(Photo © Brewers Association)

Ohio has once again proven itself as a beer destination and has the hardware to prove it.. We’ve that, “Words to Drink By” and more…

Ohio Breweries Wins Big At The Great American Beer Festival

Ohio has once again proven itself as a beer destination and has the hardware to prove it. Eleven of Ohio’s independent craft breweries brought home a combined 21 medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival competition. Ohio’s best showing at the annual event was in 2023, when 13 breweries combined for 19 awards.

Held annually, more than 1,550 breweries from across the country submitted 8,300 of their best beers in hopes of earning national recognition.

Fat Head’s Brewery earned a Brewery of the Year award in the 15,001-100,000 barrel division, bringing home five medals — two gold, one silver and two bronze — adding to their impressive medal count from the Great American Beer Festival. Since 2009, the Middleburg Heights brewery has won a whopping 35 medals at the annual competition. Goggle Fogger hefeweizen won its third gold medal in the past six years, while Battle Axe strong porter followed up its 2025 World Beer Cup gold award with a gold medal at GABF as well.

Cincinnati’s Third Eye Brewing also took home a Brewery of the Year award, earning the most medals among breweries in the 2,001-5000 barrel division. Making their best showing at the event, Third Eye earned two gold medals and one silver medal, as well as two collaboration beer medals: a gold with Hamilton, Ohio’s Municipal Brew Works and a bronze with Narrow Path Brewing of Loveland, Ohio. Higher Consciousness earned a gold medal in the Scotch Ale category after also winning in gold at the 2025 World Beer Cup.

Brink Brewing continued their medal streak at the Great American Beer Festival with gold medals for Moozie in the Sweet Stout or Cream Stout category and Lil Zoomie in the Coffee Stout or Porter category. Brink has won at least one medal in each year of Great American Beer Festival competition since the brewery’s founding in 2017.

Gemüt Biergarten in Columbus and Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati each made repeat trips to the medal stand at the 2025 competition, with each brewery taking home both a silver and a bronze. In addition to the collaboration bronze shared with Third Eye, Narrow Path Brewing earned their own silver medal for Polar Bear in the Coffee Beer category.

Streetside Brewery in Cincinnati earned their second consecutive gold medal at the competition, this time for Sofa King. Forbidden Root’s Columbus brewery earned its first ever medal in the competition, a gold for Festhalle Munich-style Helles, just edging out crosstown friends Gemüt Biergarten in the category.

Northwest Ohio was represented on the medal stand by Inside the Five Brewing, earning a silver for Prepare for Glory English Ale. This is the Toledo brewery’s second medal at the competition after winning a silver in 2023.

JAFB Brewery in Wooster earned their sixth GABF award, with their Hefeweizen bringing home a bronze medal in the same category for which Fat Head’s earned gold for Goggle Fogger.

Since 1987, 65 Ohio craft breweries have combined to win 230 medals – 81 gold – at the Great American Beer Festival.

“This is a banner day for Ohio craft beer,” said Mary MacDonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. “Our breweries deserve so much recognition for the high-quality, world-class and award-winning beers they brew, as well as their innovation beyond beer and the ways they positively contribute to their local communities.”

Words to Drink By

“You don’t know everything. And if you pretend to know everything, those who know something will dismiss you.” –  Bob Lefsetz, music and media writer

(Courtesy California Craft Brewers Association)

California Craft Beer Summit Returns

The California Craft Beer Summit returns to the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, CA on November 10–12, 2025, with a theme of “Crafting Momentum,” focusing on innovation, resilience, and business strategies for craft breweries.

This year’s Summit will feature a full slate of education and conversation, anchored by a keynote discussion between Jamie Bogner, co-founder and editorial director of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, and Julian Shrago, Chair of the CCBA Board of Directors and brewmaster at Beachwood Brewing.

“The CCBA has put together a program that will not only empower our members, but craft momentum to move the craft beer industry into the future through data and research and a shared love of craft beer,” said Kelsey McQuaid-Craig, Executive Director of the CCBA.

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