Another World Beer Cup has come and gone, bestowing gold, silver and bronze onto an unfathomable number of beers. Seriously, there are a lot of beers that walked away with some hardware. Everyone loves a winner, but it can be tough to sift through all them to figure out what beer you should drink next. There were over 90 categories this year. Three winners in each category. You do the math. We’ve trimmed some of the fat and found 8 World Beer Cup winning beers you should try now.
Shake Chocolate Porter, Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, Colo. Gold for Chocolate Beer This is one of those beer styles that can go terribly wrong. But when it’s done well…hallelujah! Shake is an American porter packed with dark chocolate, coffee and caramel flavor. It’s rich, it’s decadent, it’s everything a chocolate beer should be.
Pils, Stoudt Brewing Company, Adamstown, Penn. Bronze for German Style Pilsner There were three Pislener style categories with almost 200 collective entries. All the winners were from either Germany or the Czech Republic, except for Stoudt, which pulled out a bronze.
Outlaw Milk Stout, Great Basin Brewing Co., Reno, Nevada Silver for Cream Stout Outlaw has been winning awards left and left for the last several years, so the Silver is no surprise. Think coffee and caramel in a velvety package.
Old #1 Barleywine, Scuttlebutt Brewing Co., Everett Wa. Gold for Barley Wine Not only did Scuttlebutt pull the Gold at the World Cup, it also won top honors at the annual Coles Barleywine Competition in New York. It’s sweet, smooth and lethal at 13.2% ABV.
The Weight, Piece Brewery, Chicago, Il. Gold for American Style Pale Ale Via Piece Brewery Good pizza deserves a good pale ale, and Piece Brewery is happy to deliver both. The only catch? You’ll have to drive to Chicago to get a sip of this beautiful pale ale, which is as dank and citrusy as some IPAs.
Hop Drop ‘n Roll, NoDa Brewing Co., Charlotte, N.C. Gold for American Style India Pale Ale Clocking in at a hefty 7.2% ABV and 81 IBUs, this is a serious beer not to be trifled with. But you can relax, Hop Drop ‘n Roll is more complex than your typical hop bomb.
Runoff, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colo. Gold for American-style Amber/ Red Ale Yep, Odell uses real snowmelt for this Red IPA, which blends the malt character of your typical red ale with the citrus and pine of an IPA. Complex, tasty, and fleeting. Get this one while you can as it tends to disappear after April.
Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, Ore. Gold for American Style Wheat Beer with Yeast Widmer’s Hefe has been setting the style standard for three decades. It is, quite simply, the quintessential American wheat beer. Glad to see it’s still kicking ass after all these years.
