American Brewers Win Big In Japan

American Craft Beer|December 22nd, 2022|

Japan is a country of beer lovers. And if US brewers’ success at a recent competition held in Tokyo is any indication, American craft beer is making huge inroads abroad.

Hosted by the Craft Beer Association of Japan, the International Beer Cup is Japan’s largest international beer competition.

And as part of its Export Development Program the Brewers Association, the Boulder, Colorado-based not-for-profit trade organization which advocates for American craft beer, sought to further support member brewery presence in Japan through entry fee coverage and coordinating a consolidated airfreight shipment to the 2022 Japan International Beer Cup.

This year’s International Beer Cup saw 1,111 entries from 268 breweries in 16 countries including Australia, China, Colombia, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States of America, Vietnam, and Japan.

Judging for the 2022 event took place October 8-10 in Tokyo with US breweries winning 35 awards in total, including five gold, 14 silver, and 16 bronze.

Brewery Name	Beer Name	Style	Result
Belching Beaver Brewery	Viva la Beaver	Chocolate Beer	Silver
Belching Beaver Brewery	No Worries	American-Style India Pale Ale	Gold
Breakside Brewery	Breakside Black & Tan	Wood- and Barrel-Aged Dark Beer	Silver
Breakside Brewery	Breakside Let Your Indulgence Set Me Free	Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout	Gold
Breakside Brewery	Breakside Bellwether	Herb and Spice Beer	Bronze
Brick West Brewing Co	Lucky Penny	American-Style Amber Lager	Bronze
Brick West Brewing Co	Riverside	Koeln-Style Koelsch	Bronze
Cedar Springs Brewing Company	Küsterer Original Weissbier	South German-Style Bernsteinfarbenes Weizen	Silver
Cedar Springs Brewing Company	West Side Ale	Historical Beer	Bronze
Cedar Springs Brewing Company	Küsterer Appreciator Doppelbock	German-Style Doppelbock	Bronze
DESTIHL Brewery	Tourbus	Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale	Gold
DESTIHL Brewery	Wild Sour Series:Dragonfruit Mango Sour	Fruited American-Style Sour Ale	Gold
Fremont Brewing	Sky Kraken	Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale	Silver
Fremont Brewing	BBADS Coconut Cacao	Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout	Silver
Green Bay Brewing Company	Grand Cru 22	Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer	Bronze
Hodad’s Brewing Company	Surf Punk	International-Style Pilsener	Bronze
HSC BierKraft, LLC	BierKraft Schöps	Breslau-Style Schoeps	Silver
Jack’s Abby Brewing	House Lager	Muenchner-Style Helles	Silver
Jack’s Abby Brewing	Hoponius Union	India Pale Lager	Bronze
Knee Deep Brewing Company	Simtra Triple IPA	Imperial India Pale Ale	Bronze
Migration Brewing Company	Fresh Outta Portland	Fresh Hop Beer	Silver
Migration Brewing Company	MoHazeIc IPA	Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale	Gold
Migration Brewing Company	Patio Pale	American-Style Pale Ale	Bronze
No-Li Brewhouse	Wrecking Ball	British-Style Imperial Stout	Bronze
No-Li Brewhouse	Cascade Fog	Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale	Bronze
Reuben’s Brews	Crikey IPA	American-Style Strong Pale Ale	Silver
River North Brewery	Sunburn	Dark American Wheat Beer without Yeast	Silver
River North Brewery	Twilight Hike	Coffee Beer	Silver
River North Brewery	Bucket of Bolts	Strong Ale	Bronze
River North Brewery	Adrift on the Baltic	Baltic-Style Porter	Bronze
River North Brewery	Hello Darkness	American-Style Imperial Porter	Bronze
River North Brewery	Midnight Hike	Chocolate Beer	Bronze
StillFire Brewing	Dark Moo’d Imperial Milk Stout	British-Style Imperial Stout	Silver
The Virginia Beer Company	Oktoberfest	German-Style Maerzen	Silver
The Virginia Beer Company	Elbow Patches	Export Stout	Silver

International competitions serve as a valuable tool to generate publicity for the US craft beer industry and assist Export Development Program member breweries with gaining attention and distribution in the region.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners…Live long and prosper!