The world’s largest professional beer competition recognizes the brewery’s She Fancies Herself A Little Bit French in the Saison category
CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing was awarded a gold medal for She Fancies Herself A Little Bit French in the saison beer-style category at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, hosted and presented by the Brewers Association®. The beer, She Fancies Herself A Little Bit French, is the second collaboration with Mark from The Brew Crew in Denver. Notably, about 85 percent of the total grain bill for this exquisite beer was sourced from the outstanding Root Shoot guys, with their locally grown malt harvested less than 20 miles away from CooperSmith’s.
This award-winning saison, fruited with sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir grapes, is hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Mandarina Bavaria and Saaz hops, fermented with a traditional saison yeast, and then naturally carbonated. The name comes from Mark’s good family friend with French heritage, a scientist named Theresa who enjoys rose wine, in honor of strong women scientists everywhere.
“This marks our second collaboration with Mark from The Brew Crew, and we couldn’t be more proud of the result. The reception and sales of this beer have been nothing short of phenomenal,” says Chris McComb, head brewer at CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing.
Medals presented during the Great American Beer Festival competition are globally acknowledged as emblems of brewing excellence and remain among the most sought-after accolades within the brewing community. In the 2023 competition, top-tier brews spanning 99 beer categories across 175 different beer styles (including all subcategories) received prestigious gold, silver and bronze medals. These coveted awards were unveiled during an intimate ceremony held at the Bellco Theatre in Denver on Saturday, Sept. 23, as part of the Great American Beer Festival. The ceremony was live-streamed via The Brewing Network, ensuring worldwide access to this celebration of brewing excellence.
The Great American Beer Festival is possible in part thanks to a professional judge panel comprising of 250 judges from around the world, as well as more than 300 volunteers. Throughout three phases over nine days, more than 9,200 entries were evaluated from 2,033 breweries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
“The Great American Beer Festival competition serves as a platform for the finest brews from around the world to undergo rigorous scrutiny to earn the title of ‘the best of the best,’” says Chris Williams, competition director of the Great American Beer Festival. “The beer community’s unwavering commitment to pushing the frontiers of innovation and quality is truly commendable. The Brewers Association takes great pride in recognizing the achievements of this year’s victors.”
For more information on the Great American Beer Festival competition, including a complete 2023 winners list and photos, visit greatamericanbeerfestival.com.