized in the Coffee Beer category for its Duluth Coffee Pale Ale, a mildly hopped pale crafted using single-farm sourced beans roasted by Duluth Coffee Company.

Ursa Minor Brewing of Duluth also brought home a medal. Its Thistle Dew won the bronze medal in the Scottish-Style Ale category.

The awards, presented by the Brewers Association, recognize the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded on Oct. 5 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver in 107 beer categories covering 174 different beer styles. A group of 322 beer experts evaluated the 9,497 entries from 2,295 breweries.

Last year Bent Paddle Brewing won its second gold medal at the festival when its saison took the top honor in the Classic Saison category. In 2017 Bent Paddle took home a gold medal for its 14° ESB in the Extra Special Bitter category. The same beer took a silver medal in 2015 and a bronze in 2014.

Fitger’s Brewhouse is also a past Great American Beer Festival medal winner, taking home a silver in the German-style Dopplebock or Eisbock category in 2015 for its Procrastination Dopplebock, a bronze in the American-Style Sour Ale category in 2012 for its Fitger’s Framboise and another bronze in the French- and Belgian-Style Saison category in 2004 for its Farm House Reserve.