Boy howdy these brewers were doers, no two ways about it. There were beautiful coffees, funky new brew mods, and even funkier baristas. 50 competitors brought the goods over the past four days, having to make sense out of an unspecified compulsory coffee and planning a 10 minute routine to accompany their open service.
But in the end, only 36 will be making the trip to Atlanta this April. Much like this year’s Barista competition, the top six from both the East and the West will automatically earn a spot in the US Brewers Cup, with the remaining at-large bids going to the 24 other highest scores across both conferences. The pageantry, the intrigue, the ge(i)shas. It’s with great pleasure we present to you the 36 competitors invited to compete in the 2016 United States Brewers Cup.
Our coverage is made possible by direct support from Urnex Brands.
Top 6 Western Brewers:
Benjamin Lytle, Novel Coffee Roasters, Dallas, TX–158.32
Justin Goodhart, Sweet Bloom Coffee, Lakewood, CO–158.09
Jacob White, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, San Diego, CA–156.66
Chris Pradzinski, Intelligentsia, Los Angeles, CA–156.07
James Gibbs, Allegro Coffee Roasters, Berkeley, CA–156
Alexander Choppin, Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., Olympia, WA–155.68
Top 6 Eastern Brewers:
Jenny Bonchak, Slingshot Coffee Co., Raleigh, NC–159.56
Michael Schroeder, Oddly Correct, Kansas City, MO–159.22
Richard Cummins, Underline Coffee, New York, NY–156.46
Jenna Gotthelf, Everyman Espresso, New York, NY–155.66
John Quinn, Steadfast Coffee, Nashville, TN–155.23
Ryan McDermott, Intelligentsia, Chicago, IL–155.09
24 At-Large Bids:
Chelsey Walker-Watson, Slate Coffee Roasters, Seattle, WA–155.18
Erich Rosenberg, Novo Coffee, Denver, CO–154.58
Dylan Siemens, Onyx Coffee Lab, Springdale, AR–154.03
Kaelen Howard, Blue Bottle, Los Angeles, CA–154.01
Mick Evans, One Line Coffee, Columbus, OH–153.93
Margaret DeGoosh, Bard Coffee, Portland, ME–153.88
Todd Goldsworthy, Klatch Coffee, Los Angeles, CA–153.8
Ryan S. Wojton, Madcap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI–153.74
James Tooill, La Colombe, Las Vegas, NV–153.35
Chris Garrison, Old World Coffee, Reno, NV–153.31
Tommy Kim, Andante Coffee Roasters, Los Angeles, CA–153.21
Colin Frew, Lucky Goat Coffee, Tallahasse, FL–153.1
Sarah Rice Scott, Peregrine Espresso, Washington, DC–152.98
Matt Foster, Kaldi’s Coffee, Saint Louis, MO–152.66
Carlos Morales, Third Rail Coffee, New York, NY–152.6
Daniel Shoup, Ferris Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI–151.85
Blair Smith, Augie’s Coffee Roasters, Redlands, CA–151.8
Akaash Saini, Equator Coffees & Teas, CA–151.73
Alex Stoffregen, Kickapoo Coffee Roasters, Viroqua, WI–151.37
Ryan Fisher, Commonwealth Coffee Roasters, Denver, CO–151.37
Taylor Mahalijevic, Square One Coffee, Lancaster, PA–150.54
Aaron Owens, Toby’s Estate Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY–150.35
Robert Colascione, La Colombe Coffee, Philadelphia, PA–150.31
Jared Gum, Bar Francis, Olympia, WA–150.23
