Two of Utah’s standout local breweries, Salt Lake City’s Squatters and Park City’s Wasatch, both received gold medals recently at the 2010 Brewers Association World Beer Cup — the world's largest commercial beer competition. These awards not only highlight the achievements and growth of Salt Lake's brew pubs, but they are also a welcome reminder of last year's sweeping reforms of the state’s liquor laws, which included the elimination of the state's private club system.
"We congratulate Squatters and Wasatch and are thrilled with their success," said Scott Beck, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Long-time visitors and residents knew that our liquor laws were more of a perceived barrier to getting a drink in Utah, but that perception was often reality to many meeting professionals and potential visitors, sometimes taking [our state] out of the running altogether. The [recent liquor law] changes have enhanced Salt Lake's meeting and tourism product, putting us in an incredible position when considering the many other attributes of Salt Lake."
While Salt Lake has long been home to numerous brew pubs featuring top-notch brew masters, Squatters and Wasatch have recently taken the lead in quality. Wasatch's dark, medium-bodied ale, Polygamy Porter, medaled in the Session Beer Category, one of the fastest growing categories at the competition with 28 entries. It is Polygamy Porter's second World Beer Cup medal and Wasatch Beers' fifth.
Squatters' German lager, Black Forest Schwarzbier, medaled in the German-Style Schwarzbier category against an imposing 38 entries. This is Squatters' ninth medal from the prestigious event and Black Forest Schwarzbiers' second.
Brewers from six continents earned awards from an international panel of judges during the World Beer Cup. This year, 642 breweries from 44 countries and 47 U.S. states vied for awards with 3,330 beers entered in 90 beer style categories.
World Beer Cup
www.worldbeercup.org
