Thousand Lakes Brewing Company won Bronze for their Breakfast for Supper Oatmeal Stout.

One of the largest annual competitions and celebrations of craft beer -- the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) -- was held last week in Denver, Colorado. Thousands of breweries from around the country submitted thousands more beers to be judged by a panel of 170 judges for a shot at a bronze, silver or gold medal. According to the Brewers Association, a total of 2,192 breweries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico submitted some 9,680 craft beer entries in 97 beer categories covering 175 different beer styles in 2021. The final awards ceremony was held Friday night, September 10, and several Minnesota breweries -- including a little, underrated brewery in Parkers Prairie -- won big.

Thousand Lakes Brewing Company in Parkers Prairie announced their win late Friday night on social media. "Hey look at that! We won a @greatamericanbeerfestival GABF bronze for our Breakfast for Supper tonight!" The caption accompanied a photo of head brewer and primary owner Matt Harren with a pint of his award-winning beer and a GABF medal displayed on his phone.

Thousand Lake Brewing Co.'s Breakfast for Supper stout won Bronze in the Oatmeal Stout category. CraftBeer.com describes an English-Style Oatmeal Stout as:

The addition of oatmeal adds a smooth, rich body to the oatmeal stout. This beer style is dark brown to black in color. Roasted malt character is caramel-like and chocolate-like, and should be smooth and not bitter. Coffee-like roasted barley and malt aromas are prominent. This low- to medium-alcohol style is packed with darker malt flavors and a rich and oily body from oatmeal.

For a brewery that only opened December 2019, the recognition within the beer industry at the national level is a huge win. Five other Minnesota breweries won medals at the GABF. They are:

• Lift Bridge Brewing Co. (Stillwater) -- Their Farm Girl won Bronze in the Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale category
• Forgotten Star Brewing Co. (Fridley) -- Their Schwartzbier won Gold in the German Dark Lager category
• Little Thistle Brewing Co. (Rochester) -- Their Schwarzenlager won Bronze in the German Dark Lager category
• Fair State Brewing Cooperative (Minneapolis) -- Their Stranger in the Alps won Bronze in the Herb and Spice Beer category
• Warrior Brewing Co. (Duluth) -- Their Barbarian won Silver in the Imperial Stout category

See the full list of GABF winners here.

Thousand Lakes Brewing Co. is located at 110 W Lake Street in Parkers Prairie.