2026 Best of The West Coast National IPA Competition Winners
Best of the West national IPA competition announced the 2026 award-winning beers from across the country. Oregon breweries topped the leaderboard with 19 medals, with California following closely with 17 medals. Overall, breweries from 11 states took home medals.
Breweries from around the country entered 330 West Coast IPAs into the fourth annual Best of the West Coast National IPA Throwdown, and results were announced Friday, July 31st at TopWire Hop Project.
Thirty-six judges from 7 states evaluated the 330 entries in triplicate, making Best of the West one of the most thorough and intensive beer competitions in the world. When all was said and done, 91 beers from 62 breweries met the criteria to enter into medal contention, and 64 beers walked away with awards.
The Best of the West is a national competition dedicated to a single style of beer: West Coast IPA. Unlike other competitions, it awards multiple gold and silver medals, recognizing the quality, breadth, and depth of world-class IPA being produced in the country. The winning beers represent genre-leading examples from some of the world's top producers of hoppy beer.
Moonraker Brewing won the Grand Champion IPA award for their West Coast IPA above 6.7%, Spinal Sap. Additionally, Moonraker’s Flagship IPA, Outrigger, was named runner-up Grand Champion IPA. Finally, Moonraker’s third beer, Wild West, won a gold medal, allowing Moonraker to go three for three. This is the first time in the Best of the West history that a single brewery was named both Grand and Runner-Up Grand Champion. Hop lovers around the world better be planning their trip to Auburn, CA! Other notable winners include Alma Mader Brewing, Meanwhile Brewing, Breakside Brewery, Grains of Wrath Brewing, and Riip Beer Co. for taking home medals for all three of their competition entries.
Breweries from 26 states participated in this year's competition, with heavy representation coming from Oregon, California, and Washington. Medal-winning beers came from 11 states – proving that West Coast IPA doesn’t have to be coastal. Oregon breweries led the medal count with 19 awards, followed by California at 17. Breweries were limited to 3 entries regardless of size or number of locations.
Proceeds from Best of the West go to support the Oregon Brewers Guild and aid in our mission of promoting and protecting Oregon beer.
Grand Champion IPA Moonraker Brewing Spinal Sap (CA)
Runner Up Grand Champion IPA Moonraker Brewing Outrigger (CA)
Very Small Brewery Champion IPA Alma Mader Brewing SOMO (MO)
Small Brewery Champion IPA Ruse Brewing Nectar Extracto (OR)
Medium Brewery Champion IPA Moonraker Brewing Wild West (CA)
Large Brewery Champion IPA Meanwhile Brewing Dream Logic (TX)
Regional Brewery Champion IPA Breakside Brewery Gala (OR)
Very Large Brewery Champion IPA Deschutes Brewery West Coast Steeze (OR)
Champion Traditional American IPA Masthead Brewing Co. Masthead IPA (OH)
Champion WC IPA Below 6.7% Trap Door Brewing Trap Door IPA (WA)
Champion WC IPA Above 6.7% Moonraker Brewing Spinal Sap (CA)
Champion International IPA Grains of Wrath Brewing Wastelandia (WA)
Champion Flagship IPA Moonraker Brewing Outrigger (CA)
Champion Oregon Hop IPA Fieldwork Brewing Company Pinch Me, I’m In Medford (CA)
Gold Medal Alma Mader Brewing Canyon Call (MO)
Gold Medal Breakside Brewery Breakside IPA (OR)
Gold Medal Brujos Brewing King Chachi (OR)
Gold Medal Cannonball Creek Brewing Company Mindbender (CO)
Gold Medal Formula Brewing Formula 33 (WA)
Gold Medal Grains of Wrath Brewing Built for Speed (WA)
Gold Medal Grains of Wrath Brewing Blessings of the Highest Order (WA)
Gold Medal Grand Fir Pink Sky (OR)
Gold Medal Great Notion Brewing Easy Lift (OR)
Gold Medal Meanwhile Brewing Secret Beach (TX)
Gold Medal Riip Beer Co Chaos Creation (CA)
Gold Medal Roughtail Brewing Company Temperance (OK)
Gold Medal Ruse Brewing Clock of Grey Hours (OR)
Gold Medal Sunriver Brewing Company Always Sunny in Yakima (OR)
Gold Medal Templin Family Brewing Ferda (UT)
Gold Medal Tenma Beer Project Subvert the Hierarchy (CA)
Gold Medal Urban Roots Brewing Like Riding A Bike (CA)
Silver Medal Alma Mader Brewing Surcharge (MO)
Silver Medal Amalgam Brewing Classic West (CO)
Silver Medal Bend Brewing Space Cowboy (OR)
Silver Medal Bend Brewing Tropic Pines (OR)
Silver Medal Berryessa Brewing Co Separation Anxiety (CA)
Silver Medal Breakside Brewery Wanderjack (OR)
Silver Medal Bridger Brewing Sneak Route (MT)
Silver Medal Brothers Cascadia Brewing Lickity Split (WA)
Silver Medal Claremont Craft Ales 14th Anniversary IPA (CA)
Silver Medal Cloudburst Brewing Actual Poison (WA)
Silver Medal Counter Weight Brewing Company Bright Wave (CT)
Silver Medal Fieldwork Brewing Company Westcoast Slang (CA)
Silver Medal Formula Brewing Textured Approach (WA)
Silver Medal Fort George Brewery 3-Way NZ-Style West Coast IPA (OR)
Silver Medal Ghost Town Brewing Vinebreaker (CA)
Silver Medal Ghost Town Brewing Wandercrust (CA)
Silver Medal Great Notion Brewing Counting Rings (OR)
Silver Medal Heater Allen/ Gold Dot Staggers & Jags Cold IPA (OR)
Silver Medal Hop Dogma Brewing Company Sunset Serenade (CA)
Silver Medal Liquid Mechanics Brewing Lucid AF (CO)
Silver Medal Little Beast Brewing Lion's Share (OR)
Silver Medal McFleshman's Brewing Co. 547 (WI)
Silver Medal Meanwhile Brewing Edible Colors (TX)
Silver Medal pFriem Family Brewers Cosmic Guava West Coast IPA (OR)
Silver Medal Riip Beer Co Riip'n Greens (CA)
Silver Medal Riip Beer Co Danky Doodle Dandy (CA)
Silver Medal Single Hill Brewing Eastside (WA)
Silver Medal Trap Door Brewing DREAM Jr (WA)
Silver Medal Uprise Brewing Ground Loop (WA)
Silver Medal Varietal Beer Co Westie Willis (WA)
Silver Medal Vice Beer Stay Dursty (WA)
Silver Medal Von Ebert Brewing Co. The Heavy Lift IPA (OR)
Silver Medal Von Ebert Brewing Co. Tidal Escape IPA (OR)
Silver Medal Westbound & Down Brewing Co. Westbound IPA (CO)
| Category | Total Entries | Prelim Flight | Avg. Flight Size | Beers Getting 0 Top 3 Votes | Beers Getting 1 Top 3 Vote | Beers Getting 2 Top 3 Votes | Beers Getting 3 Top 3 Votes | Total Beers Advancing to Trophy Contention | Silver Medals Awarded | Gold Medals Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional | 25 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| WC IPA Below 6.7% | 78 | 6 | 13 | 31 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 8 | 6 |
| WC IPA Above 6.7% | 83 | 7 | 12 | 32 | 28 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 11 | 9 |
| International | 37 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| Flagship | 67 | 6 | 11 | 26 | 17 | 17 | 7 | 24 | 9 | 7 |
| Oregon Hop | 12 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| No Show/Withdrawn | 28 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 330 | 25 | 13 | 120 | 91 | 64 | 27 | 91 | 35 | 29 |
| Total % | - | - | - | 39.74% | 30.13% | 21.19% | 8.94% | 30.13% | 11.59% | 9.60% |
State-by-state Entries:
CA 87
OR 81
WA 55
CO 23
TX 12
OH 7
MT 6
NE 6
OK 6
KS 5
MO 5
NY 5
AZ 5
IA 4
CT 3
UT 3
FL 2
IL 2
MN 2
NC 2
PA 2
WI 2
ID
1
MI 1
ND 1
SC 1