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2025 Virginia Craft Beer Cup Winners Announced at the Virginia Craft Beer Summit & Gala

-St. George Brewing Co. Wins 2025 Best of Show-

RICHMOND, VA — Nearly 500 brewers and craft beer enthusiasts gathered at the Farm Bureau Center on Monday, August 11, to kick off Virginia Craft Beer Month at the Virginia Craft Beer Summit & Gala, a Virginia Craft Brewers Guild event. The event featured an afternoon of professional development sessions followed by an evening gala and the highly anticipated announcement of the Virginia Craft Beer Cup winners.

The summit offered attendees a robust lineup of technical presentations and exhibitors, including sessions on cask-conditioned beer, packaging trends, and marketing award-winning beer. The Guild also unveiled its new Retail & Distribution Programs, featuring strategic partnerships with the VA250 Commission, Fans of Virginia Craft Breweries, and Virginia Craft Beer Magazine. These initiatives aim to reach one million consumers by the end of 2026.

Between sessions, guests participated in a new on-premise competition to crown The Best Firkin Beer in Virginia™. A chance to flex their creativity and technical skill in a unique format, brewers submitted real ale and cask-aged beers that were not required to be commercially available. Votes were tallied, and the winner was announced during the evening’s awards ceremony.

Bart Watson, President & CEO of the Brewers Association, closed the summit with an optimistic outlook on the future of craft brewing and shared strategies for how independent craft breweries can continue to differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

“The inaugural Virginia Craft Beer Summit & Gala is a powerful reminder of how breweries differentiate their products in the market so that consumers can better appreciate independent craft beer and why it matters,” said Brett Vassey, President & CEO of the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild. “We’re proud to honor the breweries that continue to elevate the industry and inspire craft beer lovers across the Commonwealth.”

The evening gala featured live music by Funhouse RVA, dinner stations, a firkin beer garden, a cornhole tournament, and Virginia’s largest craft beer share.

The evening’s highlight was the Virginia Craft Beer Cup Awards Ceremony, where the Guild honored brewing excellence across 31 style categories with honorable mentions and bronze, silver, and gold medals. Judging rounds were hosted earlier this year at Hidden Wit Brewing Company, with a world-class panel of judges. New this year, the Virginia Brewery of the Year award recognized the brewery with the highest total points for winning beers. Guild leaders also announced that the 2026 competition will include a Pro-Am element.

Charlie Harr, Head Judge of the Virginia Craft Beer Cup, added, “This year’s entries showcased an impressive range of styles and technical skill. Virginia brewers continue to push boundaries while maintaining exceptional quality—judging these beers was both a challenge and a privilege.”

Join the Guild in congratulating the recipients of this year’s awards:

Virginia Craft Beer Cup™, 2025 Best of Show (Gold): Knight’s Respite by St. George Brewing Co.
Virginia Craft Beer Cup™, 2025 Best of Show (Silver): BA Pony by South Street Brewery
Virginia Craft Beer Cup™, 2025 Best of Show (Bronze): Providence Pilsner by Gloucester Brewing Co.
Virginia Craft Beer Cup™, 2025 Best of Show (Honorable Mention): Tourist Trap by Billsburg Brewery
Virginia Brewery of the Year™: Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co. (The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery)
2025 The Best Firkin Beer in Virginia™: Oak-Aged Germanna by Patch Brewing Company

The medalists of each beer style category, based upon BJCP beer style guidelines, are listed below:

ALTERNATIVE GRAIN(S)/SUGAR(S)

Gold, Beenut Butter Brown Ale by Nansemond Brewing Station
Silver, Honey Lager by St. George Brewing Co.
Bronze, Beez Kneez by Iron Pipe Alewerks

AMBER ALE

Gold, California Common by Rockfish Brewing Company
Silver, Zeigenbock by Cave Hill Farms Brewery
Bronze, Tiny Footprints by Stable Craft Brewing

AMBER LAGER

Gold, Weekend by Waygone Brewery
Silver, Sombeero Mexican Lager by Flying Ace Distillery & Brewery
Bronze, Yucatan Sunset by Full Distance Brewing

AMERICAN LAGER & LIGHT LAGER

Gold, Lake Life Lager by Twin Creeks Brewing Company
Silver, Stud Light by Harvest Gap Brewery
Bronze, Lost Lager by Lost Barrel Brewing

AMERICAN WHEAT/GERMAN WEISS

Gold, Knight’s Respite by St. George Brewing Co.
Silver, River Day by Bingo Beer Co.
Bronze, Hefe is the Crown by Full Distance Brewing

AMERICAN WILD ALE

Gold, Dark Sour Farmhouse Ale by Fine Creek Brewing Company
Silver, 2023 Bière De Coupage by Fine Creek Brewing Company
Bronze, Brett Tripel by Fine Creek Brewing Company

BELGIAN ALE

Gold, Down on the Farm by SuperFly Brewing Co.
Silver, Amazake Sidearm Saison by Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater Tavern
Bronze, Belgian Golden Strong Ale by Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery

BRITISH BITTERS/SCOTTISH

Gold, Red Ale by Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co. (The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery)
Silver, Billy Boys Scotch Ale by Parkway Brewing Company
Bronze, Mystic Maiden by Nansemond Brewing Station

BROWN ALE

Gold, Boxcar Brown Ale by Caboose Brewing Company
Silver, Party Guy by The Virginia Beer Company
Bronze, Millionaires Row Kentucky Common by 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co.

CREAM & BLONDE ALE

Gold, Classic Lager by Blue Mountain Brewery
Silver, Damn Beer by Water’s End Brewery
Bronze, Ameraucana by Tradition Brewing Company
Honorable Mention, Denim by Selvedge Brewing

DARK EUROPEAN LAGER

Gold, Munich Dunkel by Bald Top Brewing Company
Silver, Disturbance in the Schwartz by Benchtop Brewing Company
Bronze, Vadar Knows Best by Iron Pipe Alewerks

DOUBLE IPA

Gold, The Tank by Broken Window Brewing Company
Silver, Bases Loaded by Patch Brewing Co.
Bronze, W.T.F. – Walter the Frenchie by Three Leg Run

EUROPEAN SOUR

Gold, Stupid Sexy Flanders by Starr Hill Brewery
Silver, Uberlin by Strangeways Brewing
Bronze, Cobblestone Sour by Port City Brewing Company

FRUIT

Gold, Wild Pear by Blue Mountain Barrel House
Silver, Bare Necessities by Olde Salem Brewing Company
Bronze, Alewife by Barking Rose Brewing Co. + Farm

HAZY IPA

Gold, Tourist Trap by Billsburg Brewery
Silver, Kung Fu Kittens by Precarious Beer Project
Bronze, Lil’ Tantrum by Tradition Brewing Company

INDIA PALE ALE

Gold, Howling Gale by Fair Winds Brewing Co.
Silver, Kickflipper IPA by New Realm Brewing Co.
Bronze, Wesley’s Walkabout American IPA by 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co.

INTERNATIONAL LAGER

Gold, Classic Lager by Billsburg Brewery
Silver, Japanese Rice Lager by Bald Top Brewing Company
Bronze, Senior Sexy Lager by Barley Naked Brewing Company

IRISH RED

Gold, F”N Bob by BrewHaHa Brewing Company
Silver, Galway Girl by Twin Creeks Brewing Company
Bronze, Pik Ax by WildManDan Brewery

KÖLSCH/LEICHTBIER

Gold, Kolman by Gloucester Brewing Company
Silver, Morning Dew by St. George Brewing Co.
Bronze, Linen by Selvedge Brewing

MONASTIC

Gold, Octave by Trouvaille Brewing Company
Silver, Belgian Quad by Strangeways Brewing
Bronze, Double Double Toil & Trouble Dubbel by 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co.

PALE ALE

Gold, Full Nelson by Blue Mountain Brewery
Silver, Gone Bush by Oozlefinch Beers & Blending + Nost Brewing Project
Bronze, Mosaic Pale Ale by Random Row Brewing Co.

PALE EUROPEAN LAGER

Gold, Bergluft by Oozlefinch Beers & Blending + Nost Brewing Project
Silver, Kissing Bull Lager by Great American Restaurants – Sweetwater Tavern
Bronze, Goldensville by Patch Brewing Co.

PILSNER

Gold, Providence Pilsner by Gloucester Brewing Company
Silver, PVille Rd Pilsner by Harvest Gap Brewery
Bronze, Crispy Whip by Benchtop Brewing Company

PORTER
Gold, As You Wish by Smartmouth Brewing Co.
Silver, Ol’ Prince William Porter by Cedar Run Brewery
Bronze, Midnight Train by SuperFly Brewing Co.

SMOKED BEER

Gold, Sea Smoke by Patch Brewing Co. & Afterglow Brewing
Silver, Threadenator by Selvedge Brewing
Bronze, We Are Pivo by WildManDan Brewery

SPECIALTY IPA

Gold, New Zealand Proven Theory by Benchtop Brewing Company
Silver, The Wolfhound by Afterglow Brewing
Bronze, Arcane Rambler by Eavesdrop Brewery

STOUT

Gold, Flannery’s by Decipher Brewing
Silver, McAfee Knob by Solstice Farm Brewery
Bronze, Gold Digger Irish Stout by Harvest Gap Brewery

STRONG ALE

Gold, Fifth Force Imperial Stout by Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co. (The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery)
Silver, Thor’s Hammer by Twin Creeks Brewing Company
Bronze, Russian Imperial Stout by Northern Neck Brewing Company

STRONG EUROPEAN LAGER

Gold, Postmaster General by Living Proof Beer Company
Silver, Made Me Say Underwear by Big Ugly Brewing
Bronze, Passing the Hat by Olde Salem Brewing Company

VEGETABLE

Gold, Porch Pirate by Three Leg Run
Silver, Coffee Blonde Ale by Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co. (The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery)
Bronze, Cucumber Lemon Hefeweizen by Lost Barrel Brewing

WOOD AGED BEER

Gold, BA Pony by South Street Brewery
Silver, Dark Hollow by Blue Mountain Barrel House
Bronze, Three Oaks Bourbon Barrel Aged Honey Brown Lager by Southern Revere Cellars