It wasn’t all just hitting the sprawling buffets and blackjack tables at this week’s Craft Brewers Conference. There were some additional big winners as some of the world’s top breweries were once again recognized today at the 2024 World Beer Cup.
This year’s World Beer Cup awards took place on Wednesday, April 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of this year’s Craft Brewers Conference. Launched by the Brewers Association in 1996 to celebrate brewing and brewers across the world, the World Beer Cup is often referred to as “The Olympics of Beer Competitions”.
The 2024 World Beer Cup featured 9,300 entries from 2.060 breweries across 50 countries. Approximately 280 judges from 37 countries came to Vegas and tasted beer across 110 categories. When they were done, they handed out 329 medals — one category did not receive a gold medal. All told, breweries from twenty countries took home brewing hardware, from Peru to Korea, and Canada to Australia. It’s a good time to be a beer fan.
Interesting tidbits:
- Who said California is wine country? California won big in hoppy categories. California swept the hoppy Lager and Imperial IPA categories, and won seven of the nine medals in the three big IPA categories — Juicy/Hazy IPA, West Coat IPA, and American-Style IPA, representing the competition’s first, second, and fourth largest categories. California also swept the coffee-beer category.
- Oregon and California breweries won big on the night. By far the most awarded region in the nation.
- Still, in the biggest category – Hazy/Juicy IPA, it wasn’t a West Coast brewery that won gold, it was a Chicago brewery. Old Irving Brewing Beezer Hazy IPA, which also won gold at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, took the honors this year at World Beer Cup.
- Deschutes Brewery won four medals, as did 10 Barrel Brewing. But, 10 Barrel accomplished something else — they swept (bronze, silver and gold) the German-Style Sour Ale category!
- Several “OG” breweries won this year, including Allagash, Sierra Nevada, Deschutes, Pizza Port, Odell, and many more.
- Meanwhile, Cerveza 7 Vidas from Tacna, Peru won two medals.
- Speaking of areas south of the Rio Grande. Where do you go to find the best German-Style Koelsch? Go try the WBC Gold Banquetera, from Buqui Bichi Brewing in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Without further ado, this year’s 2024 World Beer Cup medal results:
Curious about the style guidelines? The World Beer Cup has provided a guide for you.
See you in Indianapolis!