If you find yourself occasionally overwhelmed by the sheer volume of craft beer tap handles at your favorite neighborhood bar or restaurant, imagine being one of the judges last weekend in Bend, Oregon where more than 2,000 craft brews came under the microscope in the 2018 Best of Craft Beer Awards competition. Talk about a daunting task! At least Jay Fettig of North Pier Brewing and his head brewer Steve Distasio can be happy those judges took time to sort through it all. They emerged as a Gold Medal winner for their Buckrider, a Belgian IPA.
North Pier’s Buckrider had stiff competition with more than 2,000 entries the weekend of January 26th to 28th as professional brewers and judges descended on the picturesque beer & ski town of Bend, Oregon for the competition. Breweries of all sizes, from nearly every state in the union, as well as Columbia, Canada and Belgium dispatched more than 10,000 containers of their finest product for evaluation based on a combined 156 specific beer styles.
While North Pier’s Buckrider took the Gold in their category, only two other Michigan breweries scored a medal in the intense competition.
Brewer Steve Distasio says, “We’re pumped to have won a gold medal for Buckrider.” He notes, “We launched Buckrider as one of our flagship beers back in 2016 and it’s always been a taproom favorite. It’s a great feeling to have it recognized by the beer judges, especially with all the great beer that was entered into this competition.”
Buckrider is a hop-forward Belgian-American hybrid with a burnt orange hue. American hops give off huge peach aromas and are backed by the fruity, apricot character of the Belgian yeast. Distasio says “This devilish blend is named after the Buckriders of Northern Belgium, a gang of ghosts that soar through the sky on the backs of flying goats.”
Buckrider won in the American-Belgo-Style Ale category. Roak Brewing Company of Royal Oak won a Gold Medal for their Live Wire, an English-Style Summer Ale, Pale Ale or India Pale Ale Category topper. The Cedar Springs Brewing Company picked up a Bronze Medal in the Irish-Style Dry Stout or Export Stout Category for their Eire.
Jay Fettig, North Pier owner, says, “I’m proud of Steve and the rest of the brewing team for winning a gold medal. They work extremely hard all year and it’s exciting to read that list of winners and see our name right there with them.”
North Pier recently added six 45 Barrel outdoor fermenters and an off-premise storage facility to increase their total capacity from 800 Barrels per year to 4,000 Barrels per year.
North Pier Brewing Company can be found on draft and in cans at restaurants, bars, and craft beer retailers throughout Southwest Michigan, including in Berrien County, Holland, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids as well as in Lansing and Detroit.
North Pier offers a rotation of mainstay beers and limited varieties at its Benton Harbor taproom located at 670 North Shore Drive.
For more information, you can visit them online at this link: http://www.NorthPierBrewing.com
Fettig opened North Pier Brewing in May of 2016. With Distasio at the brewing helm, North Pier salutes “Those Who Wander,” by exploring the unique traditions of European style ales with the Great Lakes community. The family-friendly taproom and outdoor beer garden is located less than a mile from the Lake Michigan shore and features a dozen rotating beers on tap, enjoyable by glass on-site or in to-go growlers and cans.
