American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
(Photo by Bart Van der Perre)
Described as “the United Nations of Fine Beers” the Brussels Beer Challenge is an international competition held in different Belgian beer capitals annually. And its growth speaks to evolution of serious beer around the globe.
And just as the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competitions highlight brewing trends and the emergence of prominent brewing players in the US, entrants to the Brussels Beer Challenge serves as a bellwether of beer’s market development and emergence around the world.
Since it first launched ten years ago, the Brussels Beer Challenge has grown to become one of the world’s most important and prestigious competitions. When it began in 2012 it was populated primarily by breweries from Belgium and traditional countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and the UK. This year’s competition attracted 2,395 beers from 44 different countries judged by more than 120 beer experts.
Judges awarded 213 beers with gold, silver, or bronze in 70+1 categories. And although European brewers are still comprehensively represented, US brewers are making inroads and they won big this year.
American breweries took home 18 medals overall in 2021 including five Gold, four Silver, and nine Bronze. And those award-winning breweries are listed below…
| Brewery | Beer | Category | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaskan Brewing Company | Alaskan Amber Ale | Red Ale : Irish Red Ale | Bronze |
| Alaskan Brewing Company | Midnight Haze IPA | Dark Ale : Dark/Black IPA | Silver |
| Bell’s Brewery | Bell’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition Stout | Flavoured beer : Russian Imperial Stout barrel or oaked aged | Bronze |
| Cedar Springs Brewing Company | Küsterer Dunkelweizen | Wheat : Dunkel Weizen | Bronze |
| Cigar City Brewing Co. | Guayabera Citra Pale Ale | PaleAmber Ale : American Pale Ale | Gold |
| Cigar City Brewing Co. | Maduro Brown Ale | Dark Ale : Brown Ale | Gold |
| Deschutes Brewery | Obsidian Stout | Stout/ Porter : American Stout | Silver |
| Deschutes Brewery | Black Butte XXXIII | Flavoured beer : Wood/Barrel Aged | Silver |
| East Brother Beer Company | Festbier | Lager : German-Style Märzen | Silver |
| Fremont Brewing | Lush IPA | PaleAmber Ale : American IPA (Higher than 6.5 ABV) | Gold |
| Fremont Brewing | Cinnamon Coconut B-Bomb | Speciality Beer : Winter Ales | Bronze |
| Fremont Brewing | Dark Star | Stout/ Porter : Stout export | Silver |
| Fremont Brewing | Coffee Cacao Vanilla Barrel-Aged Dark Star | Flavoured beer : Coffee | Silver |
| Healdsburg Beer Co | HBC Porter | Stout/ Porter : Porter | Bronze |
| Jack’s Abby Brewing LLC | Hoponius Union | Lager : Hoppy Lager | Silver |
| Jack’s Abby Brewing LLC | Post Shift Pilsner | Lager : German-Style Pilsner | Silver |
| Migration Brewing Company | Mo Haze Ic | PaleAmber Ale : New England IPA | Bronze |
| New Holland Brewing | Dragon’s Milk Solera | Speciality Beer : Barley Wine | Gold |
| No-Li Brewhouse | Big Juicy | PaleAmber Ale : Pacific IPA | Bronze |
| Port City Brewing Company | Monumental IPA | PaleAmber Ale : English IPA | Silver |
| Rahr Sons Brewing Co. | Barrelfest | Flavoured beer : Wood/Barrel Aged | Gold |
| Reuben’s Brews | Crikey IPA | PaleAmber Ale : American IPA (Higher than 6.5 ABV) | Silver |
| River North Brewery | Mr. Sandman – Milk Chocolate | Flavoured beer : Russian Imperial Stout barrel or oaked aged | Bronze |
| Saranac Brewery / FX Matt Brewing Co. | Utica Club Pilsener | Lager : American-Style Pilsner | Bronze |
| Societe Brewing Company | The Pupil | PaleAmber Ale : Pacific IPA | Silver |
| The Virginia Beer Company | Elbow Patches | Stout/ Porter : Stout export | Bronze |
| The Virginia Beer Company | Purley’s ESB | PaleAmber Ale : Strong/Extra Special Bitter | Gold |
| Warped Wing Brewing Co. | Whiskey Rebellion | Flavoured beer : Russian Imperial Stout barrel or oaked aged | Silver |
| Wormtown Brewery | Fresh Patch | Flavoured beer : Pumpkin ale | Bronze |
| Wormtown Brewery | Be Hoppy | PaleAmber Ale : Pacific IPA | Gold |
| Wren House Brewing | Spellbinder | PaleAmber Ale : New England IPA | Gold |
| Wren House Brewing | Valley Beer | Lager : Light Lager | Silver |
Congratulations to all this year’s winners….Live long and prosper.
