These Are the Best Beers on Earth, According to the 2025 World Beer Cup
On Thursday, the Brewer’s Association announced the winners of the 2025 World Beer Cup at a ceremony in Indianapolis. The event — commonly referred to as “The Olympics of Beer Competitions” — was held at the Indiana Convention Center in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America.
This year, a panel of 265 judges from 37 countries evaluated 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries and cideries across 49 nations. In the end, the panel gave out 349 different awards to the top contenders.
The judges awarded submissions across 112 beer style categories that ranged from traditional (Belgian-Style Ale, American Light Lager) to experimental (Chili Beer, Chocolate Beer). The categories with the most entrants for 2025 included American-Style India Pale Ale (208 entries), West Coast-Style India Pale Ale (253 entries), and Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (290 entries), showing that when it comes to craft beer, the hazy IPA still reigns supreme.
While the tone of the Craft Brewers Conference was less than positive in terms of the outlook for the craft beer industry at large, the event highlighted the great talent and passion the community continues to offer.
“The World Beer Cup competition continues to showcase the global industry’s dedication to innovative craftsmanship, diverse flavors, and technical excellence,” Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director, said in a statement. “This roster of 2025 winners represents the pinnacle of craft brewing and cideries, demonstrating what’s achievable through dedication and passion. Congratulations to this year’s award winners; they have once again helped set the standard for excellence in their craft, inspiring innovation and fostering healthy competition within the industry.”
Read on to see the breweries that brought home a coveted medal in select categories from the 2025 World Beer Cup.
India Pale Ales
American-Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Super Slap, Brewery X
Silver: Party Crusher, Beachwood Brewing
Bronze: Breakside IPA, Breakside Brewery & Taproom
Experimental India Pale Ale
Gold: Pepper & Peaches, Claremont Craft Ales
Silver: Infinite Glow, Highlander Beer
Bronze: Rainbow Suspenders, Seapine Brewing Co.
Imperial India Pale Ale
Gold: Punchface Champion, Grains of Wrath Brewing
Silver: Fall On In, MadeWest Brewing Co.
Bronze: House of Fu!, North Park Beer Co.
West-Coast Style India Pale Ale
Gold: Mosaic Takedown, Pinthouse Brewing
Silver: Chasmic Absorption Through Whirlpools of Disarray, Ghost Town Brewing
Bronze: Terraform, Wayward Lane Brewing
Session India Pale Ale
Gold: Micro Blaster, Shred Beer Co.
Silver: Hefty Fee, Docent Brewing
Bronze: Scenic Route, Westbound & Down Brewing Co.
Juicy or Hazy
Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale
Gold: Juice Master, Shred Beer Co.
Silver: Contains No Juice, Alvarado Street Brewery
Bronze: For 4, Brothership Brewing
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale
Gold: UCHU Relax, UCHU Brewing
Silver: Wisp, Lumen Beer Co.
Bronze: Hop Magee, Danville Brewing Co.
Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale
Gold: Hazy IPA, pFriem Family Brewers
Silver: Slice, Lumen Beer Co.
Bronze: MadeWest Hazy IPA, MadeWest Brewing Co.
Sours
American-Style Sour Ale
Gold: Howzit Punch, Alvarado Street Brewery
Silver: Limoilou Beach, Microbrasserie La Souche
Bronze: Tropic Desert, Other Brother Beer Co.
Belgian-Style Sour Ale
Gold: Erlton Street 5, The Establishment Brewing Co.
Silver: Spontaneous Manifesto 2023, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Co.
Bronze: Funk Yeah, Beachwood Blendery
The full list of 2025 winners can be found on the World Beer Cup website.
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