FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Julie Birrenkott 1-715-344-9310 ext. 114 Email: julie@pointbeer.com STEVENS POINT, Wis. (August 10, 2009) – Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat won the gold medal and Point Horizon Wheat earned the silver at the 13th Annual NorthAmerican Beer Awards this summer. Brewmasters and expert beer judges at the annual beer competition, held in June in Idaho Falls, ID, selected Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, the Stevens Point Brewery’s summer seasonal, and Point Horizon Wheat, available year-round, as the top two beers in the American-style Wheat category. “Everyone at our brewery is delighted with these awards for the two best wheat beers in America. Wheat beer fans can enjoy the award-winning taste of Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat each summer and Point Horizon Wheat for the entire year,” said Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner. “Our customers have judged the beer to be a winner, too,” he noted. “Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat became our most successful new-product introduction ever when we introduced it in the Midwest in 2008. It quickly became our biggest volume seasonal beer.” This year when Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat returned for a second summer, the Stevens Point Brewery doubled production and introduced a 12-pack long-neck bottle package to meet consumer demand. The brand also expanded into several new markets. Award-winning wheat beers The North American Beer Awards medals are not the first for Point’s hand-crafted wheat beers. Point Horizon Wheat received the gold medal for the Wheat Ale category at the 2008 World Beer Championships, held by Chicago’s prestigious Beverage Testing Institute, and Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat earned the silver medal. Both beers are golden-colored, unfiltered wheat ales, which means the yeast is not filtered out of the beer after fermentation is complete. Unfiltered wheat beers are popular among craft-beer drinkers, according to John Zappa, Stevens Point Brewery brewmaster. “Our ale yeast combined with the malted wheat results in a slightly sweet fruity or citrus accent in the flavor of these beers,” Zappa said. “Both of these wheat ales are crisp and somewhat dry, and to me either one is the perfect refreshment for a hot afternoon or warm summer evening.” Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat and Point Horizon Wheat are brewed with malted red wheat and specialty barley malts. Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat also uses unmalted white wheat, which gives the beer body and enhances its wheat flavor. Both beers are hopped with fresh hops from Washington State’s Yakima Valley: Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat uses Mount Hood hops while Point Horizon Wheat uses Cluster, Willamette and Liberty varieties. The North American Beer Awards The North American Beer Awards is an annual beer-judging competition organized by the North American Brewers Association, a non-profit foundation based in Idaho Falls, ID. This year the competition, which awards gold, silver and bronze medals in 72 ale and lager categories, attracted 1,100 entries from more than 150 breweries. Judges in the competition are brewmasters from major national breweries and smaller craft breweries as well as beer journalists and other certified beer judges. The Stevens Point Brewery The Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew their hand-crafted beers, including flagship Point Special Lager. In addition to Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, the brewery’s seasonal beers include Point Einbock for spring, Point Oktoberfest in the fall and St. Benedict’s Winter Ale for winter. Point Horizon Wheat is one of five year-round brands, which also include Point Special Lager, Point Belgian White, Point Burly Brown American Brown Ale, Point Cascade Pale Ale and Point Amber Classic. The Whole Hog Limited Edition Brewmaster’s Series brews, “big” beers that represent the epitome of the brewmaster’s art, round out the Stevens Point Brewery’s specialty portfolio. Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale and Whole Hog Imperial Pilsner were introduced last spring in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles. Whole Hog Six-Hop IPA is an India Pale Ale brewed with six varieties of hops from the Pacific Northwest. Whole Hog Imperial Pilsner is a hoppy, traditional German-style pilsner. Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda. For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, visit www.pointbeer.com or call 1-800-369-4911. Tours of the brewery are available, with schedules listed on the website.