New England brewery wins coveted ‘Brewery of the Year’ title in 2024 Great American Beer Festival

STOWE, Vermont — The hills are alive with the sound of ... award-winning beer glasses clinking?

A famed New England spot with ties to one of the greatest musicals of all time has earned a coveted award.

Von Trapp Brewing, located in Stowe, Vermont, won the coveted “Brewery & Brewer of the Year” title for 15,001-100,000 barrel breweries at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival Competition, company officials said.

The brewery also took home a gold medal in the Munich-Style Helles category for its Helles Golden Lager, the original beer the Stowe brewery was built to produce and “the pinnacle of clean, drinkable lagers,” company officials said.

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Von Trapp Brewing is part of Trapp Family Lodge, a 2,600-acre resort in Stowe that is owned and operated by the von Trapp family, which inspired the beloved film “The Sound of Music,” starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

Awards presented during the Great American Beer Festival competition are considered coveted symbols of brewing excellence globally, and brews that receive an award are considered the most excellent representation of their style category.

“We are extremely proud of our entire team who have worked so hard to perfect these legendary styles of beer. My father, Johannes, created von Trapp Brewing to make Helles Golden Lager, so it’s great to see that beer earning such high accolades, as well,” said Sam von Trapp, director and vice president of von Trapp Brewing and Trapp Family Lodge.

The brewery specializes in authentic Austrian style lagers and are brewed with pure Vermont spring water sourced from the Trapp Family Lodge property, company officials said.

In the 2024 competition hosted and presented by the Brewers Association, beers and ciders spanning 107 categories and 175 different styles, including all subcategories, were judged meticulously by 285 judges over even days.

The 2024 competition saw entries from 1,869 breweries and cideries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

“The Great American Beer Festival competition recognizes greatness in innovation and craftsmanship from brewers all over the country, and the Brewers Association takes great pride in crowning one winner from each category as ‘Best in Class,’” Chris Williams, competition director for the Brewers Association, said in a statement.

“This year’s competition was especially notable with the introduction of five new cider categories. This expansion not only increased the competition’s scope but also highlights producers’ relentless pursuit of creativity and excellence,” Williams said. “The Brewers Association is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s winners.”

Von Trapp Brewing said it has widened its distribution footprint across the country, now selling in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Colorado and Oregon.

The 30,000 square foot facility features a Rolec Brew House, capable of brewing up to 36,000 barrels of beer annually.

The brewery and its beer pay tribute to the family’s Austrian roots.

In the early 1940s, the von Trapp family toured the United States as the Trapp Family Singers before eventually settling in Stowe, on a farm with sweeping mountain vistas reminiscent of their beloved Austria.

In the summer of 1950, the family began welcoming guests to a rustic, 27-room family home/lodge. After a devastating fire in 1980, the original structure was replaced by the new Trapp Family Lodge, a 96-room alpine lodge.

The 2024 Great American Beer Festival medals were unveiled during a ceremony at the Bellco Theatre in Denver on Oct. 12. The ceremony was live streamed via The Brewing Network.

For a complete list of 2024 winners and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.

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