Buoy Beer has the second-best European-style Dunkel in the U.S., according to judges from the Great American Beer Festival in Boulder, Colo.

The festival, which takes place each year in late September, is the pre-eminent beer competition in the U.S. with more than 5,500 varieties from more than 1,300 breweries in about 90 categories.

Buoy Dunkel, as it’s known, came from the mind of home-brewer and Buoy Beer co-founder Dan Hamilton.

“This Dunkel was first brewed in 1989 at the St. Francis Wood Home Brewery in Fresno, (Calif.),” wrote Hamilton, who was out of town. “A version of this beer won Best of Show at the Big Fresno Fair Home Brew competition in 1992. After moving to Seaside, I continued making Dunkel in our Cove Creek Home Brewery, along with good friends Harry Harrison and Wally Makela.”

Dunkels traditionally feature German Munich malts, wrote Hamilton. “This is basically high-quality Pils malt that has been gently further kilned to a color range that will yield the desired rich brown-red mahogany color, and deliver those nutty, bready flavor notes I want in a good Dunkel.”

The Buoy Dunkel, he added, used Tettnang hops, used in European pale lagers and wheat beers.

The European-style Dunkel category included 23 entries from around the country, said Buoy Beer’s head brewer Kevin Shaw. Winning gold was the Chuckanut Dunkel from Chuckanut Brewery in Bellingham, Wash. Earning bronze behind Buoy Beer was Dunkles from Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. in San Jose, Calif.

“Obviously we’re pretty happy about it,” said Shaw, adding that Buoy Beer also entered its Helles lager, cream ale, pale ale and India pale ale in the competition.

Buoy Beer was the only winner from Astoria. Oregon had 22 winners, including seven gold medals, eight silvers and seven bronzes.

“Being acknowledged with a Silver Medal for a brewery not-yet (eight) months old is somewhere ‘North of Cool’!!!” wrote Hamilton. “It is a good feeling to have earned the approbation of a national judging panel, as well as some warm ‘congrats’ from brother/sister brewers in the industry. As Buoy Beer will soon proceed into packaging with cans and bottles, being a medal winner can only be a good thing for our company.”

Buoy Dunkel is currently on tap at Buoy Beer. Visit www.buoybeer.com for more information. Buoy Beer is also in the “Sudsy 16” round of the Portland Business Journal’s Oregon Beer Showdown. Visit http://challonge.com/OregonBeerShowdown for more information.