"How crazy is that?," Brian Buckowski asked, accepting the best of show award for his Terrapin Cream Ale at the third annual Georgia Craft Brew Challenge held this month at 5 Seasons Brewing Co. in Atlanta.

In truth, "Spike," as the spirited Buckowski is better known, uttered a few other words that can't be repeated here. But his surprise was echoed on the faces of many of his fellow craft brewers and in the buzz among attendees at the Saturday evening awards and tasting session.

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The question was: How did such a relatively light, easy-drinking beer triumph over many bigger showcase beers, including such crowd favorites as Terrapin's own Big Hoppy Monster and Athens' Copper Creek Brewing Co.'s Imperial I.P.A (India Pale Ale)?

The answer, according to Challenge organizer Mark Nelson of Georgians for World Class Beer, was that Terrapin Cream Ale "nailed its style exactly, thereby beating out other near-perfect beers in other styles."

In judging that went on all day, some 35 beers entered by craft brewers from all over Georgia were evaluated according to the criteria of the Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines. For the purpose of the awards, winners were then grouped into larger categories.

Among the other winners, Morena, a Vienna-style lager from Atlanta's Zuma Brewing Co., was awarded first place in the European lager category. Zuma is best known for Cancun, its light, Corona-like Mexican lager. Morena is a creamy, more flavorful amber beer, similar to Negro Modelo. Morena also took third place in the best of show category, with Swamp Fox I.P.A. from Savannah's Moon River Brewing Co. coming in second.

Because of the July 2004 change in Georgia law allowing beer above 6 percent alcohol by volume, this was the first year that bigger beers were part of the Craft Brew Challenge. Of the winners in the high gravity category, first place went to Copper Creek's Imperial I.P.A., second place to UberWeisse Weizenbock from 5 Seasons and third place to Festive Ale from Atlanta's Sweetwater Brewing Co.

Significantly, in the best of show category, only Moon River's Swamp Fox I.P.A., at 7 percent alcohol by volume, was above the previous 6 percent limit. That doesn't mean bigger beers were shut out at the challenge. But it does add some more fuel to the debate going on among beer geeks as to the place of so-called "extreme" beers and the persistent popularity of fizzy American-style lagers.

Craft beer sales continue to grow at a modest rate, while sales of Budweiser, Coors and Miller have declined slightly by comparison to wine and spirits. That may mean that consumers are looking for more sophisticated flavors. But many people will probably never truly enjoy the intensity of a radically hopped double I.P.A.

Terrapin has been the Georgia-based company quickest to embrace the extreme beer movement, offering four big beers in 2005 as part of its "Monster Beer Tour." But once he got over his initial shock at winning all the marbles with his lightest beer, Buckowski wasn't about to question the judges' decision.

"It just goes to show," Buckowski said, "that you can brew a light-style beer and still win a competition like this. And actually, it's much harder. With big beers you can hide more flaws. But the lighter the beer, the easier it is to notice off flavors. A cream ale like this is like a window."

Proceeds from the Georgia Craft Brew Challenge were donated to Habitat for Humanity and the Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. For more information and a complete list of winners, go to www.worldclassbeer.org.