Five area breweries, five bronze-medal finishes in the 2020 Great American Beef Festival (GABF).

Keep in mind — a top-three finish in any one category of beer is pretty impressive, considering there were over 150 entries in one of the winning styles.  Also, not every brewer makes an entry into this yearly judging, so — this does not belittle any of your favorite area Chicago beer makers.

Let’s put it this way — consider this list an excuse to go and try beer.  And honestly, who needs an excuse to do that? Here are the winners:

AMERICAN BELGO-STYLE ALE

Bronze: Still Single, Light The Lamp Brewery (Grayslake, IL)

AMERICAN LAGER

Bronze: Lite Thinking, Pollyanna Brewing Co. (Lemont, IL)

INTERNATIONAL PILSNER

Bronze: Little Wing, Horse Thief Hollow Brewing Co. (Chicago, IL)

AMERICAN-STYLE PALE ALE

Bronze: Pantsless, Alarmist Brewing, (Chicago IL)

EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

Bronze: English Sporting Beer, Midwest Coast Brewing Co, (Chicago IL)