The 2019 Indiana Brewers’ Cup marked the 21st edition of the Hoosier State’s premier craft beer showdown, held in July at the Indiana State Fairgrounds’ Farmer’s Coliseum in Indianapolis and drawing a massive lineup of over 1,000 entries from pro and homebrewers across 33 categories like crisp Czech Pilsners, juicy American IPAs, roasty porters, and experimental sours—all blind-judged by BJCP pros for that unbiased hoppy justice. Standouts that year included Sun King Brewery’s Sunlight Cream Ale snagging Best of Show Gold in the Light Lager division, with Guggman Haus Brewing’s Winner’s Milk Jug Milk Stout taking top honors in the Stout category and Daredevil Brewing’s Beautiful Dreams claiming gold in English Brown Ale—medals that sent these Indiana gems flying off taps and into Untappd wishlists. It all wrapped with the electric Indiana Microbrewers Festival at Military Park, where unlimited pours from 100+ breweries, live tunes, and food trucks turned downtown Indy into a beer lover’s utopia for thousands of thirsty fans. If you’re plotting a Midwest beer road trip, dig into 2019’s winners for timeless Hoosier pours like those creamy stouts and balanced ales—cheers to a vintage year that proved Indiana brews punch way above their weight!
After a weekend full of tasting and judging, in the professional division, Flix Brewhouse in Carmel, Indiana was named both Grand Champion Brewery and Indiana Brewery of the year. Earlier in the week, Flix Brewhouse won a Gold and two Bronze Medals at the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Best of Show
Gold – Czech 2 – Gravely Brewing – Kentucky
Silver – Sunlight Cream Ale – Sun King Brewery – Indiana
Bronze – Corporate Cake – Third Rock Bottom Brewery – Indianapolis – Indiana
2019 Medal Winners
Light Lager
Gold – Law Grrr – Rock Bottom Brewery – Warrenville – Illinois
Silver – Butcher Holler – Gravely Brewing – Kentucky
Bronze – Itza – Centerpoint Brewing – Indiana
Pilsner
Gold – Czech 2 – Gravely Brewing – Kentucky
Silver – Square One – Off Square Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Bohemian Pilsner – Henderson Brewing – Kentucky
European Amber Lager
Gold – Das Umlaut – Flix Brewhouse – Indiana
Silver – Auburn Lager – Mad Anthony Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Back Roads Amber – Field Brewing – Indiana
Dark Lager
Gold – Witz – Backstep Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Schwarzer Elefant – Thieme & Wagner Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Dark Angel Black Lager – St. Joseph Brewery – Indiana
Bock
Gold – Marvelous Maibock – Brokerage Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Marvelous Maibock – Flix Brewhouse – Carmel – Indiana
Bronze – Daredevil Bock – Daredevil Brewing – Indiana
Light Hybrid Beer
Gold – Daredevil Vacation – Daredevil Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Beer A Whole New Wheat – Flix Brewhouse – Albuquerque – New Mexico
Bronze – Maize Runner – Wooden Bear Brewing – Indiana
Amber Hybrid Beer
Gold – Alt – Hop River Brewing Company – Indiana
Silver – By Necessity – Backstep Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Jack of Hearts – Big Lug Brewing – Indiana
English Pale Ale
Gold – Grand Junction Brewing Company – Indiana
Silver – Junk Ditch Brewing Company – Indiana
Bronze – 5 Speed – Auburn Brewing – Indiana
Scottish and Irish Ale
Gold Flix – Skrull Crusher – Brewhouse – Carmel – Indiana
Silver – Irish Red – Cedar Creek Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Wee So Heavy – Summit City Brewerks – Indiana
American Ale
Gold – Six 2 Midnight – Mad Anthony Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Diamond Daisy – Mind Over Mash Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Space Station Middle Finger – 3 Floyds Brewing – Indiana
Other American Ale
Gold – Sunlight Cream Ale – Sun King Brewery – Indiana
Silver – Luscious – Teays River Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Old Crown Ale – Summit City Brewerks – Indiana
English Brown Ale
Gold – Beautiful Dreams – Daredevil Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Warring Factions – Four Day Ray Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Properly – Rock Bottom Brewery – Warrenville – Illinois
Porter
Gold – Centerpoint Black – Centerpoint Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Busted Knuckle – Quaff On Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Fat Bob’s Porter – Hop River Brewing – Indiana
Stout
Gold – Winner’s Milk Jug Milk Stout – Guggman Haus Brewing Company – Indiana
Silver – Quinn – Backstep Brewing Company – Indiana
Bronze – Summit City Brewerks – Indiana
Strong Stout
Gold – Charlie – Brokerage Brewing Company – Indiana
Silver – Tsar Bomba – Junk Ditch Brewing Company – Indiana
Bronze – Curse of Malthaven – Brokerage Brewing Company – Indiana
American IPA
Gold – Confessional IPA – St. Joseph Brewery – Indiana
Silver – Lupulus – Flix Brewhouse – Carmel – Indiana
Bronze – Hazy Is Lazy – Haymarket Brewing – Michigan
India Pale Ale (IPA)
Gold – The Riverside – Guggman Haus Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Backcountry Session IPA – Bloomington Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Hazy Hopsicle – Urban Vines Winery and Brewery – Indiana
German Wheat and Rye Beer
Gold – Guggenweizen – Guggman Haus Brewing – Indiana
Silver – El Hefe – Rock Bottom Brewery – Orland Park – Illinois
Bronze – Harrison Street Wheat – Hop River Brewing – Indiana
Belgian and French Ale
Gold – Lost Season – Backstep Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Super Power Potion – Flix Brewhouse – Carmel – Indiana
Bronze – Luna Rosa – Flix Brewhouse – Carmel – Indiana
Sour Ale
Gold – Lambic Raspberry – Upland Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Red Legacy – Wolf’s Ridge Brewing – Ohio
Bronze – Phantom Gose – Triton Brewing – Indiana
Belgian Strong Ale
Gold – Nefarious Nectar – The Tap Brewery – Indiana
Silver – Touched by an Angel – Sun King Brewery – Indiana
Bronze – Delta Quadrant – The Tap Brewery – Indiana
Strong Ale
Gold – The Strong Ale – Cedar Creek Brewing Company – Indiana
Silver – Imperial Wheat – Crown Brewing – Indiana 2
Bronze – Grampa Z’big A$$ – Evil Horse Brewing – Illinois
Fruit Beer
Gold – Popping My Collar – Rock Bottom Brewery – Indianapolis – Indiana
Silver – Prickly Pear Gose – Backstep Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Grandma’s Strawberry Pie – Fortlandia Brewing – Indiana
Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer
Gold – Corporate Cake – Rock Bottom Brewery – Indianapolis – Indiana
Silver – Herald Jr. – Tin Man Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Breakfast Stout – Cedar Creek Brewing – Indiana
Smoke-Flavored
Gold – Buchenrauch – Wolf’s Ridge Brewing – Ohio
Silver – Litany Against Fear – Wolf’s Ridge Brewing – Ohio
Bronze – Stormcrow – MashCraft Brewing – Fishers – Indiana
Wood-Aged Beer
Gold – Mezcal Exemption – Taxman Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Type Set – 18th Street Brewery – Indiana
Bronze – Deduction – Taxman Brewing Company – Indiana
American Wild Ale
Gold – Small batch Mr. J – Sun King Fishers Tap Room & Small Batch Brewery – Indiana
Silver – Oak & White – Upland Brewing – Indiana
Bronze – Cache Flow: Apricot – Taxman Brewing – Indiana
Specialty Beer
Gold – Tiki Tango Kombucha Shandy – Centerpoint Brewing – Indiana
Silver – Colonial Ale – Rock Bottom Brewery – Orland Park – Illinois
Bronze – Imperial Amish Krack – HopLore Brewing – Indiana
Traditional Mead
Gold – lil buzz – McClure’s Orchard/Winer – Indiana
Silver – Oaked Wildflower Cuvee – Hive and Barrel Meadery – Kentucky
Bronze – OB Traditional – Hive and Barrel Meadery – Kentucky
Fruit Mead
Gold – Adult Apple Juice – Hive and Barrel Meadery – Kentucky
Silver – Pyment birdeye – McClure’s Orchard/Winery – Indiana
Spice & Specialty Mead
Gold- OBB, Yeah You Know Me! (Old Bourbon Barrel) – Hive and Barrel – Kentucky
Silver – Mango Chipotle – Hive and Barrel Meadery – Kentucky
Bronze – Hibiscus – Hive and Barrel Meadery – Kentucky
Standard Cider and Perry
Gold – Spy Candy – McClure’s Orchard/Winery – Indiana
Silver – Farmhouse – McClure’s Orchard/Winery – Indiana
Bronze – Bon-Bon – McClure’s Orchard/Winery – Indiana
Specialty Cider and Perry
Gold – Cherry Monster – Urban Vines Winery and Brewery – Indiana
Silver – La Glace – Ash & Elm Cider Co. – Indiana
Bronze – Paige’s Peach McClure’s Orchard/Winery – Indiana
Fun Beer Facts, Breweries and More: Click Here


TORONTO, Ontario – The 2019 Canadian Brewing Awards, in its 17th year, was a nationwide toast to the country’s exploding craft beer scene, held in Toronto on May 4 with over 800 entries from breweries coast-to-coast judged blindly by BJCP-certified pros across 50 categories—from crisp European lagers and juicy IPAs to barrel-aged sours and experimental wilds. Ontario breweries dominated the medal count with 57 golds, silvers, and bronzes, but British Columbia stole the spotlight as a powerhouse, snagging 49 medals (nearly a third of the 164 total) and proving the West Coast’s hazy, hop-forward mastery. Clifford Brewing Company from Hamilton, Ontario, was crowned Brewery of the Year for its killer lineup, including the silver-winning East Hamilton Lager, while the ultimate prize—Beer of the Year—went to Central City Brewers + Distillers’ Red Racer After Hours Pale Ale (BC), a bold, experimental pale that doubled as gold in its category and had hopheads buzzing for months. Other BC standouts included Steel & Oak’s gold-medal Dark Lager (a malty European-style beauty), Fernie Brewing’s Campout West Coast Pale (gold for its piney, citrus punch), and Strange Fellows’ Mistral (gold in wood- and barrel-aged beers for its funky, oaky depth). Standout category winners like Stray Dog’s Jagged Little Pilsner (gold in European Pilsner, a snappy noble-hop gem) and Henderson’s Ides of February (gold Bock, rich and toasty) highlighted the diversity, from Manitoba’s Torque Witty Belgian to Alberta’s Hell’s Basement Elevator HBB. Amid the cheers, the gala also announced the launch of the Canadian Craft Brewers Association, uniting 700+ independents to champion small-batch innovation. If you’re plotting a cross-Canada beer crawl, hunt down these 2019 medalists—they’re timeless pours that capture the moment Canada’s craft scene went supernova. Prost to a golden year!


Third Eye Brewing and the U.S. Open Beer Championship partnered to set a world record for the largest beer float.




