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Hays Brewery Earns Bronze At National Competition

Hays, Kan.—Every year, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. enters the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver to compete with breweries from across the country. This year, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. obtained a second bronze medal for its American Wheat.

Professional beer judges from 11 countries spent three days evaluating 4,338 entries from 666 breweries in 134 beer style categories at the 31st GABF competition. For brewmaster Gerald Wyman, the preparation for the world’s largest commercial beer competition is a work in progress throughout the year. Wyman and fellow brewers Matt Bender and Dylan Sultzer handcraft every brew by Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. to be award-worthy.

“GABF medals are the highest recognition of a brewer’s talents and quality of their beers. It’s such an intense competition, and it’s difficult to win a medal for any brewery,” said Wyman.

After the weekend of sampling by 49,000 attendees and a third place finish, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. will begin to see beer enthusiast from across the country at their downtown Hays microbrewery and diner.

“This win is great not only for the microbrewery and diner but for the community as well,” said Wyman. “We regularly see travelers who’ve stopped in Hays just to eat here and take a growler of beer back to wherever they’re from because they’ve sampled our brews at GABF.”

Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., located at 117 East 11th in Hays, will celebrate the win this Thursday, Oct. 18 with the unveiling of the newest award banner at 8:30 p.m. and live music from Shawn Cole beginning at 9 p.m.

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Hays Brewery Earns Consecutive Gold At National Competition

Hays, Kan.—Every year, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. enters the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver to compete with breweries from across the country. This year, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. obtained a gold medal for the second straight year for its Liberty Stout, an American-Style Stout. This gold medal marks the microbrewery and diner’s third consecutive GABF gold medal and sixth medal overall in six years.

Beginning Sept. 16, 151 professional beer judges from around the world spent three days evaluating 3,523 entries from 516 breweries in 79 beer style categories. For brewmaster Gerald Wyman and assistant Matt Bender, the preparation for the world’s largest commercial beer competition is a work in progress throughout the year. As with every brew handcrafted by Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., Wyman crafted Liberty Stout to be true to its style and worthy of the highest award.

“Earning any medal at GABF is a great accomplishment for a brewery, but what we’ve accomplished in six years especially now with back to back golds for the same beer is proof that we truly are producing some of the highest quality beers,” said Wyman.

The beers brewed in downtown Hays continually prove to be among the best in nation, and earlier in 2010 Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. showed their beers also rank high at the world level. The brewery’s Oatmeal Stout earned gold at the Brewers Association (BA) World Beer Cup® 2010, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding beers in the world today.

“This has been a successful year with the awards and Gella’s Smothered Bierock featured on BonAppettit.com,” said Nancy Peterson, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.’s Front of House Manager. “The recognition our brews and food receive is great not only for us but for the community too. We regularly see travelers who’ve stopped in Hays just to eat here and take a growler of beer back to wherever they’re from because they’ve sampled our brews at GABF or read about us online.”

Hays’ microbrewery and diner just reached its five-year anniversary and carries in tow several national media mentions and now seven awards, over half of which are gold, for its handcrafted brews. What started as a collective effort by 55 local investors, who believed in and backed the microbrewery and diner concept, has blossomed into a destination for the city and the region.

Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., located at 117 East 11th in Hays, will celebrate the win this Thursday, Sept. 23 with specials featuring Liberty Stout, the unveiling of the newest award banner and live music from Shawn Cole in conjunction with the New Beer’s Eve for Lb. Light.

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FIRST KANSAS BREWERY TO TAKE GOLD AT WORLD BEER CUP

Hays, Kan.—Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., 117 E. 11th, recently claimed a gold award in the Brewers Association (BA) World Beer Cup® 2010, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding beers being produced in the world today. The award is also the first gold from the World Beer Cup awarded to any Kansas brewery.

An international panel of 179 beer judges from 27 countries selected the World Beer Cup 2010 winners from an impressive field of 3,330 entries from 642 breweries in 44 countries made up the competition. More than 3,800 breweries in 100 countries were invited to compete. Gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition’s 90 beer-style categories were awarded April 10, 2010 during the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in Chicago.

Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. received a gold in the Oatmeal Stout beer style category for its medium to full-bodied Oatmeal Stout with roasted, chocolate flavors and hints of coffee in the finish. In addition to this World Beer Cup award, Oatmeal Stout previously won gold and silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival held annually in Denver.

“The Oatmeal Stout has done very well in competitions at the national level before, but it’s an amazing achievement for us to receive an award at the World Beer Cup – the world’s largest beer competition,” said Gerald Wyman, Lb. Brewing Co. brewmaster.

To celebrate the win, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing plans an award ceremony at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 22 along with a food special featuring the Oatmeal Stout and live music from Shades of Gray.

Visit WorldBeerCup.org for additional World Beer Cup information.

The World Beer Cup has been held every other year since 1996 and is presented by the Brewers Association. Based in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. Visit BrewersAssociation.org to learn more. The association's activities include events and publishing: CraftBeer.com, World Beer Cup®; Great American Beer Festival; Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®; National Homebrewers Conference; National Homebrew Competition; SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience; American Craft Beer Week; Zymurgy magazine; The New Brewer magazine; and books on beer and brewing. The Brewers Association has an additional membership division of 20,000+ homebrewers: American Homebrewers Association. Consumers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com.

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BONAPPETIT.COM RECOGNIZES HAYS RESTAURANT’S GERMAN FARE

Hays, Kan. – BonAppetit.com’s digital page-a-day calendar, “365 Days of Eating American”, features the Smothered Bierock from local restaurant and microbrewery, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., located at 117 E 11th in downtown Hays. Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.’s Smothered Bierock is Bon Appetit’s featured dish for March 21.

According to BonAppetit.com, “365 Days of Eating American” celebrates America’s heritage through food, each day featuring recipes, historical anecdotes and information about legendary foodie events across the nation. Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co.’s Smothered Bierock was selected as a dish common to German communities across the Great Plains.

“To be recognized by Bon Appetit is quite an honor not only for us but also for Hays’ identity as the German Capital of Kansas,” commented Nancy Peterson of Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.

The migration of Volga-Germans to Hays on the heels of exiting frontiersmen resulted in a glorious mix of cultures reveling in the heartland’s abundant ingredients creating unique traditions signature to northwest Kansas which are celebrated in the menu and microbrews of Gella’s Diner and Lb. Brewing Co. The bierock is a thin, bread dough pastry filled with German sausage, sautéed cabbage, onions and spices. Gella’s bierock is smothered in a rich, creamy American cheese sauce and served with fresh, fried kettle chips.

The restaurant and microbrewery also draw their names from the community’s rich Volga-German heritage. Gella is a Volga-German term meaning “you know” or “don’t you agree” and is often used at the end of a statement to ensure that the listener agrees. Lb. Brewing Co. pays homage to the bygone days of the settlers where beer and bread sometimes played interchangeable roles. When in the field, workers couldn’t always stop to eat lunch. So, they drank it. Hence “Lb.” for “Liquid Bread”.

Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Readers are provided a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design.

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Hays Brewery Earns Consecutive Gold At National Competition

Hays, Kan.—Every year, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. enters the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver to compete with breweries from across the country. This year, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. obtained a gold medal for the second straight year. Liberty Stout, an American-Style Stout seasonal brew introduced in July 2009, earned the microbrewery and diner its fifth GABF medal in five years.

Beginning Sept. 24, 132 professional beer judges from around the world spent three days evaluating 3,308 entries from 495 breweries in 78 beer style categories at the 28th Great American Beer Festival Competition. For brewmaster Gerald Wyman, the preparation for the world’s largest commercial beer competition is a work in progress throughout the year. As with every brew handcrafted by Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., Wyman crafted Liberty Stout to be award-worthy.

Brewed for Lb. Brewing Co.’s July New Beer’s Eve celebration, Liberty Stout is what brewers and beer enthusiast refer to as a “big beer”. “The full-bodied stout would typically be tapped during winter months, but I felt this recipe would be competitive in the American-Style Stout category at this year’s GABF,” said Wyman.

“This win is great not only for the microbrewery and diner but for the community as well,” said Nancy Peterson, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.’s Front of House Manager. “We regularly see travelers who’ve stopped in Hays just to eat here and take a growler of beer back to wherever they’re from because they’ve sampled our brews at GABF.”

The state of Kansas will also fare well from the competition as Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. isn’t the only Kansas microbrewery that left GABF with a gold medal. Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, took first in the American-Style Wheat category. The double golds for Kansas is proof that the state’s microbreweries, an industry legalized by the state in 1987, are more than capable of crafting high quality beers.

Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., located at 117 East 11th in Hays, will celebrate the win this Thursday, Oct. 1 with dinner and drink specials featuring Liberty Stout and the unveiling of the newest award banner.

GABF is presented by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit educational trade association for craft brewers. Its mission is to make quality beer and brewing knowledge accessible to all. For more information, visit www.beertown.org.

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“Vote for Beer” Reminiscent of Past Presidential Election

It’s not a major ticket topic you’ll find on the general election ballot November 4. But, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.’s Vote for Beer campaign is set to raise awareness about getting out the vote as well as beer’s role in our nation’s political history.

The Vote for Beer election coinciding with Tuesday’s national election invites the public to visit Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., 117 E 11th Street, and vote for their favorite of the three nominees—American Wheat, India Pale Ale (IPA) and Oatmeal Stout.

The three nominees were chosen through a primary race and announced September 4 at the Nomination Celebration, which emulated the national political conventions. As with the Presidential election, Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. will provide absentee voting online. On January 20, 2009, Lb. Brewing Co. will honor the winner of the popular vote at its Ale to the Chief Inauguration Celebration.

“There’s so much history behind beer and the Presidential election of 1932. Vote for Beer reminds us that Americans were denied their right to brew beer or even consume it during the 13-year Prohibition. Kansans, in particular, faced a much longer ban on brewing—106 years,” said Cortney Finnesy, General Manager.

Following the Stock Market crash of 1929, “Beer for Prosperity” became the anti-prohibition theme as the Depression weighed on voters’ minds. The Federal government needed new revenues. Brewing not only provided jobs it provided valuable tax revenue.

According to the book “Brewing Battles” by Dr. Amy Mittelman, prior to the institution of income tax in 1913, the liquor industry contributed over fifty percent of the Federal government’s internal revenue. Democratic nominee Franklin Roosevelt won the 1932 election in a landslide victory with his pro-repeal platform.

“We look forward to promoting voting in the next election with Vote For Beer 2012,” commented Finnesy. “We’ll have to see if the incumbent can hold on for a second term.”

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October 13, 2008

CONTACT:
Deanna Schultz
dschultz@lbbrewing.com
785.434.2777

Hays Brewery Earns Gold At National Competition

Hays, Kan.—Every year, Lb. Brewing Co. enters the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver to compete with breweries from across the country. On October 11, Lb. Brewing Co. earned their third and fourth GABF medals, a bronze for their American Wheat and a gold for the Oatmeal Stout.

Beginning Oct. 9, 127 professional beer judges from around the world spent three days evaluating 2,902 entries from 472 breweries in 75 beer style categories at the 27th Great American Beer Festival Competition. Lb. Brewing Co.’s American Wheat surpassed other entries in the American-Style Wheat Beer category to become the brewery’s third house brew to win a coveted GABF medal. Oatmeal Stout improved from its 2005 second place GABF finish to claim first in its category.

“GABF medals are the highest recognition of a brewer’s talents and quality of their beers. It’s such an intense competition, and it’s difficult to win a bronze for any brewery. To win two medals let alone a gold, is an amazing accomplishment” said Gerald Wyman, Lb. Brewing Co. brewmaster.

After the weekend of sampling by 46,000 attendees and a first and third place finish, Lb. Brewing Co. will begin to see beer enthusiast from across the country at their downtown Hays microbrewery and diner. “A lot of people stop by our sampling table at GABF who know someone in Hays or maybe they’ve been here before but didn’t know there was a microbrewery. When they find out we’re here, they make it a priority to stop by and check us out the next time they pass by Hays,” said Wyman. “Being at GABF and winning a medal puts Hays on the map for producing high quality beer.”

Lb. Brewing Co’s handcrafted beers weren’t the only items entered in competition at GABF. The microbrewery entered GABF’s first YouTube competition, which required breweries to create a three-minute video answering why the brewery loves GABF and craft beer and what the brewery’s sustainability efforts included. Lb. Brewing Co.’s video was selected as one of three finalists shown throughout the event in Denver.

Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., located at 117 East 11th in Hays, will celebrate their wins this Thursday, Oct. 16 with dinner and drink specials featuring the Oatmeal Stout as well as screenings of Lb. Brewing Co.’s video, “Beer Lovers and Brewers Love GABF”.

GABF is presented by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit educational trade association for craft brewers. Its mission is to make quality beer and brewing knowledge accessible to all. For more information, visit http://www.beertown.org. Photos of this year’s GABF may be found at http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/media_photos.htm.