DENVER, Colorado – October 2025 The Brewers Association (BA) celebrated the finest beers of 2025 at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF®) awards ceremony, held on September 20, 2025, at the Bellco Theatre in Denver and livestreamed via The Brewing Network. As the nation’s premier professional beer competition, GABF medals are globally recognized as symbols of brewing excellence, coveted by brewers worldwide. This year, 263 breweries earned 303 medals across 99 beer categories encompassing 175 beer styles, including subcategories. Additionally, three Collaboration medals were awarded for beers crafted by multiple professional breweries, and three Pro-Am medals honored creations by professional and amateur homebrewer teams. Over nine days, 250 beer experts from 10 countries judged 9,298 commercial entries from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, alongside 95 Collaboration and 50 Pro-Am entries, supported by over 300 volunteers. “GABF is a stage for America’s top beers to shine through rigorous evaluation,” said Chris Williams, GABF competition director. “The brewing community’s dedication to innovation and quality is inspiring, and we’re proud to honor this year’s winners.”
View the 2023 winners or download a PDF list of the winners.
GABF COMPETITION STATISTICS
37th edition of the GABF competition
9,298 beers judged
2,033 breweries in the competition from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico
250 judges
300+ volunteers
Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 92
Category with the highest number of entries: 65: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (365)
303 total medals awarded
263 medal-winning breweries
325 first-time GABF entrants
16 first-time GABF winners
TOP 5 MOST-ENTERED STYLE CATEGORY WINNERS
Category 65: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (365 entries) – Sponsored by Antigo Zeon
GOLD: Away Days | 1852 Brew Co. | Visalia, CA
SILVER: Juicy Mid-Tones | Corn Coast Brewing Co. | Lincoln, NE
BRONZE: Make It Rain | Side Hustle Brewing Co. | Hilton Head Island, SC
Category 66: West Coast-Style India Pale Ale (301 entries)
GOLD: Westbound Select | Westbound & Down Brewing Co. | Idaho Springs, CO
SILVER: Untold Prophecy | Slice Beer Co. | Lincoln, CA
BRONZE: Bright Side IPA | Uprise Brewing Co. | Spokane, WA
Category 36: Light Lager (284 entries)
GOLD: Nashville Light | Nashville Brewing Co. | Nashville, TN
SILVER: Mexican Lager | Lone Tree Brewing Co. | Lone Tree, CO
BRONZE: Legendary Lager | MadTree Brewing | Cincinnati, OH
Category 45: German-Style Pilsener (228 entries) – Sponsored by Tripleseat
GOLD: Prodigal Pils | Lazarus Brewing Co.-Laz 2 | Austin, TX
SILVER: Prost Pilsner | Prost Brewing Co. | Denver, CO
BRONZE: Don’t Fear The Answer | Tenma Beer Project | Oakland, CA
Category 64: American-Style India Pale Ale (206 entries) – Sponsored by Micro Matic
GOLD: Head Hunter | Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon | North Olmsted, OH
SILVER: Breakside IPA | Breakside Brewery & Taproom | Milwaukie, OR
BRONZE: Downtown Tom | Three Mile Brewing Co. | Davis, CA
MOST-MEDALED BREWERY
Third Eye Brewing Co. | Sharonville, OH
GOLD: Herb and Spice Beer (Cat.7)
GOLD: Chocolate Beer (Cat. 8)
SILVER: Pumpkin Beer (Cat. 5)
SILVER: Collaboration Competition
COLLABORATION COMPETITION (95 entries)
See criteria here.
GOLD: Luna Mexican Export Lager | Cheluna Brewing Co. & Prost Brewing Co.
SILVER: Mounds of Importance | Third Eye Brewing Co. & Narrow Path Brewing Co.
BRONZE: Two’s Daze | Attic Brewing Co. & Two Locals Brewing Co.
PRO-AM COMPETITION (50 entries)
See criteria here.
Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients, Country Malt Group, and White Labs
GOLD: She Fancies Herself A Little Bit French | CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing and Mark Pennick
SILVER: Rob’s Baltic Porter | New Belgium Brewing Co. and Rob Hardisty
BRONZE: What Is That? | Decipher Brewing Co. and Joel Miller
Editor’s note: Photos for media use are available on the GABF website. Members of the media are encouraged to contact brewerspr@backbone.media with any questions.
The 2023 Great American Beer Festival was made possible in part by the generous support of its sponsors.
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