Crafty Bastard Brewery, a Knoxville nanobrewery, took home the inaugural Hops in the Hills Brewers Choice Awards at the Hops in the Hills festival held in Maryville on June 27.
The winning beer, Berry Blush, was chosen among the more than a dozen brewers who were on hand at the festival.
The brewery, which was founded in 2014 by former Blount County residents Aaron McClain and Jen Parker, will be presented with its award Wednesday, July 15 in a ceremony held at The Casual Pint in Maryville at 7 p.m. Parker is a Maryville College graduate, while McClain is an Alcoa High School alum.
“First of all, thank you to the Blount Partnership for putting on an outstanding event. Secondly, it’s a real honor to be presenting this award, which was given by their peers, to Crafty Bastard Brewery,” said Dave Freeman, Hops in the Hills committee member. “It always exciting to see a new company produce a quality beer that immediately gains the respect of the craft brewing community.”
The Hops in the Hills Craft Beer Festival, presented by the Blount Partnership, is a celebration of fermentation that focuses on the science and agriculture of craft brewing in the region.