Central Coast breweries took away a modest number of medals from the 2019 Great American Beer Festival Oct. 3-5, suggesting stronger competition as the craft brewing industry continues to grow.

The annual event in Denver is the nation’s most prestigious beer festival and competition, with medals for top brews awarded across 107 different categories.

Industry giant Firestone Walker, based in Paso Robles, won a silver medal for “Summer Opal” in the classic saison category. Ventura-based MadeWest Brewing Co. earned the silver medal for their blonde ale “MadeWest Standard”, and Santa Barbara-based Figueroa Mountain brought home the bronze for “Hoppy Poppy”, an English-style India pale ale.