On Thursday, the Brewer’s Association announced the winners of the 2025 World Beer Cup at a ceremony in Indianapolis. The event — commonly referred to as “The Olympics of Beer Competitions” — was held at the Indiana Convention Center in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America.

This year, a panel of 265 judges from 37 countries evaluated 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries and cideries across 49 nations. In the end, the panel gave out 349 different awards to the top contenders.

The judges awarded submissions across 112 beer style categories that ranged from traditional (Belgian-Style Ale, American Light Lager) to experimental (Chili Beer, Chocolate Beer). The categories with the most entrants for 2025 included American-Style India Pale Ale (208 entries), West Coast-Style India Pale Ale (253 entries), and Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (290 entries), showing that when it comes to craft beer, the hazy IPA still reigns supreme.

While the tone of the Craft Brewers Conference was less than positive in terms of the outlook for the craft beer industry at large, the event highlighted the great talent and passion the community continues to offer.

“The World Beer Cup competition continues to showcase the global industry’s dedication to innovative craftsmanship, diverse flavors, and technical excellence,” Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director, said in a statement. “This roster of 2025 winners represents the pinnacle of craft brewing and cideries, demonstrating what’s achievable through dedication and passion. Congratulations to this year’s award winners; they have once again helped set the standard for excellence in their craft, inspiring innovation and fostering healthy competition within the industry.”

Read on to see the breweries that brought home a coveted medal in select categories from the 2025 World Beer Cup.

India Pale Ales

American-Style India Pale Ale

  • Gold: Super Slap, Brewery X
  • Silver: Party Crusher, Beachwood Brewing
  • Bronze: Breakside IPA, Breakside Brewery & Taproom

Experimental India Pale Ale

  • Gold: Pepper & Peaches, Claremont Craft Ales
  • Silver: Infinite Glow, Highlander Beer
  • Bronze: Rainbow Suspenders, Seapine Brewing Co.

Imperial India Pale Ale

  • Gold: Punchface Champion, Grains of Wrath Brewing
  • Silver: Fall On In, MadeWest Brewing Co.
  • Bronze: House of Fu!, North Park Beer Co.

West-Coast Style India Pale Ale

  • Gold: Mosaic Takedown, Pinthouse Brewing
  • Silver: Chasmic Absorption Through Whirlpools of Disarray, Ghost Town Brewing
  • Bronze: Terraform, Wayward Lane Brewing

Session India Pale Ale

  • Gold: Micro Blaster, Shred Beer Co.
  • Silver: Hefty Fee, Docent Brewing
  • Bronze: Scenic Route, Westbound & Down Brewing Co.

Juicy or Hazy

Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale

  • Gold: Juice Master, Shred Beer Co.
  • Silver: Contains No Juice, Alvarado Street Brewery
  • Bronze: For 4, Brothership Brewing

Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale

  • Gold: UCHU Relax, UCHU Brewing
  • Silver: Wisp, Lumen Beer Co.
  • Bronze: Hop Magee, Danville Brewing Co.

Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale

  • Gold: Hazy IPA, pFriem Family Brewers
  • Silver: Slice, Lumen Beer Co.
  • Bronze: MadeWest Hazy IPA, MadeWest Brewing Co.

Sours

American-Style Sour Ale

  • Gold: Howzit Punch, Alvarado Street Brewery
  • Silver: Limoilou Beach, Microbrasserie La Souche
  • Bronze: Tropic Desert, Other Brother Beer Co.

Belgian-Style Sour Ale

  • Gold: Erlton Street 5, The Establishment Brewing Co.
  • Silver: Spontaneous Manifesto 2023, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Co.
  • Bronze: Funk Yeah, Beachwood Blendery

The full list of 2025 winners can be found on the World Beer Cup website.

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