This year, I had the great privilege of judging for the North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW). I was in the Travel Writing category and I am not going to bury the lede, here are the full winners:
Best Beer and Travel Writing
Honorable Mention
Em Sauter: “Share What You Have — A Visit to John Stoner’s Richmond, Virginia,” Good Beer Hunting
Third Place
Megan Eaves: “Life Stays Close to the River — Solar Beer and Wildebeest in the Serengeti,” Good Beer Hunting
Second Place
Ryan Pachmeyer: “Where Kölsch Night is Every Night,” Craft Beer & Brewing
First Place
Sorrel Moseley-Williams: “Interpreting the Andes — Carlos Barroso in Pachar, Peru,” Good Beer Hunting
For me, Em Sauter’s piece would have ranked higher but the three winners were super interesting glimpses outside the U.S. brewing world.
Here are the other 1st place winners:
Best Commentary or Criticism
Dave Infante: “Hop Take – The Cowardly King of Beers Bends the Knee to Bigots,” VinePair
Best Short Form Writing
Ashley Joanna: “The Conservator,” Belgian Smaak
Best Beer and Food Writing
Lana Svitankova: “Sour, Salty, Umami — The Ukrainian Brewers Transforming Pickling Traditions Into Beer,” Good Beer Hunting
Best Beer Review
David Nilsen: “In the Understory: Primitive Beer’s Frosted in Moss,” Final Gravity Zine
Best Historical Writing
Kevin Kain: “Mexican Lager: History and Appropriation,” Casket Beer
Best Beer Blog or Newsletter
Beth Demmon: Prohibitchin’
Best Technical Beer Writing
Jeff Alworth: “Cold IPA is a Technique, Not a Style,” Beervana
Best Brewery Profile
Anaïs LeCoq: “The Art of Vinifying Grains — Brasserie Ammonite in Burgundy, France,” Good Beer Hunting
Best Business Writing
Aaron Goldfarb: “The Most Important Company in Craft Beer Makes Marshmallow Extract,” VinePair
Best Local Reporting
Jerard Fagerberg: “Oops, Minnesota Accidentally Legalized THC-Spiked Seltzer,” Vice
Best National or International Beer Reporting
Mark LaFaro: “Tapped Out — The Problematic Culture of Overdrinking When You Work in Alcohol,” Good Beer Hunting
Best Beer Book
Clint Lanier: “Ted Mack and America’s First Black-Owned Brewery: The Rise and Fall of People’s Beer”