ATLANTA – On a crisp Saturday evening at the Wrecking Bar Brewpub, craft-beer fans braved the December chill to celebrate Georgia’s boldest brews at the 2025 Georgia Strong Beer Festival. Dedicated exclusively to beers 8% ABV and higher, the annual event once again proved that when it comes to big, barrel-aged, and boundary-pushing beers, Georgia’s brewing scene is firing on all cylinders.
After a full day of blind judging on Friday by BJCP-certified judges, the medal winners were unveiled during the festival. Cherry Street Brewing walked away with the night’s biggest prize: Best of Show for their Halcyon Barrel-Aged Imperial Breakfast Stout. The coffee-forward, maple-kissed behemoth also claimed gold in the fiercely competitive Barrel-Aged Stout & Porter category, cementing Cherry Street as the undisputed heavyweight champion of 2025.
2025 Medal Winners – Georgia Strong Beer Festival
Best of Show
Cherry Street Brewing (Cumming) – Halcyon Barrel-Aged Imperial Breakfast Stout
Category 1 – Barrel-Aged Stout & Porter
Gold: Cherry Street Brewing – Halcyon Barrel-Aged Imperial Breakfast Stout
Silver: Variant Brewing (Roswell) – Barrel-Aged Mexican Chocolate Stout
Bronze: Scofflaw Brewing (Atlanta) – Basement BA Imperial Stout (Coconut)
Category 2 – Imperial IPA / Double IPA
Gold: New Realm Brewing (Atlanta) – Hopocalypse
Silver: Monday Night Brewing (Atlanta) – Fistful of Hops: Citra & Mosaic
Bronze: Gate City Brewing (Roswell) – Big Stan DIPA
Category 3 – Belgian Strong Ale & Quadrupel
Gold: Orpheus Brewing (Atlanta) – Life.Death.Life. (2025 Barrel-Aged Blend)
Silver: Halfway Crooks Beer / The Lost Abbey (Atlanta/San Marcos, CA) – Crooked Abbey Quad
Bronze: Wild Leap Brew Co. (LaGrange) – Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Category 4 – Barleywine (English & American)
Gold: Creature Comforts Brewing (Athens) – Old Stock English Barleywine (2024 vintage)
Silver: Arches Brewing (Hapeville) – 2024 English Barleywine
Bronze: Reformation Brewery (Woodstock) – Jude Barrel-Aged Barleywine (2025)
Georgia breweries swept every gold medal, with only one out-of-state collaboration (San Diego’s The Lost Abbey teaming up with Atlanta’s Halfway Crooks) cracking the podium. In total, 11 different Georgia breweries medaled, showcasing depth from metro Atlanta powerhouses to rising stars in Athens, LaGrange, and beyond.
Festival attendees were treated to more than 150 strong beers from over 50 breweries, including rare tappings of barrel-aged rarities, vintage barleywines, and hazy triple IPAs that pushed 12–14% ABV while somehow remaining dangerously drinkable. Live music, local food trucks, and a heated VIP tent kept the vibes high despite temperatures dipping into the 40s.
Now in its seventh year, the Georgia Strong Beer Festival—organized by the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild—continues to grow in prestige. With national-caliber winners like Cherry Street’s Halcyon stout now in the conversation for year-end “best of” lists, Georgia’s reputation for world-class big beers has never been stronger.
Raise a (responsibly small) glass: the Peach State is brewing some of the boldest beers in America.
See you next December.
More about the Georgia Craft Brewer’s Guild
The Georgia Craft Brewers Guild (GCBG) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Georgia’s independent craft breweries. Founded in 2010, the Guild advocates for favorable legislation to modernize beer laws, supports member breweries through education, awareness initiatives, and professional development, and fosters community engagement by organizing signature events such as the Georgia Craft Brewers Festival, Georgia Beer Day, and collaborations that highlight the state’s vibrant craft beer scene. By championing local brewers and driving economic growth in the industry, the GCBG plays a vital role in ensuring Georgia’s craft beer community continues to thrive and innovate.
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