Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Wins Gold at Great American Beer Festival
Texas Brewery’s Fancy Lawnmower Beer among the Favorites at Annual Competition
HOUSTON, Oct. 16, 2007 – Saint Arnold Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewery in Texas, is celebrating another important milestone: its first gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. Judges at the annual festival in Denver awarded Fancy Lawnmower Beer the gold medal in the German Style Kölsch/Köln Style Kölsch category.
The Great American Beer Festival featured the biggest selection of beers assembled at one time in the United States. More than 100 judges labored for three days to evaluate 2,793 beers and pick the best entries and top breweries during the 26th annual competition. Saint Arnold was one of more than 470 breweries that entered.
“We don’t consider this a competition as much as it is a confirmation from our peers that Saint Arnold Brewing is doing the right things, using the right ingredients and making some of the best beers in America,” said Brock Wagner, founder of Saint Arnold Brewing Company.
Introduced in 2000, Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Beer is the lightest beer from the Saint Arnold brew crew, but it is far from a light beer. This Kolsch-style ale is light and refreshing, yet has a pleasant maltiness that separates it from mass produced beers. The beer's name is a play on the homebrewers’ term for light beer.
“Life is too short to ever drink bland beer, even when you are hot and thirsty, so we created Fancy Lawnmower Beer,” said Wagner.
Fancy Lawnmower is a true German-style Kölsch. Saint Arnold uses multiple additions of German Hallertauer hops to achieve a floral aroma and German pils malt for a light yet sweet malty body. A special Kölsch yeast, an ale yeast that ferments at lager temperatures, results in a slightly fruity, clean flavor. It goes great with blackened fish, salads and grilled vegetables.
This year’s gold medal is the third time Fancy Lawnmower Beer has been recognized at the Great American Beer Festival. It won bronze medals in 2000 and 2006.
About Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Saint Arnold Brewing’s 10 brews are made and sold by the company's staff of 18 dedicated employees. The brewery was listed by USA Today as one of the “10 great places to see what’s brewing in beer.” It is located at 2522 Fairway Park Drive, and its brewery tour and tasting is offered every Saturday at 1 p.m. For more information on Saint Arnold's five year-round and five seasonal beers as well as root beer, log on to www.saintarnold.com.