Bastone Brewery awarded Silver at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival

OCTOBER 14, 2008, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN - On Saturday, October 11, 2008, Bastone was awarded Silver for their seasonal brew, the Bastone Muenchner Dunkel at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival® (GABF), which took place in Denver, Colorado. The GABF medal is the most prestigious award in American brewing.

"This is a great honor for me personally, and an amazing accomplishment for Bastone," stated Rockne Van Meter, Bastone Brewmaster.

David Ritchie, Bastone's Managing Partner added, "During the three years Rock has been brewing for us at Bastone, he has collected more than 30 awards for his brews. We are thrilled for Rock, and excited to offer our customers our award-winning Muenchner Dunkel."  These awards have come from a variety of competitions including the North American Beer Awards, The World Expo of Beer, and the World Beer Championships in Chicago.

According to the Great American Beer Festival's® website, the award criteria for silver is as follows: An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma and appearance.

Bastone entered the Muenchner Dunkel to compete in the GABF® Category 33: European-Style Dunkel. The competition style description and specifications for this category is as follows:

33. European-Style Dunkel
These light brown to dark brown beers have a pronounced malty aroma and flavor that dominates over the clean, crisp, moderate hop bitterness. This beer does not offer an overly sweet impression, but rather a mild balance between malt sweetness, hop bitterness and light to moderate mouthfeel. A classic Muenchner Dunkel should have a chocolate-like, roast malt, bread-like or biscuit-like aroma that comes from the use of Munich dark malt. Chocolate or roast malts can be used, but the percentage used should be minimal. Noble-type hop flavor and aroma should be low but perceptible. Diacetyl, ale-like fruity esters and chill haze should not be perceived.

Bastone was one of 472 breweries that competed at the Great American Beer Festival®, and there were 2,902 beers in the competition.

Bastone Brewery first opened its doors in May of 2004. It is named and styled after the famous Belgian city. This unique restaurant and brewery is housed in a 1930's era building. Our beers are craft-brewed on-site with the finest malt, fresh hops and unique Belgian-style yeast strains for delicious flavor and character. Our selection includes Monumental Blonde, Main Street Pilsner, Witface, Royal IPA, Dubbel Vision, Nectar des Dieux Triple, and Seasonals. The menu offers Belgian-style favorites including, Steamed Mussels and Pomme Frites, unique sandwiches, hearth-baked thin-crust pizzas, seafood, salads and more. Bastone is located at 419 South Main Street in Royal Oak. For more information contact Bastone at 248.544.6250 or visit http://www.bastonebrewery.com.