Gold Medal Suds: San Diego Craft Beer Comes Up Big At Brewers Cup With 13 Wins

By Editor, Times of San Diego

April 14, 2023

San Diego County craft breweries won nearly 40 medals at the Brewers Cup of California, a statewide competition that has been held every other year since 2019.

Gravity Heights and Kilowatt Brewing both won a San Diego-best two gold medals. They were among the 11 brewers in the county awarded golds.

Kilowatt and Societe Brewing Company won a local high of four medals overall.

The Brewers Cup, held last month in Sacramento, drew 1,306 entries from 191 breweries. There were 83 categories and a total of 37 medals were awarded to breweries within the county, including eight silver and 16 bronze.

Local brewers bested their performance at the 2021 competition, nearly doubling the 19 medals collected two years ago.

The list of Gold Medal winners:

• Alesmith Brewing Company (Miramar) – Nut Brown for “English-Style Brown Ale”
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside) – Medusa for “Specialty Stout”
• Burgeon Beer Company (Carlsbad) – Clever Kiwi for “Session Beer”
• Double Peak Brewing Co. (San Marcos) – Creekside Pale Ale for “American-Style Pale Ale”
• Eppig Brewing (Vista) – Sinister Path for “Irish Stouts”
• Gravity Heights (Sorrento Mesa) – Brewers’ Best for “English Ales” and Take Two Pils for “German-Style Pilsener”
• Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Ocean Beach and Oceanside) – OB Bubble Dubbel for “Belgian Strong Darks” and S3-2x Peach Cobbler for “Experimental/Specialty Beers”
• Mike Hess Brewing (North Park) – Ez Drankin’ for “Specialty Honey Lager or Ale”
• Pizza Port (Carlsbad Village) – Le Village for “Belgian Strong Pales”
• Rouleur Brewing Company (Carlsbad) – Domestique Blonde Ale for “Belgian Low Gravity Ales”
• TapRoom Beer Company (North Park) – PB Haze for “Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale”

The remaining local medal winners:

Silver – Black Plague Brewing, Supernatural, “Experimental IPA;” Burning Beard Brewing, In Praise of Bacchus, “Belgian Sours;” Eppig Brewing, 6th Anniversary Imperial Schwarzbier, “Other Strong Ale or Lager;” Hodad’s Brewing, Surf Punk, “American-style Cream Ale or Lager;”Julian Beer Co., Elevation 5353, “American-style India Pale Lager;” Smoking Cannon Brewery, Juniper Flats, “American Historic/Indigenous Beers,” and Societe Brewing, The Harlot for “Belgian Low Gravity Ales” and The Roustabout for “Imperial or Double India Pale Ale.”

Bronze – AleSmith Brewing, Non-Alcoholic IPA, “Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage” and Wee Heavy, “Scottish Ales;” Arcana Brewing, Benevolent Dictator, “American Imperial Porters & Stouts;” Burning Beard Brewing, In Praise of Plum, “Belgian-style Fruit Beer;” Eppig Brewing, Natural Bridge: Vienna Lager, “Session Beer;” Kilowatt Brewing, Double Chocolate Macadamia Stout, “Chocolate/Cocoa-flavored Beer” and Wee Heavy, “UK Strong Ales;” Pizza Port Brewing, Junk In Da Trunkel Dunkel, “German Weissbiers” and Paloma Sour, “Fruit Beer;” Pure Project Brewing, Esoteric Knowledge for “Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double IPA;” Rouleur Brewing, Puckeur Factor, “Experimental/Specialty Beers;” Smoking Cannon Brewery, Hall, “Herb & Spice Beer;” Societe Brewing, Light Beer for “American Light Lagers” and The Coachman for “Session India Pale Ale;” TapRoom Beer Co., Tomorrowland for “Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale,” and Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing, Barley Legal for “American-style Barley Wine Ale.”

The Brewers Cup of California is presented by Sacramento Area Brewers Guild in partnership with other brewers guilds in the state. Locally, San Diego has more than 150 brewery locations throughout the county.

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