The Scoop: Kräftig and Morgan Street win big at U.S. Open Beer Championships

Cheers to William K Busch Brewing Co., and Morgan Street Brewery for their successes at the U.S. Open Beer Championship earlier this month in Atlanta.

Busch’s Kräftig Lager Light won its third consecutive gold medal in the American light category, while its heartier sibling, Kräftig Lager, brought home the gold for American premium lager. Morgan Street brought home gold for its Black Bear dark lager in the Schwarzbier category, it took silver and bronze, respectively, for its When Helles Freezes Over and Golden Pilsner in the Light Munchner Helles and Bohemian Pilsener categories.

More than 3,000 beers and ciders were entered across 81 categories at the U.S. Open Beer Championship, which is the only beer competition to include both professional breweries and home brewers.

Billy Busch, president and CEO of William K Busch Brewing, said it was an honor to have won the award once again. “In the industry we’re in, there is so much competition against both giants of industry and smaller breweries,” he said. “To win the gold in both categories is a true tribute to our company, our brewmaster Marc Gottfried, and the way we brew our beers. It keeps us going, and we feel very good about what we have offer to St. Louis.”

This article appears in Readers’ Choice 2014.