RAPID CITY, S.D. – Dakota Point Brewing has won a gold medal at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver, Colorado, bringing home the only medal for a South Dakota brewery.
The Rapid City brewery earned the prestigious award for its O’Quinn’s Irish Red in Category: Irish-Style Red Ale, a competitive field that included 54 entries. The GABF, presented by the Brewers Association, is the nation’s largest professional beer competition and a premier symbol of brewing excellence.
Carson Quinn, brewer and owner of Dakota Point Brewing, reflected on the win as a culmination of years of work perfecting the recipe.
“When I first started brewing O’Quinn’s Irish Red, I wanted to capture that balance of malt richness and drinkability that makes a truly great Irish-style ale,” Quinn said. “It took a lot of refining – small tweaks in the grain bill, dialing in fermentation, and plenty of tasting and re-tasting – to get it exactly where we wanted it. Brewing has always been a labor of love for me, and this beer, in particular, feels personal. To have it recognized with a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival is incredibly humbling and rewarding. It’s a huge honor not just for me, but for our entire Dakota Point Brewing family who put their heart into every pint we serve.”
The gold medal win puts Dakota Point Brewing on a national stage and highlights the growing craft beer scene in the Black Hills.