The 2026 Ohio Beer Awards, the inaugural statewide competition presented by the Ohio Craft Brewers Association and proudly sponsored by Lagersmith, celebrated the exceptional talent and innovation of Ohio’s craft brewers, cider makers, and mead producers. With nearly 500 entries submitted from over 100 breweries, cideries, and meaderies across the Buckeye State, expert judges blind-tasted beers in 26 diverse categories during judging sessions held January 19–21 at MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati. Winners were announced on February 16 at a lively ceremony at Seventh Son Brewing in Columbus, where 47 producers earned well-deserved gold, silver, and bronze medals. Highlights included Masthead Brewing and Noble Beast Brewing (both from Cleveland) sharing Brewery of the Year honors for their standout medal hauls, alongside special recognitions like the Aluminate Award for Best Can Design. This exciting new event shines a spotlight on Ohio’s thriving craft beverage scene, highlighting the quality, creativity, and community spirit that make Buckeye State beers, ciders, and meads among the best in the nation.
Ohio Craft Beer Medal Winners
Category 1: European Pilsner
Gold: Daytonian Rhapsody, Eudora Brewing Company, Kettering, Ohio
Silver: Geist der Glocke, Bell Tower Brewing Co., Kent, Ohio
Bronze: Golem, Gemüt Biergarten, Columbus, Ohio
Category 2: Golden, Blonde and Other Light Ales
Gold: Sampsel House Kölsch, Uniontown Brewing Co., Ashland, Ohio
Silver: Little Kings Cream Ale, Cincinnati Beverage Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bronze: Hungarian Pearl, Immigrant Son Brewery, Lakewood, Ohio
Category 3: Hoppy Lagers
Gold: Stinkin Lincoln New Zealand Pilsner, Uniontown Brewing Co., Ashland, Ohio
Silver: IPL Eins, Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, Fresno, Ohio
Bronze: Scusi, Traum Brewing, Upper Sandusky, Ohio
Category 4: Light European Lagers
Gold: Rustic Helles, Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, Fresno, Ohio
Silver: Brewer, Northern Row Brewery & Distillery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bronze: Lakeshore Lager, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Category 5: Dark European Lagers
Gold: Svartalfheim, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Silver: Tmavé Pivo, Birdfish Brewing Company, Columbiana, Ohio
Bronze: Rubezahl, Gemüt Biergarten, Columbus, Ohio
Category 6: World Lagers
Gold: Float Day, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs, Ohio
Silver: Shower Beer, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Bronze: Multinational Pilsner, Crooked Can Brewing Company, Hilliard, Ohio
Category 7: Porter and Stout
Gold: Punderson Porter, Bummin’ Beaver Brewery, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Silver: Shuck Yeah, The 1547 Project, Cortland, Ohio
Bronze: Porter, The Brew Brothers, Columbus, Ohio
Category 8: Classic UK and American Styles
Gold: Old School, Three Tigers Brewing, Granville, Ohio
Silver: All the Leaves, Broadview Brewing Company, Broadview Heights, Ohio
Bronze: Stone Fort, Seventh Son Brewing Co., Columbus, Ohio
Category 9: Belgian Beers, German Wheat Beers and Traditional Brett Beers
Gold: Valor, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio
Silver: Hefeweizen, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster, Ohio
Bronze: Captain Stardust, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs, Ohio
Category 10: Red Beers
Gold: Ida Love a Red, Red Wagon Brewing, Columbia Station, Ohio
Silver: Frontline, Akronym Brewing, Akron, Ohio
Bronze: Scot’s an Evil Man, Schnitz Ale Brewery, Parma, Ohio
Category 11: Strong Beers
Gold: Old Dick, New Berlin Brewing Company, North Canton, Ohio
Silver: Brasky, Combustion Brewery & Taproom, Pickerington, Ohio
Bronze: We Don’t Rat, We Don’t Run 2025, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio
Category 12: Sessionable Hoppy Beers
Gold: Henry, Akronym Brewing, Akron, Ohio
Silver: Light Rajah, The Brew Kettle, Middleburg Heights, Ohio
Bronze: Small Axe, Three Tigers Brewing, Granville, Ohio
Category 13: American IPA
Gold: Ca$h After Ten, Ghost Tree Brewing Company, Amherst, Ohio
Silver: Evil Motives, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio
Bronze: JAF IPA, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster, Ohio
Category 14: West Coast IPA
Gold: Danko, Three Tigers Brewing, Granville, Ohio
Silver: The Cleveland Experiment V7, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Bronze: Isolated IPA, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster, Ohio
Category 15: Hazy, Juicy, New England IPA
Gold: Fast Friends, Derive Brewing Company, Columbus, Ohio
Silver: Creative Space, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs, Ohio
Bronze: Captain Hazy, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Category 16: Imperial IPA and Dark Hoppy Beers
Gold: The Word, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Silver: Turtlenecks and Gold Chains, Derive Brewing Company, Columbus, Ohio
Bronze: Now We’re Talkin’, Combustion Brewery & Taproom, Pickerington, Ohio
Category 17: Barrel-Aged Beers
Gold: Celestial Reserve (Dow’s 65th Birthday Blend), Third Eye Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
Silver: Pounding Husks, Wandering Monsters Brewing, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bronze: Bag of Hammers, Akronym Brewing (in collaboration with The Brew Kettle), Akron, Ohio
Category 18: Barrel-Aged Stout
Gold: Faded Echoes – Ivory Depths, Counterbalance Brewing, Columbus, Ohio
Silver: Underverse, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Bronze: Barrel Aged Cheap Heat, Streetside Brewery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Category 19: Spiced Holiday Beers
Gold: Winter Warmer, New Berlin Brewing Company, North Canton, Ohio
Silver: Slow Toboggan, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio
Bronze: John Dough, Wandering Monsters Brewing, Cincinnati, Ohio
Category 20: Flavored Beers
Gold: Fox in the Stout, Seventh Son Brewing Co., Columbus, Ohio
Silver: Chunkzilla, Wandering Monsters Brewing, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bronze: Chai Spiced Imperial Stout, Parsons North Brewing Company, Columbus, Ohio
Category 22: Fruit Beers
Gold: Cha-Cha-Cha… Cherry Bomb!, Four Paws Brewing, Columbia Station, Ohio
Silver: Blood Brothers, Hop Brothers Brewing Company, North Ridgeville, Ohio
Bronze: Nightfall, Traum Brewing, Upper Sandusky, Ohio
Category 23: Coffee Beer
Gold: Wired Euphoria, Third Eye Brewing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
Silver: Good Morning 818, Southern Ohio Brewing, Beavercreek, Ohio
Bronze: The Daily Grind, Akronym Brewing, Akron, Ohio
Category 24: Historical Beer, Smoked Beer, Experimental Beer and Specialty Beverages
Gold: Rauchfräug Strong Märzen Lager, Hoppin’ Frog Brewery, Akron, Ohio
Silver: Lee Morgan, GlendAlehouse, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bronze: Hanayori Mo Bīru, Eighty-Three Brewery, Akron, Ohio
Category 25: Sour and Mixed Culture Beers
Gold: Barrel Aged Flemish Kriek, Parsons North Brewing Company, Columbus, Ohio
Silver: Eau Rouge, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland, Ohio
Bronze: Reverie, Edison Brewing Company, Gahanna, Ohio
Category 26: Cider
Gold: Kelly’s Dry, West End Ciderhouse, Athens, Ohio
Silver: Shell Jelly, Funky Turtle Brewing Co., Toledo, Ohio
Bronze: TinCap Pineapple, TinCap Hard Cider, Wilmington, Ohio
Category 27: Mead
Gold: MVWS, Four Fires Meadery, Maumee, Ohio
Silver: Booty Blue, Dutch Creek Winery, Athens, Ohio
Bronze: Stonefruit Slow Jams, Four Fires Meadery, Maumee, Ohio
About the Ohio Craft Brewers Association
The Ohio Craft Brewers Association (OCBA), founded in 2008 as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization, was established to unify Ohio’s brewing community, market Ohio-manufactured craft beers throughout the state and beyond, and advocate for a strong, thriving beer industry.
Over the past 18 years, the OCBA has grown into the official unified voice for the state’s craft brewers, with a mission “to promote, preserve, diversify, and unify Ohio’s craft brewing industry.” The association represents hundreds of operating breweries, breweries-in-planning, allied trade partners, and enthusiast supporters through tiered memberships—including Brewery, Allied, and Enthusiast levels—that deliver marketing and promotional support, legislative advocacy, educational programming such as the annual Ohio Craft Brewers Conference, signature events like Ohio Pint Day, and a collaborative network that fosters industry growth and camaraderie. Today, OCBA member breweries and partners help drive Ohio’s dynamic craft beer scene, which boasts more than 440 licensed craft breweries (ranking 8th nationally) and contributes nearly $3 billion in total economic impact to the state.
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