The 2026 Great American Beer Festival Results Are In, and Some Winners May Surprise You

The 2026 Great American Beer Festival results are now official, and this year’s list has a few curveballs. The Brewers Association announced the winners on Sunday, October 11, after judges evaluated thousands of entries in Denver.

New categories changed the shape of the results

This year’s competition did not just reward familiar IPA and stout favorites. According to the Great American Beer Festival announcement, 2026 added categories including rice lager, hop water, a one-time craft malt category, two new specialty beer subcategories, and three standalone gluten-free style categories.

That matters because category changes can open the door for breweries that do not fit the old center of craft beer. The Brewers Association said 225 judges reviewed 7,267 beer and cider entries over three days, including 54 collaboration submissions and 30 Pro-Am entries. In all, 243 breweries and cideries won 336 medals.

Some of the most eye-catching first-time category winners came from styles that still feel niche to many drinkers. Masthead Brewing Co. of Cleveland, Ohio won gold in Rice Lager for Oni Giri. Founders Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan won gold in Hop Water for Hoppy Mood. In the gluten-free field, The Well In Wellington of Wellington, Colorado won gold in Classic Gluten-Free Ale or Lager for Altbier, while Armored Cow Brewing Co. of Charlotte, North Carolina took gold in Hoppy Gluten-Free Beer for Hell Yeah.

For shoppers and home beer fans, that is one of the clearest takeaways from this year’s awards. The medal list now reflects a broader drinking culture, including nontraditional malt bills, gluten-free brewing, and flavored or low-alcohol-adjacent options that have moved from the margins into serious competition.

Familiar beer hubs won big, but not always where expected

Some winning breweries came from the expected powerhouse states, but the medals were not limited to the usual headline styles. Breakside Brewery & Taproom of Milwaukie, Oregon won gold in American India Pale Ale for Breakside IPA, while Stone Brewing of San Diego won gold in American or Export Stout for Stone Cimmerian Portal.

A few of the more interesting results came from lagers and classic styles that often get less consumer buzz than hazy or double IPAs. Masthead Brewing Co. won gold in American Lager for Shower Beer, and Schilling Beer Co. of Littleton, New Hampshire won gold in American Pilsener for Alexandr. Wormtown Brewery of Worcester, Massachusetts took gold in American Wheat Beer for Summer Ale.

Fruit and mixed-profile beers also showed up in a big way. Los Dos Potrillos Cervecería of Parker, Colorado won gold in American Fruit Beer for Agua Fresca. Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company of Orlando, Florida won gold in American Sour Ale for Guavacation. Firestone Walker Barrelworks in Buellton, California claimed gold in Belgian-Style or Spontaneous Sour Ale for Flanders Red Ale.

Those results may surprise drinkers who still think the festival is mainly an IPA scoreboard. The winners list suggests judges rewarded precision across a wide range of styles, including beers that can be easier to overlook on a crowded store shelf.

Brewery of the Year honors show where momentum is building

The 2026 Brewery and Brewer of the Year awards also offer a useful snapshot of where momentum is building. Under updated 2026 rules, breweries competed by total combined company production volume, and the old brewery group category was dropped.

Among the winners, Mieza Blendery of Alexandria, Virginia took the 0 to 250 barrels award. UPP Liquids of Bend, Oregon won in the 251 to 500 barrels class, and Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. of Golden, Colorado won in the 501 to 1,000 barrels class. Craft Coast of Oceanside, California, Morgan Territory Brewing of Tracy, California, and Fieldwork Brewing Company of Berkeley, California also topped their size categories.

At the larger end, Breakside Brewery & Taproom won the 15,001 to 100,000 barrels category, and Goose Island Beer Co. of Chicago won the Over 100,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year award. Snow Capped Cider of Austin, Colorado was named Cidermaker of the Year.

That mix of names helps explain why some of the 2026 results feel unexpected. The medal table rewards technical excellence, not hype, and this year’s winners show that standout beer can come from tiny blendery programs, established regional producers, and cider makers right alongside the biggest names in the business.