ERIE, Colo. (Aug. 26, 2026) — The National Honey Board has named the best beers made with honey in the country, and the top prize went to Chicago.
AH-CHOO!, a honey saison from Off Color Brewing in Chicago, won Best of Show Gold at the 2026 Honey Beer Competition. The 6.8% ABV beer is brewed with lemon blossom honey, koji-inoculated rice from the brewery’s sake program, and bee pollen.
Judges tasted more than 150 made-with-honey beers on Saturday, August 22, at The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis. Sixteen certified judges scored the entries blind under Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines.
“The enthusiasm and participation of America’s breweries in the Honey Beer Competition continues to impress and inspire us,” said Catherine Barry, vice president of marketing for the National Honey Board. “Congratulations to Off Color Brewing and their winning beer! We’ve enjoyed many of their honey beers over the years, and AH-CHOO! further establishes them as a standout in the craft of brewing with honey.”
Best of Show medals
- Gold: AH-CHOO! — Off Color Brewing, Chicago, IL (honey saison, 6.8% ABV)
- Silver: Forget the Flowers — Runaway Blue Brewing Company, Newark, NY (rice lager with orange blossom honey and orange blossom flowers, 5% ABV)
- Bronze: Honey, I’m Home! — Lock 27 Brewing, Centerville, OH (10% ABV braggot with Wild Miami Valley honey and East Kent Golding hops)
Best in Show for Design
Birdhouse Brewing Co. in Honeoye, N.Y., won for the honey-bear bottle design on its Honey Cream Ale.
2026 category gold medalists
- Amber/Brown Ales: Orange Blossom Special — Tie & Timber Beer Company, Springfield, MO
- Barrel Aged Beers: Double Barrel Aged Cursed Hive — River North Brewery, Denver, CO
- Belgian-Style Ales: AH-CHOO! — Off Color Brewing, Chicago, IL
- Ciders: 40 Myke Myke — Cider Corps, Mesa, AZ
- Fruit/Vegetable/Spiced Beers: Beenut Butter Brown Ale — Nansemond Brewing Station, Suffolk, VA
- General Ales: Honey Kölsch — Bent Barley Brewing Company, Aurora, CO
- General Lagers: Forget the Flowers — Runaway Blue Brewing Company, Newark, NY
- Hard Seltzers: Raspberry Chamomile Hydromel — Whistle Hop Brewing Company, Fairview, NC
- Other Beers: Honey, I’m Home! — Lock 27 Brewing, Centerville, OH
- IPAs: West Coast IPA — Primal Brewery, Huntersville, NC
- Sours: Nature’s Whimsy — Manor Hill Brewing, Ellicott City, MD
- Wheat Beers: Orange Blossom Honey Wheat — Volunteer Brewing Company, Middletown, DE
- Design/Packaging: Honey Cream Ale — Birdhouse Brewing Co., Honeoye, NY
The full winner list is at honeybeercompetition.com.
About the National Honey Board
The National Honey Board is an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that educates consumers about honey and honey products through research, marketing, and promotional programs. Work is funded by an assessment on domestic and imported honey and is designed to increase honey use among consumers, foodservice, and food manufacturers. The 10-member board is appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and represents producers (beekeepers), packers, importers, and a marketing cooperative.
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