04/23/2025
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ค๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ & ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ
On Saturday, April 12, more than 2,000 festivarians attended the Hickory Hops beer festival in downtown Hickory, NC, to enjoy beer, camaraderie, and cool, sunny weather. The 21st annual beer fest, featuring craft brewed beer from 48 breweries, was the reason for the assembly and a good time to recognize over 100 medalists and three Best of Show winners in the 18th Carolinas Championship of Beer.
The CCB started with craft brewed beer. Each Hickory Hops brewery participant is encouraged to send bottled or canned beer in for judging. Three weeks prior to the festival, over 60 volunteers gathered at Olde Hickory Brewery to judge the unmarked beers for adherence to specific category characteristics. The beers, which totaled 178 entries from 31 breweries, were judged in 171 styles and sub-styles. When the first round finished 3 hours later, 33 beers had scored gold medals. 38 silver and 44 bronze winners were also identified.
For CCB round two, a smaller group of certified judges convened to determine the best of the gold medal beers. Called the Best of Show round, after two hours of tasting and deliberation, three beers were identified as the best of the best.
Announced during Saturdayโs Hickory Hops beer festival, here are the ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ:
๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ญ, ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐. No stranger to CCB Awards, Ackerman and his Morganton brewery previously won 2023โs 1st place trophy for Belgian-style Florere, a pink, dry, slightly tart cherry ale.
๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ค๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฒ.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ ๐
๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐, ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐. Head brewer Corey Bryson was on hand to pour samples of the luscious Brown, while it lasted.
Proceeds from this yearโs CCB will be donated to the North Carolina Brewers Guild for use promoting the Stateโs 450+ craft breweries.
Photo: (left to right) 3rd Place BOS: Balsam Falls Brewing assistant brewer Rob Bolick; 2nd Place BOS: Olde Hickory Brewery brewmaster Steven Lyerly; 1st Place BOS: Sidetracked Brewing brewmaster Joseph Ackerman; Bobby Bush, competition manager.
