Strangebird is Awarded a Bronze Medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival® Competition
Bird Light Yuzu is recognized as one of the best brews in the nation at the nation’s largest professional beer competition
Rochester, NY • October 14, 2024 — Strangebird earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival (GABF®) competition, hosted and presented by the Brewers Association.
In the 2024 competition, beers and ciders spanning 107 categories and 175 different styles (including all subcategories) were judged meticulously by 285 judges over 7 days. Awards presented during the Great American Beer Festival competition are considered coveted symbols of brewing excellence globally, and brews that receive an award are considered the most excellent representation of their style category.
Strangebird was recognized in the American Fruit Beer beer-style category for its Bird Light Yuzu, an American Lager fruited with Yuzu. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit that adds notes of orange, lemon, and lime to the beer. Strangebird is a 800-barrel brewpub located in Rochester, NY that prides itself in being both an award-winning brewery and an award-winning restaurant.
“Bird Light Yuzu is a favorite of the brewers here at Strangebird, nothing beats a crisp Bird Light Yuzu after a hot day in the brew house,” said Micah Krichinsky, founder and brewer at Strangebird. “We are honored this beer was recognized by the judges at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival and proud to represent Rochester and the New York brewing community.”
Strangebird’s GABF bronze comes on the heels of winning bronze for Unfettered Soul in the Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale category at the 2024 World Beer Cup. In addition, Strangebird won multiple awards at 2024’s New York State Craft Beer Competition, including Best Collaboration Beer for Breaking Bird, Gold for Portuguese Squeeze (Barrel Aged, Non-Sour), and Silver for Breaking Bird (Wild and Sour Ales). At the 2022 New York State Craft Beer Competition, Strangebird took home the Brewery of the Year award.
Thanks to a panel of 285 professional judges from around the world and over 250 volunteers, the Great American Beer Festival competition analyzed 9,216 entries over two phases and 7 days. The 2024 competition saw entries from 1869 breweries and cideries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
“The Great American Beer Festival competition recognizes greatness in innovation and craftsmanship from brewers all over the country, and the Brewers Association takes great pride in crowning one winner from each category as ‘Best in Class,’” remarked Chris Williams, competition director for the Brewers Association. “The Brewers Association is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of this year's winners.”
The 2024 medals were unveiled during an intimate ceremony held at the Bellco Theatre in Denver on Saturday, October 12, 2024, as part of the Great American Beer Festival. The ceremony was live streamed via The Brewing Network. For more information on the Great American Beer Festival competition, including a complete 2024 winners list and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.
About Strangebird
Opened in 2021, Strangebird is an award-winning brewery and restaurant in Rochester, New York, brewing 800 bbls of beer per year. Micah Krichinsky, Founder and Brewer, has 15 years’ experience, previously working at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and is a graduate of U.C. Davis’ Master Brewer’s program. Eric Salazar, Director of Wood Aged Beers, has 25 years of experience creating award winning beer aged in oak barrels, and helped pioneer the Wood Aged Beer program at New Belgium Brewing Company. Strangebird is a place to bring folks of all feathers together in a modern, approachable, comfortable, and accepting environment. A place where you can drink award-winning, hand-crafted beers and eat made-from-scratch food.