The Best Breweries In America, According To The 2025 World Beer Cup

Fresh brews on tap. Denver Post via Getty Images While many may decry the state of the U.S. craft beer industry after several years of negative growth and headlines, one thing is for certain: American brewers are still setting the standard for the worldwide beer industry. That was quite evident at the recently concluded 2025 World Beer Cup Competition. Often called “The Olympics of Beer Competitions,” the annual event invites brewers from across the globe to submit their suds for judging. This year, a panel of judges from 37 countries evaluated 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries and cideries spread across 49 nations. Out of the 349 different awards given in 112 beer style categories, breweries in the United States took home a whopping 301 medals. Craft brewers from 40 states were recognized for their superb liquid. That means many great brews across the U.S. await any beer lover willing to put in a little effort. To simplify your search for a truly unforgettable beer this summer or any other time, I have dived deep into the awards list to highlight the breweries that took home the most medals. Visiting any of these breweries would allow you to sip some sublimely beautiful beers and see why America is still a beertopia . Breakside Brewery Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the OGs of the American craft brewing scene, Breakside Brewery is renowned for its innovative beers and experimental mindset. Obviously, they are doing something right since they took home six medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze), the top haul at the event. What’s most impressive is that they won in a variety of categories, ranging from American-Style Black Ale or Stout gold to Australian-Style Pale Ale gold. Their Breakside IPA took home bronze in the highly contested American-Style IPA category. Breakside started brewing in 2010 after a visit to the legendary Alaskan Brewing inspired its founder, Scott Lawrence. Over the years, they have grown from their original location in Northeast Portland to six total brewpubs and taprooms across the area. Each one has its own focus from their “Hop Lab” in Slabtown to their Beavertown Taproom with a large outdoor space and food trucks. On any visit you will find some special offerings including a wide selection of barrel aged beers, sours, dozens of limited releases, and some pretty great pilsners. Ghost Town Brewing One of the coolest things about the craft beer movement is how it has embraced such a diverse array of characters from day one. If you want proof, look no further than Ghost Town Brewing in Oakland, California. Founded by four friends searching for a rehearsal space for their heavy metal band, their original location functioned as a jam space and microbrewery for half a decade. Pretty soon, beer making took precedence, and in 2018, they moved into a larger location that oozes a heavy metal vibe. A distinctly community-focused brewery, Ghost Town, took home five medals (4 gold, 1 silver). It is celebrated for its hop-forward IPAs (3 gold & 1 silver), but their lineup also includes lagers, pilsners, porters (1 gold), stouts, and sours. Their beers often feature tongue-in-cheek, metal-themed names like Inhume IPA, Scumbag Cream Ale, and Torture Garden Pils. The brewery emphasizes affordability and community accessibility, pricing beers based on alcohol content and brewing time. They operate out of two locations, and either will offer you some superb brews while you rock out with some interesting characters. Brewers celebrating a gold medal win. The World Beer Cup MadeWest Brewing In the laid-back locale of Ventura, California, MadeWest Brewing Company was launched in 2016 by two friends on a mission to create the perfect beer for sipping on the beach. They quickly succeeded, winning gold and silver at the Great American Beer Festival in 2018 and 2019, respectively, for their flagship blonde ale, Standard. So the fact that they took home four medals (1 silver, 3 bronze) at the World Beer Cup shouldn’t surprise anyone. But it’s the categories they won in that should entice any beer connoisseur. MadeWest took home its silver medal in the Imperial IPA category and bronzes in the American-Style Pale Ale, German-Style Pilsner, and Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale categories. That is one heck of a spread, and it only highlights the brewing prowess of the MadeWest team. You can enjoy their beers fresh from the tap at their two locations in Ventura, one right on the Ventura Pier with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The Best of the Rest Eight other breweries took home three medals at the event. A visit to any of them would be a memorable experience for your taste buds. Here they are in no particular order. Fat Heads Brewery (2 gold, 1 silver): Middleburg Heights, OH and Pittsburgh, PA. pFriem Brewery (2 gold, 1 silver): Hood River and Milwaukie, OR. River North Brewery (2 silver, 1 bronze): Denver, CO New Realm Brewing (1 silver, 2 bronze): Atlanta, GA. New Glarus Brewing (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze): New Glarus, WI. Sierra Nevada Brewing (3 gold): Chico, CA, and Asheville, NC. Sun King Brewing (1 gold, 2 bronze): Indianapolis, IN. Second Street Brewing ( 1 gold, 2 bronze): Sante Fe, NM. Follow here for the most up to date information about the ever changing beer, wine, and spirits industry. 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