2 Michigan breweries win medals at 2024 Great American Beer Festival

Two Michigan craft beers were honored at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival last week in Denver.

Wobbly Traveler, from St. Joseph-based Silver Harbor Brewing Co., took home a gold medal in the Scotch Ale category, the only Michigan beer to win gold this year. Coming in at 9% alcohol by volume, Wobbly Traveler is "packed with caramel malts and roasted barley," giving it a sweet, malty character with hints of raisin.

Earlier this year, Wobbly Traveler took bronze in the 2024 World Beer Cup competition, also in the Scotch Ale category.

It's the first gold medal for a Michigan beer in the annual Great American Beer Festival competition since 2022, when two beers took home gold.

Bourbon Maple Wishes and Pecan Dreams, a bourbon barrel-aged porter from Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, won a silver medal in the Experimental Beer category. It's brewed with real maple syrup and pecans to give it sweet yet nutty notes to complement the chocolate, vanilla and oak notes. It's a hefty 12% ABV.

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About 9,000 beers and ciders across the country were entered into the Great American Beer Festival competition, with 273 breweries and cideries earning 326 medals, according to the Brewers Association, which hosts the competition in partnership with the American Cider Association. Judging occurred in three phases over seven days, and included brewery entries from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.