Squatters Hell’s Keep, produced by the Utah Brewers Cooperative, also earned top honors, beating 63 other entries in the Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale.
As the number of independent brewers continues to increase across the nation, the GABF competition gets tougher. This year there were 7,923 entries from 2,217 breweries in 50 states plus Washington, D.C. That is a 15 percent and 24 percent increase, respectively, from 2016.