Pacific City, Oregon (October 11, 2016)—Pelican Brewing Company has earned a silver medal at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition for its Latin-inspired lager, Pelicano EXTRA! The beer, which also won a Gold Medal at the North American Beer Awards earlier this year, was recognized in the International Style Pilsner category.

Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF is the largest commercial beer competition in the world and recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. The top three winners in the competition’s 96 beer-style categories were just announced at the Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.   

“I’m so proud of the staff and teamwork we have at Pelican Brewing Company.  This is such a fantastic recognition of all the hard work that everyone here at Pelican does day after day” said Darron Welch, Brewmaster at Pelican Brewing Company.  “Pelicano Extra! has been a hugely successful summer seasonal for us, and winning a medal for it at the Great American Beer Festival just takes that success to a whole different level!”

Pelicano is brewed with 6-row malt and flaked corn to give the beer a crisp, dry flavor that is balanced with Tettnang hops for a subtle spicy and floral character. At 5.1% abv, Pelicano is a sessionable lager with enough flavor and complexity that you can say adios to the lime and just enjoy! Pick up a 6 pack and you’ll find:

•         Straw color

•         Subtle spicy & floral hops

•         Ultra-refreshment

•         Soft, clean finish

“Pelicano Extra! is a great beer that bridges the gap between depth of flavor and approachable drinkability. Clean lager characteristics let the wonderful malt and hop flavors shine through without any heaviness or harshness. Pelicano—refreshing, flavorful and smooth—pays homage to our roots at the beach,” says Darron Welch, award-winning brewmaster at Pelican Brewing Company.

The 2016 GABF competition winners were selected by an international panel of 264 expert judges from the record number of 7,227 entries, plus 88 Pro-Am entries, received from 1,752 U.S. breweries.

“The innovation, creativity and flavor of American beers was well showcased at this year’s Great American Beer Festival,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “This was the most competitive competition to date, with a record number of entries. Congratulations to all the winners who truly demonstrated the best of America’s beer culture.”

Born at the Beach

Pelican was born at the beach 20 years ago as a small, stand alone brewpub in a small town on the Oregon coast—Pacific City.  Pacific City is still a small town, but with consistent growth and demand for its products, Pelican sales are up more than 500% from 3,500 barrels in 2013 to 18,000 barrels this year. The company recently doubled its brewing and bottling capacity at its Tillamook facility and opened a new brewpub in Cannon Beach. Pelican also recently won a bronze medal at the World Brew Cup℠ and eight medals including Champion Medium International Brewery at the Australian International Beer Awards.

Like all Pelican beers, Pelicano EXTRA! is also born at the beach by a team of award-winning craft beer makers known for brewing styles of beer that they themselves love to drink. Salud!

For more GABF competition information, including the 2016 winners list and photos, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.

About Pelican Brewing Company

Pelican Brewing Company was founded in 1996 by Jeff Schons and Mary Jones in Pacific City with Oregon’s only oceanfront brewpub. Celebrating its 20^th year, the brewing company has created masterpieces like Kiwanda Cream Ale, India Pelican Ale, MacPelican’s Scottish Ale, Tsunami Stout and Doryman’s Dark. With the vision, creativity and brewing expertise of founding brewmaster Darron Welch, Pelican Brewing has won over 300 awards including the 2014 World Beer Cup© Champion Small Brewing Company and Brewmaster of the Year. Pelican Brewing currently distributes 22oz bottles, 12oz bottles in 6-packs, a new mixed 12-pack, and 50 liter and 20 liter kegs via a network of distributors in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii and Vermont. The company operates brewing and brewpub facilities in Pacific City, Tillamook and Cannon Beach.

For more information, visit Pelican Brewing Company.

Contact: Claudia Johnson, Public Relations, 503-799-2220.