So, I crept out of beer blogging semi-retirement to jot down some super important thoughts on GABF 2025 and what the Orange County beer scene has accomplished this year. In the past, I’ve usually jotted down a quick blog for historical purposes, but this year OC Register beat me to it as I was watching the award ceremony in bed, fighting a hangover from a night out with Brad Daniels (IFKYK).

Later that day, I read SD Beer News’ coverage of GABF medals, and I must say, I got a little bit FIRED UP. SD Beer News clumped in beers brewed in Orange County with asterics* if the place has ‘local ties’ or other location in SD. I’m fine with that; however, I believe the awards belong to the city, county, and god-given soil the beer was made on. It goes where the medal will be displayed and pondered over by guests for years to come.

In 2025, Orange County got EIGHTEEN medals at the Great American Beer Festival. We got ten in 2024, and before that, ten to twelve was more or less our average. But EIGHTEEN? Why is nobody talking about this? That’s so insane!

Los Angeles, with its nine million people, got EIGHT. SD received ELEVEN.

I’m not here to take the wind out of anyone’s sails, but since I’ve been covering OC Beer since we had three breweries, we never get credit where credit is due…and that credit belongs to the brewers and teams here, the ones who continually repeat in the most-entered categories like IPA, Coffee Beer, and others.