NABA-ing more medals

Laughing Dog's Fred Colby won a gold medal and a career appreciation award at this weekend's North American Beer Awards in Idaho Falls.

Four North Idaho breweries found themselves in a familiar place this weekend: the winner’s circle at the North American Beer Awards.

Wallace Brewing won two medals while Laughing Dog, MickDuff’s and Selkirk Abbey took one each in the 21st annual competition at the Mountain Brewers Beer Fest in Idaho Falls. Judges sorted through some 1,800 entries from more than 100 breweries across the U.S. and beyond.

Wallace earned gold in the schwarzbier category with its 1910 Black Lager and silver in amber lagers for its Compressor SMaSH, a single-malt, single-hop beer brewed with Bonlander Munich and Northern Brewer.

Laughing Dog won gold in the experimental category with its Imperial Pecan Porter. Co-owner Fred Colby also received an appreciation award “for years of support of and contribution to the Mountain Brewers Beer Fest and the North American Beer Awards.”

MickDuff’s took gold among Vienna lagers with its Se Habla Cerveza, while Selkirk Abbey nabbed silver in the Belgian strong ale category with its 12˚ strong dark. The four breweries now have combined for more than 25 medals over the past eight years.

Among Eastern Washington breweries, Winthrop’s Old Schoolhouse won its fifth and sixth medals over the past three years – gold for English-style barleywine and a silver for Rule Breaker IPA – while Moses Lake’s Ten Pin took the gold for imperial stout with its Black Eyed Katy.