Major Award-Winning Beers Back On Tap At The Blind Tiger Brewery!
Today at the Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant three of our fresh, local, craft beers which have won major awards are back on tap.
Blind Tiger Bock 7.0% ABV, 16 IBUs
Our award winning Bock Bier wins again, AGAIN! This tawny brown beauty will win your heart. Full bodied and rich with warm bread and sweet caramel notes. It just feels right.
· Gold Medal - Great American Beer Festival 2022
· Bronze Award - World Beer Cup 2022
· Bronze Medal - Great American Beer Festival 2018
Smoke Follows Beauty 6.5% ABV, 14 IBUs
Smoke Follows Beauty is indeed a Bavarian Style Smoked Bock Beer, which in German parlance is called a “Rauch Bock.” Before the industrial revolution all beer had smoked flavor because the malt used in the brewing process was toasted or roasted over a wood fire before being added to the mash tun. In that regard, viewed through the lens of history, our modern beers without smoke flavor are relatively new. Pairs well with bar-be-que and steak.
· Gold Medal - Great American Beer Festival 2022
Munich Dunkles 5.2% ABV, 7 IBUs
This dark lager beer is brimming with malt character and flavor. The malt bill calls for more than 50% Munich malt! The color of this beer is like rich mahogany. Noble hops add aroma and help balance the malt sweetness. Low hop bitterness with a clean finish. Don’t be afraid of the dark!
· Gold Award - World Beer Cup 2014
· Bronze Award - World Beer Cup 2010
Rarely are beers which have won this many awards brewed by the same brewery, let alone all on tap at the same time - amazing.
All three are brand new batchs of each of these lager beers which have just now reached maturity according to the discerning, educated palate of John Dean, the talented Brewmaster at the Blind Tiger Brewery.
These above named six awards are a small part of the 27 National and International Medals and Awards won by John Dean and the Blind Tiger Brewery (see list attached) during John's tenure as Brewmaster. This is more national and international awards than any brewery of any size for over 500 miles in any direction! Congratulations to John and our Brewing Team!
John Dean is the current reigning Brewer of the Year and the Blind Tiger is the current reigning Brewery of the Year (for breweries from 1001 to 2000 barrels per year) awarded at the Great American Beer Festival 2022. It feels great to be national champions.
Every year it gets harder and harder to win because there are so many more beers entered in the competitions than ever before, for a small number of awards, and the quality of the beer entered, from big and small breweries all over, continues to get better and better. Nevertheless, John Dean and the Blind Tiger Brewery continue to shine through. This is because of the high quality of beer brewed right here in Topeka by John Dean, Brewmaster, Alvaro Canizales, Head Brewer, and Connor Dean, Cellarman at the Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka’s original home town Brewery.
John’s primary focus every day is top quality. This translates to a great experience for every beer drinker. The three award winners, Blind Tiger Bock, Smoke Follows Beauty Smoked Bock, and Munich Dunkles, are on-tap right now, so Topekans can enjoy them.
How did Bock get its name? Bock was first brewed in the 14th century by German brewers in the Hanseatic League town of Einbeck. The style from Einbeck was later adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century and due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" which means "a billy goat." Thus the beer became known as "bock." To this day, as a visual pun, a goat often appears on bock labels.
About the Brewmaster
John Dean, a native Topekan, has been the Blind Tiger Brewmaster since 1999. He and his team have won a total of 27 National and International awards during his tenure!
Jay Ives, majority owner of the Blind Tiger Brewery, said, “John Dean, this immensely talented and hard working man, is a Topeka treasure, brewing is an art, and we have Rembrandt! John Dean is by far the most award-winning brewer in the whole Midwest. His name should be mentioned right beside other living legends from Topeka like the band Kansas and golf's Gary Woodland."
