PIVO Brewery wins Gold and Bronze Medals at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival®

Posted: October 7, 2019

PIVO Brewery recognized for brewing excellence at world’s largest commercial beer competition.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a gold and bronze medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition, the world’s largest commercial beer competition. The GABF, presented by the Brewers Association, recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded on October 5 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, in 107 beer categories covering 174 different beer styles (including all subcategories), establishing the best examples of each style in the country.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a Gold Medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Old Balltown Dark Chocolate Milk Stout. This beer has deep and complex dark chocolate flavors blended with salted caramel. It is aged on bourbon barrels for several months to mellow the flavors and add some vanilla and bourbon accents from the oak barrel.

PIVO Brewery was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Historic Beer category for its Decorah Nordic Gruit. This traditional Scandinavian style of beer is brewed with no bittering hops. Juniper berries, rosemary, bay leaf, black walnuts and toasted caraway seed are the Nordic style beer flavorings that make this a truely unique beer.

PIVO Brewery is a 15 barrel microbrewery located in Calmar, Iowa that strives to make a large variety of different beers and ciders. Their brewery taproom in Calmar has 40 taps that are typically serving over 35 different PIVO made beverages. They are the only brewery in Iowa co-located with a commercial art studio (Blepta Studios) that teaches classes and produces art for sale. PIVO Brewery is currently building an event center onto their brewery that will have a 350 person seating capacity. Craig and Sara Neuzil of Calmar are the owners of PIVO Brewery and Blepta Studios.

Additional Photos