Old Tom Porter by Piney River Brewing Company has been recognized as one of the best brews in the nation at the country’s largest professional beer competition. Piney River won a bronze medal for Old Tom Porter at the Great American Beer Festival® (GABF) hosted by the Brewers Association in Denver, CO on October 12th.

Old Tom Porter poured into a glass and the can which features an Eastern wild turkey in strut.
Old Tom Porter was recognized in the “brown porter” beer-style category. This dark beer is a traditional English-style ale that features roasted malts that have chocolate and coffee flavors with a balanced hop profile. This is the second GABF win for Old Tom Porter. The beer won a gold medal at the 2013 GABF competition and was the first beer competition win for Piney River Brewing.
The 2024 GABF competition had 9,216 entries from 1,869 breweries and cideries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. There were 285 judges and seven days of judging beers and ciders in 107 categories and 175 different styles. Awards presented during the GABF competition are considered symbols of brewing excellent globally, and brews that receive an award are considered the most excellent representation of their style.
“I am incredibly proud of our brewing team,” Brian Durham, co-owner, co-founder, and head brewer at Piney River Brewing, said. “This award shows our team’s commitment to quality from mashing in to packaging our beers to keeping our brewery and equipment clean.”
Brandon Lee of Bucyrus and Bryan Spence of Licking manage day-to-day brewing and packaging operations. Both have learned and honed their skill under Durham.
“The Great American Beer Festival competition recognizes greatness in innovation and craftsmanship from brewers all over the country,” Chris Williams, competition director for the Brewers Association, said.
Awards were presented as part of the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, but Piney River’s employees gathered at the brewery in Bucyrus to watch a live stream of the awards ceremony before their “Fall on the Farm” event. Fall on the Farm turned into an extended celebration at the brewery.
“Winning never gets old,” Joleen Senter Durham, co-owner and co-founder of Piney River Brewing, said. “Brian and I take a lot of pride in bringing big recognition to our area when we win beer awards. Bucyrus, Missouri is a place where world class beers are brewed.”
The Durhams also noted that they brew beers at Piney River Brewing that celebrate the Ozarks.
“First, we brew with water straight from the well on our farm,” Brian Durham said, explaining that the water profile from the karst topography in the Ozarks is excellent for an ale like Old Tom Porter.
Joleen Durham explained that the brewery started by first recognizing the major river in Texas County with the Piney River name for the brewery, and with their beer names and related graphics, the brewery continues to pay homage to the Ozarks. “Old Tom Porter is an excellent example, honoring the great wild turkey heritage we have in the Ozarks,” Durham said.
Piney River Brewing is located on the Durham’s 160-acre farm. It’s not usual to see wild turkeys in the fields around the farm, foraging for spent grains in the manure the brewery cows spread in the fields.
Old Tom Porter has been a regular beer in Piney River’s line up since shortly after the brewery opened in 2011. “Old Tom Porter is the dark, full-bodied beer that is an important part of our year-round beer line up,” Brian Durham said. The brewery recommends pairing Old Tom Porter with beef or grilled meats and even poured over vanilla ice cream.
The Durham’s founded Piney River Brewing Co. in 2010 with a small, one-third barrel brewing system in a restored 75-year-old barn. Today the main brewing and packaging operations are in a modern 12,000 square foot barn with a 15-barrel brewhouse.
The brewery has distribution across Missouri and in Arkansas.
More information about the GABF competition, including a complete 2024 winners list is at www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com.