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Saturday, August 23, 2014

VISIT WITH THE BREWERS WHO MAKE THE BEST AMERICAN STYLE STRONG PALE ALE IN THE WORLD


Judged the best in its class at the recent 2014 World Cup of Beer
KILLING IT SINCE 1996--Earlier this month, Coronado Brewing Company commemorated 18 years of brewing excellence with an 18th anniversary party recently held at the company’s tasting room on Knoxville Street in San Diego.  There was a lot to celebrate because it has been a banner year for the brewery, especially so because the brewer netted a Gold award for their Islander IPA from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver, CO. 

It also captured a Silver for Old Scallywag in addition to garnering a first ever medal (silver) for its Black Sails IPA in the American-Style Black Ale category.
Rick and Ron Chapman, founders
And at the World Beer Cup, Coronado also triumphed as the champion among mid-size brewers, as it received the highly coveted Champion Brewery/Champion Brewmaster Award, arguably the most prestigious award in craft brewing.

Drawing the highest number of entries to date, this edition of the World Beer Cup saw 4,754 beers from 1,403 breweries representing 58 countries—a 21 percent increase in the number of entries from the 2012 World Beer Cup, which had 3,921 entries.

Brewers from five continents earned awards from an elite international panel of judges at this tenth biennial competition, with brewers from 22 countries—ranging from Australia and Brazil to Taiwan and the United Kingdom—honored. Judges awarded 281 out of 282 total possible awards, reflecting the chance for one gold, one silver and one bronze award in each of 94 beer style categories.

This year’s event was particularly competitive; the proportion of winning breweries winning one or more awards was 18 percent, compared to 27 percent in 2012. There was a 75.6 percent increase in breweries competing this year versus 2012, which had 799 breweries that entered beers in the competition. A total of 253 breweries took home awards in 2014, a 16.6 percent increase over 2012.

Champion Brewery/Champion Brewmaster Awards  (Highest Awards)

Small Brewing Company Category

Pelican Brewery

Mid-Size Brewing Company Category

Coronado Brewing Company

Best Individual IPA Award

Category:
American-Style Strong Pale Ale, 97 Entries

Gold: Islander IPA, Coronado Brewing Co., Coronado, CA

Silver: Hops, Haven Brewing, Pasadena, CA

Bronze: Overboard IPA, Big Island Brewhaus, Kamuela, HI

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

In 1996, brothers Ron and Rick Chapman realized a long-time dream and got ahead of the craft brew curve in a big way, opening a brewpub in the heart of their hometown of Coronado.

Back then, craft beer was still a foreign term and San Diego County was home to a mere handful of breweries, most of which were struggling to find their identity. The Chapmans had no question about who they wanted to be. Their clear-cut mission was to celebrate their islander roots through the creation of exceptional beer. And with those noble ideals, Coronado Brewing Company was born.

In no time, CBC became the pride and joy of the Crown City behind an assortment of abundantly hoppy West Coast-style ales. That early success drove them to start distributing their beer outside the brewpub. They didn’t go far for their first sale, delivering a keg to historic hometown icon The Hotel Del Coronado. From there, slowly yet steadily, CBC’s fine, hand-crafted beers trickled into the local market where they fast became favorites amid San Diego’s burgeoning beer scene.

That trickle swelled to a steady stream in 2003, when CBC struck up a relationship with a local craft distribution company. This development allowed even more beer enthusiasts to get a taste and gain an affinity for their Coronado Golden, Mermaid Red and Islander IPA. That increased demand drove an expansion in 2006 that tripled the size of CBC’s brewhouse and raised fermenter capacity by 260 barrels.

By 2010, CBC was brewing about 5,000 barrels of beer per year, allowing them to expand their reach beyond California. Out-of-state accounts embraced core beers and new varieties like the citrus-laced Orange Avenue Wit and hop-hammered Idiot IPA to the point where, even after all the expansion, CBC still couldn’t produce enough beer to meet an ever-increasing demand.

That problem was solved in 2012, when CBC grew their empire, building a brand new 30-barrel brewhouse in a 22,000 square foot building on Knoxville St. in San Diego’s Tecolote Canyon area. The Knoxville production facility will eventually provide enough space for an overall annual capacity of 60,000 barrels, provided increased space for their expanded barrel-aging program and gave CBC fans on the mainland a tasting room at which to wrap their palates around even more innovative beer styles.


OPERATIONS DETAILS:
Coronado Brewing Company/Brew Pub
170 ORANGE AVENUE
CORONADO, CA 92118 (619) 437-4452
info@coronadobrewing.com Sun-Thu: 10:30am - 9pm
Fri-Sat: 10:30am - 10pm
Happy Hour M-F: 2-6pm

Tasting Room
1205 KNOXVILLE ST
SAN DIEGO, CA 92110 (619) 275-2215
info@coronadobrewing.com Sun-Thurs: 11am - 9pm
Fri & Sat: 11am - 9:30pm
Happy Hour M-F: 1-6pm


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