welcome to the main event.

Last year, I teamed up with some kickass women from all corners of the country and various facets of the craft beer industry to present the first ever “20 Most Eligible Bachelors of Craft Beer”. After reviewing last’s year process, we made some tiny adjustments to this year’s competition, and added more women to the nomination committee and the judging panel.

All though the process was slightly tweaked, the basic qualifications and the judging criteria remained the same.

The basic qualifications were as such:

1. Must work for a craft brewery (all positions considered)
2. Must NOT be married (other relationship statuses accepted)

Now, this whole concept might sound simple, but I assure you that it is more complicated than it looks. We accepted nominations via Twitter, Facebook, the comment section on this site, email, etc. After sorting through the various nominations from the outside, adding more to the list from the inside, and then reviewing the previous year’s winners, we were able to narrow down the pool. Many men were evaluated, and only 20 made the final cut. The top 20 nominees were then submitted to a judging round, where they were each judge on three very specific criteria.

The judging criteria were as follows:

1. Industry Talent
2. Personality
3. Appearance

I hate to disappoint, but this was not a “beauty pageant” type contest. In fact, the qualification that had the most impact on the scores, and the overall rankings, was personality. Looks and talent can get you far, boys, but personality will get your further.

20 men of all ages and positions were scored and ranked — but only ONE man will take home the crown of Mr. Craft Beer 2012. Without any further ado, let me present the winners of the 2012….

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#20 Mr. Troy Casey

Photo Source: Facebook

Brewer, AC Golden Brewing Company

Golden, CO

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#19 Mr. Matt Cole

Photo Source: Cleveland.com

Brewmaster, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon

Cleveland, OH

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#18 Mr. Brandon Borgel

Photo Source: Facebook

Director of Sales & Marketing, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

San Francisco, CA

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#17 Mr. Randy Clemens

Photo Credit: Stone Brewing Co.

Media & Communications Linchpin, Stone Brewing Co.

Escondido, CA

Personal Twitter: @RandyClemensESQ

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#16 Mr. Doug Rehberg

Photo Source: Widmer

Brewer, Widmer Brothers Brewing

Portland, OR

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#15 Mr. Jared Rouben

Photo Source: Goose Island

Head Brewer, Goose Island Brewpubs‘

Chicago, IL

Personal Twitter: @jbrew312

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#14 Mr. Victor Novak

Photo Source: Facebook

Brewmaster, TAPS Fish House & Brewery

Brea, California

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#13 Mr. Michael Steffing

Photo Source: MyLastPint.com

Co-founder & brewer, Jester King Brewery

Ceres Park, TX

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#12 Mr. Noah Regnery

Photo Credit: MSN Today

Brewmaster, Hollister Brewing Co.

Hollister, CA

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#11 Mr. Matt Dauffenbach

Photo Source: Matt Dauffenbach

Colorado and Oklahoma Sales Manager / Craft Beer Evangelist at Tallgrass Brewing Company

Manhattan, KS

Personal Twitter: @mkdauff

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#10 Mr. Brent Cordle

Photo Source: FeastingFortCollins.com

Manager of the Pilot Brewhouse & Barrel-aging Program, Odell Brewing

Fort Collins, CO

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#9 Mr. Jason Yester

Photo Source: Facebook

President & Brewmaster, Trinity Brewing Company

Colorado Springs, CO

Personal Twitter: @SaisonMan

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#8 Mr. Ben Edmunds

Photo Source: OregonLive.Com

Brewmaster, Breakside Brewery

Portland, OR

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#7 Mr. Garrett Oliver

Photo Credit: Facebook

Brewmaster, Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn, NY

Personal Twitter: @GarrettOliver

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#6 Mr. Tyler King

Photo Source: Cal Poly Pomona

Brewmaster, The Bruery

Placentia, CA

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#5 Mr. Shaun O’ Sullivan

Photo Source: Facebook

Co-founder & Brewmaster, 21st Amendment

San Francisco, CA

Personal Twitter: @ShaunOSullivan

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#4 Mr. Jamie Floyd

Photo Source: Facebook

Co-founder & Brewmaster, Ninkasi Brewing Co.

Eugene, OR

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#3 Mr. Dustin Kral

Photo Source: Facebook

Head Brewer, Firestone Walker

Paso Robles, CA

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#2 Mr.  Adam Avery

Photo Credit: Imbibe Magazine

Founder & Brewmaster, Avery Brewing Co.

Boulder, CO

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And this year’s Most Eligible Bachelor of Craft Beer crown goes to….

MR. CRAFT BEER 2012

Colin Presby

Photo Source: Weyerbacher

Cellerman, Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

Easton, PA

Possesing one of the less glamorous positions in the industry, Colin’s duties include (but are not limited to) bottling, kegging, machine operator and mechanic, transferring of brews, cleaning crew, quality control, and helping out as a sales rep which includes bar events, beerfests, and liquor store tastings — all of which he does with ease, pride and joy.

Photo Source: Weyerbacher

(And meet Peggy: the three legged goat he helped rescue!)

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Well folks, that wraps up this year’s Bachelors of Craft Beer Competition! As you can see, we had quite a number of upsets — only eight men from the previous year made it to the top 20 this time around. The craft beer industry is ever evolving and this list will most likely continue to evolve with it. If we missed your favorite beer fella this year, make sure to leave a comment below, or send me an email to routson@gmail.com, so we can put him on our radar for next year.

Lastly, congrats to all the men that made this list. Although it was fun to objectify these lovely gentlemen, the overarching goal was to give credit where credit was do and promote some of the most talented and amiable men of craft beer in a fun and playful way.