STEVENS POINT, WIS. (July 16, 2015) – Stevens Point Brewery’s extensive collection of beer medals grew again at the annual U.S. Open Beer Championship. The annual competition’s expert judges awarded the craft brewer a Gold medal for Whole Hog Espresso Stout, Silver medals for Point Special Lager and JP’s Casper White Stout, and four Bronze medals.

Proof that coffee and beer are made for each other, Whole Hog Espresso Stout won the top award in the Coffee Beer category. Brewed with whole Sumatra coffee beans and a special proprietary blend of espresso beans supplied by Milwaukee’s Valentine Coffee Roasters, the year-round beer is available in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft wherever Whole Hog products are sold.

Point Special Lager won the American Premium Lager category’s Silver medal. It’s a repeat for Point’s flagship beer, a classic, full-bodied American-style lager that also won the Silver in the category at the 2012 U.S. Open Beer Championship.

JP’s Casper White Stout received Silver in the Experimental Beer category. This amber-colored brew from Point’s James Page family of beers is aged for two weeks with coffee beans and cocoa nibs to create its classic stout roasted character. Available only in six-packs of 12-ounce cans and on draft, JP’s Casper White Stout’s authentic stout flavor is enhanced by hints of white chocolate imparted by the cocoa nibs.

The judges in the popular annual competition sponsored by BeerInfo.com also bestowed the following medals:

• Ciderboys First Press, a traditional hard cider, won Bronze in the English Cider category, one of eight categories in the U.S. Beer Open Championship’s hard-cider judging, now in its second year. First Press is available year round in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles, 12-packs of convenient 12-ounce cans, and on draft.
• Ciderboys Grand Mimosa, an unexpected blend of pure orange juice and apple cider, was awarded Bronze in the Fruit Cider category. A winter seasonal made with California oranges and cider from fresh Washington State apples, Grand Mimosa’s tempting orange hue is nearly identical to the classic grand mimosa cocktail combining champagne with orange juice
• JP’s Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter, a traditional sweet porter, earned the Bronze medal in the Herb and Spice Beer category. After fermentation, JP’s Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter is infused with a chai tea blend from India, where a “dhaba” is a truckstop-style roadside restaurant. Like JP’s Casper White Stout, JP’s Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter is available only in six-packs and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans and on draft.
• Point Premium Root Beer earned the Bronze medal in the Non-Alcoholic Root Beer category for the second year in a row. Made with 100% real sugar, Point Premium Root Beer is handcrafted in small batched with pure Wisconsin water, genuine Wisconsin honey and all-natural vanilla. Rich, creamy and caffeine free, Point Premium Root Beer is available in four-packs of 12-ounce non-returnable bottles.

U.S. Open Beer Championship

Like the Stevens Point Brewery’s medal collection, the U.S. Open Beer Championship also is growing. This year’s competition in Oxford, Ohio, featured nearly 4,000 beers and ciders in 85 categories, up from 700 beers and ciders in 50 categories in 2010.

The championship held every Fourth of July is actually an international event. In addition to U.S. and Canadian brewers, this year’s event attracted entries from Australia, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, England, Finland Germany, Mexico, Scotland, Sweden and Venezuela.

“To participate in a premiere, high-profile beer event like the U.S. Open Beer Championship is a privilege,” said Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner medals. “To win medals, especially a gold one, in head-to-head competition with many exceptional entries from around the world is an honor that reaffirms our commitment to brewing the finest handcrafted specialty beers and ciders. The U.S. Open Beer Championship is a celebration of craft brewing, and the recognition our handcrafted beers and ciders gain from participating and winning is priceless.”

At last year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship, Point won Gold medals for Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale and Ciderboys Peach County hard cider, Silver for Ciderboys First Press and Bronze for Point Premium Root Beer.

Stevens Point Brewery

Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew its handcrafted beers. Year-round beers include Point Special Lager; Point Onyx Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale; Point Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a golden ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager; and Point Beyond the Pale IPA, a robust, hoppy India Pale Ale.

Year-round products also include the Whole Hog Limited Edition “big beers:” Whole Hog Espresso Stout, Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale and Whole Hog Scotch Ale. Seasonal brews include Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, Whole Hog Barley Wine Ale and Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale.

The brewery’s seasonal beers include Point Coast Radler, a thirst-quenching mix of beer and natural citrus flavors for the summer; Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, a refreshing, award-winning unfiltered wheat ale; Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall; St. Benedict’s Winter Ale for the winter and Point Apricadabra, an apricot ale, for the spring.

Point also brews four year-round IPAs available only in its IPA variety 12-pack: Point Spruce Tip IPA, sweetened with Colorado blue spruce tips; Point Peach Mango IPA, a lively, fruity ale; Point White IPA, a golden brew flavored with Japanese Sorachi Ace hops; and Point One Shot IPA, a series of limited-edition brews featuring different hop varieties and malts in each batch.

Point also brews four unique James Page specialty beers sold only in convenient 12-ounce cans: A Cappella Gluten-free Pale Ale, Casper White Stout, Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter and Healani Pineapple Hefeweizen.

Ciderboys Cider Co. hard ciders blend unexpected fresh fruit flavors with apple cider. In addition to First Press and Grand Mimosa, Ciderboys’ products include Raspberry Smash, alive with the tartness of raspberries; Strawberry Magic, a blend of fresh strawberries and apple cider; winter seasonal Mad Bark, made with natural cinnamon; fall seasonal Cranberry Road, a pairing of apple cider and cranberries; and seasonals Pineapple Hula, made with fresh Hawaiian pineapple, and Peach County, which combines pure peach flavor with apple cider.

In addition to Point Premium Root Beer, Point’s gourmet soda lineup also produces Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda.

For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, visit www.pointbeer.com or call (715) 344-9310. Tours of the brewery are available, with schedules listed on the Web site.