Gainesville’s own Swamp Head Brewery hopped its way to a gold medal at the World Beer Cup last week.
The brewery’s Smoke Signal, a robust smoked porter that sells for $12 per 750-milliliter bottle, won first place in the smoke beer category at the biennial competition, receiving its award Friday in Denver.
The competition, often referred to as “the Olympics of beer,” brought judges from 31 countries to sample beer from about 1,400 breweries from all over the world.
Smoke Signal was ranked first among 54 competitors in the smoke beer category, according to the World Beer Cup website.
Brandon Nappy, Swamp Head’s tactical marketing manager, said beers were judged based on how true they are to the flavor category.
“It was an amazing experience,” he said. “Literally, you’re in a room with all of the best brewers in the entire world.”
Although the team has returned from Denver, the medal hasn’t.
Nappy said they accidentally left it in the airport during a layover in Charlotte.
The brewery contacted airport personnel, who are shipping the medal to the brewery, he said.
The medal will join several other awards displayed above the bar, Nappy said. The most recent is 2014’s “Best Beer in Florida.”
“We’ve won statewide awards before, but this is our first internationally renowned award,” assistant bar manager Ryan Wakeland said.
The beer is made by burning wood chips under a malt of ingredients and smoking the malt at room temperature, he said.
“For a fan of dark beers, it’s a very delicious dessert beer,” Wakeland said. “Anyone that would be a fan of dark beer would definitely want to check it out.”
Gainesville resident Dan Riser, 40, drank beer outside the brewery Monday afternoon and said Smoke Signal surprised him.
“I did not think I would like it,” he said, “but it was excellent.”
Riser, a frequent customer of the brewery, said he likes Swamp Head because it’s local.
“They spend a lot of time with their beers,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 4/15/2014 under the headline "Local brewery scores at World Beer Cup"]
Sam Linhoff, 29, and Jake Lehn, 29, drink beer at Swamp Head Brewery on Monday afternoon. The brewery won a gold medal for its smoke beer, Smoke Signal, on Friday at the World Beer Cup.
