Northwest breweries win big at the 2023 World Beer Cup



The 2023 World Beer Cup judging is complete. Yesterday the Brewers Association announced the winners at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville. Above: the crew from Icicle Brewing celebrates, winners of two medals.

A total of 2,376 breweries from the U.S. and beyond entered a total of 10,213 beers for judging by a panel of 272 expert judges. Washington breweries brought home 13 medals this year. Oregon breweries brought home 22 medals. I share the list of Northwest winners below.

Northwest Highlights

  • Multiple-medal winners from the Northwest include Icicle Brewing, Grains of Wrath Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing, Bend Brewing, and Sunriver Brewing.
  • Fair Isle Brewing of Seattle brought home two of the three medals in the Mixed-Culture Bret Beer category.
  • Sunriver Brewing brought home a medal in the most hotly contested category, American-Style IPA, which saw over 400 beers entered.

Competition Highlights

  • Beers Entered: 10,213
  • Breweries Entered: 2,376
  • International Breweries: 22.9% (546 international)
  • Countries Represented: 51
  • Judges: 272
  • Judging sessions and days: 9 days, 18 sessions
  • Beer Style Categories: 103
  • Beer Styles: 176 (includes all subcategories)

Top 5 Most-Entered Style Categories:

  • Category 102, American-Style India Pale Ale: 412 entries
  • Category 103, Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 374 entries
  • Category 40, German-Style Pilsener: 233 entries
  • Category 35, International Light Lager: 220 entries
  • Category 30, Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout: 202 entries

About the World Beer Cup

The competition was founded in 1996 to recognize and celebrate the art and science of brewing globally and create greater consumer awareness about different beer styles and flavor profiles. Previously a biennial event, the competition was annualized last year, making 2023 the first time the World Beer Cup has taken place in back-to-back years.

“The World Beer Cup brings together the finest brewers and beers from around the globe and celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and passion for great beer,” said Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director. “Receiving a World Beer Cup award is a testament to quality and innovation, and we commend this year’s winners for setting the bar higher than ever.”


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Northwest Winners

Here are the winners from Oregon and Washington. You can get the complete list of all winners here (PDF).

Washington Winners (13 medals)

Session Beer or Belgian-Style Table Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: First To Fall, The Good Society Brewery & Public House, Seattle, WA


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Other Strong Beer – 35 Entries
Silver: Deluxe, Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, WA

Gluten-Free Beer – 56 Entries
Gold: Ghostfish 8th Anniversary Beer, Ghostfish Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

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Mixed-Culture Brett Beer – 65 Entries
Gold: Knitting Circle S3 Batch C, Fair Isle Brewing, Seattle, WA
Bronze: Tove, Fair Isle Brewing, Seattle, WA

International Pilsener – 129 Entries
Bronze: Icicle Premium Pilsner, Icicle Brewing Co., Leavenworth, WA

Bohemian-Style Pilsener – 160 Entries
Gold: Polaris Pilsner, Chainline Brewing Co., Kirkland, WA

Munich-Style Helles – 178 Entries
Bronze: Chuckanut Helles, Chuckanut Brewery, Burlington, WA

Dortmunder/Export or German-Style Oktoberfest – 66 Entries
Gold: Festbier, Brick West Brewing Co., Spokane, WA

American-Style Pilsener – 104 Entries
Bronze: Happy Little Clouds, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle, WA

Barley Wine-Style Ale – 71 Entries
Bronze: Three Ryes Men, Reuben’s Brews – Production Brewery, Seattle, WA

Category 70: Specialty Saison – 74 Entries
Bronze: Faithful and True, Sovereign Brewing, Seattle, WA

Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 153 Entries
Gold: Alpenhaze, Icicle Brewing Co., Leavenworth, WA

Oregon Winners (22 medals)

Field Beer – 78 Entries
Gold: Cucumber Crush, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR

Coffee Stout or Porter – 110 Entries
Silver: Mocha Cow, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR

Honey Beer – 60 Entries
Gold: BeeLoved, 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend Pub, Bend, OR

Session India Pale Ale – 116 Entries
Gold: Wild Gravity, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Other Strong Beer – 35 Entries
Gold: Superswell, Pelican Brewing Co. – Tillamook, Tillamook, OR

Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – 58 Entries
Bronze: Sensationator, Deschutes Brewery & Public House – Portland, OR

International Lager – 97 Entries
Gold: Japanese Lager, pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River, OR

German-Style Pilsener – 233 Entries
Gold: Pils, Von Ebert Brewing – Pearl, Portland, OR

German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock – 102 Entries
Bronze: Lucubrator Dopplebock, Occidental Brewing Co., Portland, OR

American-Style Lager – 105 Entries
Bronze: Cole’s Lager, Wild Ride Brewing, Redmond, OR

German-Style Sour Ale – 45 Entries
Silver: Baywindow, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Specialty Berliner-Style Weisse – 53 Entries
Gold: Gindulgence, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Brown Porter – 63 Entries
Silver: Old Normal, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR

Old Ale or Strong Ale – 42 Entries
Bronze: Ol’ Beauty, Oregon City Brewing Co., Oregon City, OR

American-Style Pale Ale – 176 Entries
Bronze: Papermaker Pale Ale, Grains of Wrath Brewing – Portland, OR

Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 153 Entries
Bronze: Queens & Sons Soft IPA, Kings & Daughters Brewery, Clackamas, OR

American-Style Strong Pale Ale – 154 Entries
Gold: Something Dank This Way Comes, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR
Silver: Breakside IPA, Breakside Brewery & Taproom, Milwaukie, OR

American-Style Black Ale or American-Style Stout – 81 Entries
Gold: Falling Up, Grains of Wrath Brewing – Portland, Portland, OR

American-Style Imperial Stout – 58 Entries
Gold: Block & Tackle Imperial Stout, Chetco Brewing Co., Brookings, OR
Silver: Night Howler Imperial Stout, Baerlic Brewing Co., Portland, OR

American-Style India Pale Ale – 412 Entries
Silver: Applied Science, Sunriver Brewing Co., Sunriver, OR



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