Only one brewery secured four gold medals at this year’s Great American Beer Festival, a premier event in the brewing industry.

Highland Park Brewery achieved remarkable success at the Great American Beer Festival by winning gold medals for DDH Pillow and three additional beers.

Following a tasting session of the beers submitted by Highland Park Brewery for this year’s Great American Beer Festival, James Sullivan felt optimistic about the brewery’s chances of winning at least a couple of medals. However, as he tuned into the live stream of the competition’s award ceremony at the Bellco Theatre in Denver on Saturday, October 12, he was taken aback by the announcements.

Highland Park Brewery was declared the gold medal winner in one category, then another, then yet another, until finally they claimed a fourth.

“I was really anxious every time one of our beers was announced,” Sullivan, who serves as the marketing director for Highland Park Brewery, shared with me recently.

Highland Park Brewery in Los Angeles has been named the top brewery of 2024 by the Great American Beer Festival.

By the conclusion of the awards ceremony, Highland Park had secured gold medals for their American-style IPA (Competition), hazy imperial IPA (DDH Pillow), American-style lager (Baseball), and American-style pale ale (Timbo). The brewery was also honored as Brewery Group Brewery and Brewer of the Year. The Great American Beer Festival is recognized as one of the most esteemed competitions in the brewing industry. This year, over 8,800 beers were entered and evaluated through blind taste tests conducted by 285 expert judges. The competition recognizes 8 brewer of the year awards for breweries of varying sizes, yet Highland Park stood out as the only brewery of any category to take home four gold medals, making it the most awarded brewery for gold medals in 2024.

“The entire HPB brew team consistently aims to produce the finest product possible, and I couldn’t be happier to see their dedication rewarded in such a significant manner,” Sullivan remarked.

The brewery was established in 2014 by Bob and Tiff Kunz, who aimed to deliver the freshest and hoppiest beers to Los Angeles while also enhancing the local community through social and environmental responsibility, as noted by Sullivan.

“They created something remarkable with this company, and we’re all delighted to witness their years of hard work and commitment pay off like this,” Sullivan remarks.

Lager named Baseball played a key role in helping Highland Park achieve recognition as this year’s top brewery at the Great American Beer Festival competition.

Of the four categories in which Highland Park Brewery excelled, three were focused on hop-forward beers, which the team takes great pride in.

“Our goal is to produce a top-notch product, and a significant part of that involves not just perfecting our recipes, but also sourcing the finest ingredients from various hop farms and maltsters globally,” Sullivan states. “Our brewery is heavily influenced by sensory experiences, guiding us in determining how we envision the final taste of our beer, which in turn, influences the category we choose for that particular brew.”

This marks the third consecutive year that the brewery’s DDH Pillow beer has secured a gold medal in the hazy imperial IPA category. “In crafting hazy beers, we aim to truly highlight the aromatic qualities of the hops while still delivering a flavorful yet approachable beer,” Sullivan explains.

Sullivan expresses enthusiasm for their Baseball Lager as well. “We aimed to develop a refreshing, light lager with a straightforward name, and once the idea of ‘Baseball’ emerged, it felt like a natural fit,” Sullivan remarks. This beer launching is particularly timely, as the brewery is located near the World Series-bound Dodgers team, attracting numerous Dodgers fans.

“It’s one of our top-selling beers, especially during the Dodger season,” Sullivan adds.

Sullivan expressed not only pride in Highland Park’s achievements at the Great American Beer Festival competition but also enthusiasm for the numerous medals awarded to fellow Los Angeles breweries. California frequently excels in these competitions, with local breweries significantly contributing to this success. “This city is full of great beer and I’m thrilled to see it get so much recognition at this year’s GABF Awards,” Sullivan shares.

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