Oregon Wins 29 Medals and Washington 25 Medals at 2026 World Beer Cup
The World Beer Cup is the most prestigious beer and cider competition in the world, held annually in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®. The 2026 awards ceremony was held on April 22nd in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Competition Stats:
8,166 entries
1,644 producers
50 Countries
118 Categories (113 beer, 5 cider)
255 Judges from 38 Countries
250+ Volunteers
A total of 353 medals awarded to 273 producers worldwide
Philadelphia, PA. • April 22, 2026—The World Beer Cup® (WBC), the world’s most prestigious beer competition, today celebrated three decades of brewing excellence by awarding 353* medals to breweries and cideries across the globe.
Organized by the Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers—the 2026 World Beer Cup, now in its 30th year, recognized the very best in beer and cider across 118 categories, while continuing to set the global standard for technical excellence, innovation, and creativity rooted in both tradition and progress.
“Thirty years in, the World Beer Cup remains a powerful reflection of how far global brewing has come—and where it’s headed,” said Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director. “Even in a year that challenged beverage alcohol producers to evolve, this year’s winners demonstrated that innovation, precision, and passion for craft are stronger than ever.”
An international panel of 255 judges from 50 countries evaluated 8,166 entries using rigorous, blind-tasting protocols. The 2026 competition brought together 1,644 breweries representing 50 nations, underscoring the event’s role as a truly global benchmark for quality.
The World Beer Cup awards ceremony capped off the Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where between 7-8,000 brewing, fermentation, distilling, and packaging professionals gathered for education, collaboration, and connection across the beverage alcohol industry.
World Beer Cup Competition Statistics
17th competition (skipped 2020; annualized starting 2022)
Entries: 8166
Breweries: 1644
Countries: 50
Top 5 entering countries: United States, Japan, Canada, China, Brazil
First-time brewery entries: 295
Judges: 255
International judges: 128
Judge countries: 37
Judging sessions and days: 14 sessions and 7 days
Style categories: 113 beer | 5 cider
Beer styles: 186 (includes all subcategories)
Avg number of beers in each category: 69
Winners in Top 5 most entered style categories:
Category 114: West Coast-Style India Pale Ale, 293 entries
Gold – Project Alpha 81, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
Silver – Mosaic Madness, Crystal Springs Brewing Co., Louisville, CO
Bronze – Electric Eagle, Firestone Walker Brewing – Propagator Marina del Rey, CA
Category 113: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale, 274 entries
Gold – Because Science, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
Silver – Bolo Season, Zilker Brewing Co., Austin, TX
Bronze – Shifted Visions, everywhere, Orange, CA
Category 112: Classic India Pale Ale, 205 entries
Gold – Immutable Dawn, ISM Brewing, Long Beach, CA
Silver – Hop-Fu!, North Park Beer Co., San Diego, CA
Bronze – Shred IPA, Shred Beer Co., Rocklin, CA
Category 43: German-Style Pilsner, 201 entries
Gold – 801 Pilsner, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Silver – Southern German Style Pilsener, Craft Beer Base, Osaka, Japan
Bronze – Pilsner, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Half Moon Bay, CA
Category 45: Munich-Style Helles, 156 entries
Gold – Wander Back Lager, Wander Back Beerworks, Vineland, NJ
Silver – Lager, Noble Twist, Saugatuck, MI
Bronze – Kirkland Signature Helles Lager, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR
*Out of a total possible 354 awards, 353 were awarded. A bronze was not awarded in Category 75, Belgian-Style Witbier.
OREGON 29 MEDALS:
No/Low-Tannin Cider
Bronze - BrightCider, 2 Towns Cider
Silver - Cosmic Crisp, 2 Towns Cider
Experimental Barrel-Aged or Specialty Cider
Gold - The Bad Apple, 2 Towns Cider
American-style Wheat Beer
Bronze - Summerfield Wheat, Grand Fir
Field Beer
Silver - Upp yours, Upp Liquids
Tea Beer
Bronze - Breakside White Tea Lager, Breakside Brewery
Chocolate Beer
Bronze - Cocoa Cow, Sunriver Brewing
Honey Beer
Silver - Hachimitsu Mai, Deschutes Brewery PDX
Session India Pale Ale
Silver - Breakside Total Entertainment Forever, Breakside Brewery
Experimental Beer
Silver - Karo Ya Maro, Terranaut Beer
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
Silver - Sensationator, Deschutes Brewery PDX
Kellerbier or Zwickelbier
Gold - Kellerbier, pFriem Family Brewers
Rice Lager
Bronze - Japanese Lager, pFriem Family Brewers
Italian-style Pilsener
Gold - It's A Me Mario!, Breakside Brewery
Munich-style Helles
Bronze - Kirkland Signature Helles, Deschutes Brewery
International Dark Lager
Silver - Secret Secret, Wayfinder Beer
American Light Lager
Silver - Clubhaus Lager, Von Ebert Brewing
West Coast-style Pilsner
Silver - Cold Cutz, Grand Fir Brewing
Australian-Style Pale Ale
Gold - Breakside Hello My Alien, Breakside Brewery
International Pale Ale
Gold - Breakside Bayside, Breakside Brewery
Belgian-style Spontaneous Sour Ale
Gold - Spontanee, pFriem Family Brewers
Belgian-style Quadrupel
Silver - Pour Pour Pitiful Me, Monkess Style Belgian Ales
English-Style Pale Ale
Bronze - Famous Fanny, Worthy Brewing
English-style Brown Ale
Bronze - Before the Break, Worthy Brewing
British-style Imperial Stout
Silver - Reduction Ratio, Upp Liquids
American-style Amber/Red Ale
Bronze - Diablo Rojo, Boneyard Beer
American-style Strong Pale Ale
Bronze - Pink Sky, Grand Fir Brewing
Strong Red Ale
Bronze - Cannonball, Migration Brewing
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale
Gold - Because Science, Bend Brewing
WASHINGTON 25 MEDALS:
Tannic Cider
Bronze - Excelsior Imperial Apple, Schilling Cider
Fruited Cider
Gold - Moon Berries, Schilling Cider
Silver - Excelsior Imperial Blackberry, Schilling Cider
Botanical or Spiced Cider
Silver - Basil Mint, Seattle Cider Co.
Classic Non-Alcohol Ale or Lager
Silver - NA Dark, Fremont Brewing
Gluten-Free Beer
Gold - It Came from the Haze, Ghostfish Brewing
International-style Pilsener
Gold - Birkebeinerpils, Victor 23 Brewing
Rice Lager
Gold - Exquisite Taste, Cloudburst Brewing
Hoppy Lager
Silver - Rancho Cowabunga, Grains of Wrath
Czech-style Pale Lager
Bronze - Chuckanut Pilsner, Chuckanut Brewery
International Amber Lager
Silver - Yinz Jawn Pennsylvania Lager, Lucky Envelope Brewing
Munich-Style Dunkel
Silver - Chuckanut Dunkel Lager, Chuckanut Brewery
Gold - Bru Ski Patrol, Dru Bru
Contemporary American-style Lager
Gold - Adams Pilsner, Single Hill Brewing
West Coast-Style Pilsner
Gold - Long Time Sunshine, Cloudburst Brewing
Barley-Wine Style Ale
Gold - Three Ryes Men, Reubens Brews
German-style Koelsch
Gold - Chuckanut Kolsch, Chuckanut Brewery
Berliner-Style Weisse
Silver - Disco Lemonade, Aslan Brewing
German-style Altbier
Silver - Lithium, Resonate Brewery
Belgian-style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale
Gold - De Rode Duivels, Elliot Bay Brewing
British-style Imperial Stout
Bronze - Touch of Chaos, Formula Beers
Old Ale, Strong Ale or Aged Beer
Silver - Old Scrooge, Silver City Brewing
American-style Pale Ale
Silver - Mosaic Pale, Stoup Brewing
Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale
Bronze - Cloud Piercer, Icicle Brewing
Imperial India Pale Ale
Bronze - D.R.E.A.M., Trap Door Brewing