Brink Named 2019 Very Small Brewing Company Of The Year, Takes Home Two GABF Gold Medals

Brink Brewing was named 2019 Very Small Brewing Company of the Year by the Brewers Association at the 33rd annual Great American Beer Festival® awards ceremony after receiving gold medals for two of its most decorated beers in the competition.

Hold the Reins was awarded gold in the English-style Mild Ale category that had 40 entries. This classic “session ale” is full flavored with moderate sweetness, and a bit nutty with a touch of caramel. Chocolate and roast notes give way to a dry finish. This beer, which was originally one of Brink Brewing Head Brewer Kelly Montgomery’s home brew recipes, was awarded a gold medal in 2017 and a silver in 2018 in the same category. “I have been tweaking that recipe for the last decade as new and better ingredients have become available,” he says. “It was always the house beer on tap.”

Moozie, a rich Milk Stout, was awarded gold in the Sweet or Cream Stout category that had 67 entries. Like a chocolate milkshake without the straw, it features chocolate and coffee notes and is almost chewy thanks to the addition of lactose and flaked oats. Moozie is a family namesake, named after Molly (Brink owners John and Kelly’s sister). Their Uncle Jack— whose memory sparked their interest in the craft beer world and inspired the conception of Brink— always referred to her as Moozie. “We wanted to pay homage to both and a Milk Stout seemed fitting (moo!). It also helps that it’s one of Molly’s favorite styles. The first medal we received a few months after opening was for Moozie, and now she is our most decorated beer with 7 awards,” Montgomery says.

Moozie also boasts a bronze medal from the 2018 World Beer Cup®, silver at the inaugural Ohio Craft Brewers Cup earlier this year, and a gold medal from the 2018 Great American Beer Festival.

Brink Brewing is the first brewing company in Great American Beer Festival history to be named Very Small Brewing Company two years back to back. This honor is a huge accomplishment for the brewery, which will celebrate its third anniversary early in 2020. “We went into this year thinking we could never top last year’s wins, so the magnitude of exceeding it this year is still sinking in!,” says Brink co-owner John McGarry. “We could not be more proud than to be part of elevating the Ohio beer scene into the top 5 in the US this year based on medals.”