Sip Northwest magazine released its seventh annual Best of the Northwest awards issue in October 2018, including the winners of its grand tasting competition. In the beer category, nine medals were earned by craft breweries based in Bellingham, WA: Kulshan, Wander and Aslan.

Kulshan Brewing won six medals including:

• Double Gold, Lager Kulshan Premium Lager
• Double Gold, Pilsner,  Kulshan Pilsner
• Silver, Porter, Kulshan Transporter
• Bronze, Session Ale, Kulshan Greenwood Summer
• Bronze, Amber Ale, Kulshan Red Cap Irish-style Red
• Bronze, American-Style IPA, Kulshan Heliotrope

Aslan Brewing won two medals:

• Gold, Juicy/Hazy IPA, Aslan Batch 15
• Silver, Saison, Aslan Frances Farmer

Wander won one medal:

• Gold, Porter, Wander Global Mutt

An open call for submissions in April drafted 282 beers entries, as well as wine, spirits and cider. The magazine recruited an accomplished, qualified group of 92 premier palates from the greater Pacific Northwest to assess and determine the top four medalists, plus Judges’ Picks, in each respective beverage category.

“Putting on this competition and resulting print issue is always an endeavor with so many moving parts, but worth it to see who is producing what in Northwest beverage right now,” says Erin James, editor-in-chief of Sip Publishing, publishers of Sip Northwest. “At Sip Northwest, we believe it is our responsibility to the reader to share what is out there. The adept palates on our blind panels help us to uncover and share what is the best of the Northwest, purely based on the drink itself, without any prejudices.”

Sip Northwest’s 2018 Best of the Northwest issue is a versatile compilation of the top billing beverages of the year. To read the full list of winners, please visit https://sipnorthwest.com/announcing-sip-northwest-2018-best-of-northwest/. To order your print copy visit https://sipnorthwest.com/product/2018-fall-print-issue/.