These California breweries brought home medals from the 2025 US Open Beer Championship

LOS ANGELES - From Escondido to Redding, California breweries dominated at the 2025 U.S. Open Beer Championship.

What we know:

The U.S. Open Beer Championship crowned the best breweries in America in 152 categories on July 15 in Oxford, Ohio. 

Half Moon Bay's Hop Dogma Brewing Company earned top honors as one of the best breweries of the year. In addition, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido took home multiple medals, including winning gold as the best American Stout for its Stone Cimmerian Portal. 

Evans Brewing Company in Corona won gold for its American IPA West Coast Select and Pomona's Old Strump Brewing Co. won bronze for its Brut IPA. 

See a full list of the California's winning beers below. 

California's winning beers

Single Hop Pale Ale
Gold: Bell’s Smitten – Bell’s Brewery – Michigan
Silver: Separation Anxiety – Berryessa Brewing Co – California (Winters)
Bronze: Basic Decency – Venn Brewing Company – Minnesota

American Stout
Gold: Stone Cimmerian Portal – Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station – California (Escondido)
Silver: Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout – Bell’s Brewery – Michigan
Bronze: Short Notice Stout – Bickersons Brewhouse – Washington

International-Style Pale Ale 
Gold: Smooth Transitions – 12 West Brewing Co – Arizona
Silver: Goldengrass – New Terrain Brewing – Colorado
Bronze: Pool Service – Alvarado Street Brewery – California (Monterey County)

Hazy/Juicy Pale Ale      
Gold: Deep Pale Haze – Knee Deep Brewing – California (Auburn)
Silver: Prismatic Muse – Third Eye Brewing Company (Hamilton) – Ohio
Bronze: Mojira – Site-1 Brewing Co – Nebraska

British-Style IPA
Gold: Castillo – Alaro Craft Brewery – California (Sacramento)
Silver: Tall Mast – McFleshman’s Brewing Co. – Wisconsin
Bronze: London’s Hoppin’ -- Full Fledged Brewing Co. – Iowa

Imperial IPA   
Gold: 25th Anniversary XX IPA – Half Moon Bay Brewing Company – California
Silver: Scorpius Morchella – Toppling Goliath Brewing Company – Iowa
Bronze: Smile Medication – Hop Dogma Brewing Company – California
Bronze: White Label Mai Tai – Alvarado Street Brewery – California

American IPA     
Gold: West Coast Select – Evans Brewing Co – California (Corona)
Silver: Lost – New Terrain Brewing – Colorado
Bronze: Langdon – Cellar West Brewery – Colorado
Bronze: Des Moines IPA – Confluence Brewing Company – Iowa

Session IPA
Gold: Gentle Giant – Primal Brewery – North Carolina
Silver: Sesh Coast Lager – Evans Brewing Co – California (Corona)
Bronze: Corporate Estate – Celestial Beerworks – Texas

Brut IPA     
Gold: Poppin’ Bottles – Flix Brewhouse – Des Moines – Iowa
Silver: Like Falling Off a Bike – Christopher Burgess – Colorado
Bronze: Summer IPA – Old Stump Brewing Co. – California (Pomona)

West Coast Style IPA    
Gold: Rave at the Roxbury – Sunriver Brewing Company – Oregon
Silver: Sticky Bear – Moonraker Brewing – California (Auburn)
Bronze: Tasty Waves – Project 9 Brewing – Washington

New Zealand IPA 
Gold: Muka Laka Hiki – Hop Dogma Brewing Company – California (Half Moon Bay)
Silver: Spinning Backfist – Line Creek Brewing Co. – Georgia
Bronze: DDH Mando Fun – Corn Coast Brewing – Nebraska

Experimental IPA
Gold: Lil’ SLURP – NoDa Brewing Company – North Carolina
Silver: EZ Baked – Replay Brewing – South Carolina
Bronze: Byclops – SDB Brewing Company – California (Gilroy)

Golden Stout
Gold: The Breakfast Klub Vol. 2 – TapRoom Beer Co – California
Silver: Faux      The Seventh Tap Brewing Project – Louisiana
Bronze: Legion -- Crow and Wolf – California (Clovis)

Breakfast Stout
Gold: Maple Barrel Aged Viator Obscura – Wondering Monsters Brewing – Ohio
Silver: Odyssey –  Crow and Wolf – California (Clovis)
Bronze: Volcano Mudslide – Feather Falls Brewing Company – California

Golden or Blonde Ale
Gold: Now What? –  Saddle Mountain Brewing Company – Arizona
Silver: Sunlight Cream Ale – Sun King Brewery – Indiana
Bronze: Truckee Blonde – FiftyFifty Brewing Co. – California (Truckee)
Bronze: Old Ohio Blonde Ale – Twin Oast Brewing – Ohio

Bitter
Gold: Pennyfarthing – Dirigible Brewing Company – Massachusetts
Silver: Forest Moon – Port O’Pints Brewing – California (Crescent City)
Bronze: Coach Beard – Benchtop Brewing Company – Virginia

Robust Porter
Gold: Twenty-Two Porter – Big Ugly Brewing – Virginia
Silver: Donner Party Porter – FiftyFifty Brewing Co. – California (Truckee)
Bronze: Into the Void – Moontown Brewing Company – Indiana

Old Ale
Gold: Mountain Man – Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project – Colorado
Silver: Deeply Rooted – Old Stump Brewing Co. – California (Pomona)
Bronze: Bucket of Bolts – River North Brewery – Colorado

American Barleywine
Gold: Crouching Cougar – Feather Falls Brewing Company – California
Silver: Old Groundhog – Market Garden Brewery – Ohio
Bronze: Man Candy – Evans Brewing Co – California

American Amber/Red Ale
Gold: Mavericks Amber – Half Moon Bay Brewing Company – California
Silver: 3 Sisters American Red Ale – Wild Ride Brewing – Oregon
Bronze: Michigan Amber – Big Lake Brewing – Michigan

American Brown Ale
Gold: Throwback Brown – Hodad’s Brewing Company – California (San Diego)
Silver: Not a Planet – Site-1 Brewing Co – Nebraska
Bronze: Buster Brown Ale – Dingo Dog Brewing Company – North Carolina

American Black Ale
Gold: Fantasia Has No Boundaries – Hop Dogma Brewing Company – California (Half Moon Bay)
Silver: Solar Eclipse of the Hop – Southern Ohio Brewing – Ohio
Bronze: IT HUNTS AT NIGHT – SHADOW GROVE BREWING – California

Contemporary Gose
Gold: Aloha State of Mind – COVA Brewing Company – Virginia
Silver: Huckleberry Cheesecake Gose          Pilot Brewing – North Carolina
Bronze: Punk Fuzz – MachineHead Brewing Co. – California (Clovis)

Light Lager
Gold: Quarryman’s Reserve – Break Rock Brewing Company – Massachusetts
Silver: Ultra Secret Enigma – Liability Brewing Co. – South Carolina
Bronze: 87 – Evans Brewing Co – California (Corona)

American Amber
Gold: De Nada –  Appalachian Mountain Brewery – North Carolina
Silver: Can I Pet Your Dog? –   Ope Brewing Co – Wisconsin
Bronze: Elbow Bender – Wagon Wheel Brewing – California (Oxnard)

German-Style Pilsener
Gold: An Honest Man – New Berlin Brewing Company – Ohio
Silver: A Cold One – Reformation Brewery – Georgia
Bronze: Shimmer Pils – Discretion Brewing – California (Soquel)
Bronze: Pils – Wicked Weed Brewing – North Carolina

Italian Pilsener
Gold: Antico – Geisthaus Brewing Company – California (Sacramento)
Silver: Antonio – Brother Chimp Brewing- Illinois
Bronze: Fight! Flight! Or Pizza! – Moonraker Brewing – California (Auburn)

New Zealand Lager
Gold: Sentries of the Broken Brain – Geisthaus Brewing Company – California (Sacramento)
Silver: Pilsmarillion  – Big Ugly Brewing – Virginia
Bronze: Pilz with Frilz – Sandy Springs Brewing Co. – Ohio

Australasian, Latin American, or Tropical-Style Light Lager
Gold: City Lager – Turning Point Beer – Texas
Silver: Vaquera – Wagon Wheel Brewing – California (Oxnard)
Bronze: Shibata – Maui Brewing Co – Hawaii

Munchner Dunkel
Gold: Flannel Weather – The Bier Garden – North Carolina
Silver: Penn Dark – Penn Brewery – Pennsylvania
Bronze: Decrepify – Geisthaus Brewing Company – California (Sacramento)

Baltic-Style Porter
Gold: Kronan – Feather Falls Brewing Company – California
Silver: BierKraft Pomorskie Porter – BierKraft – Oklahoma
Bronze: High Frequency – Project Halo Brewing – Texas

Dortmunder Export/European-Style Export
Gold: Skortmunder – Kelsen Brewing Company – New Hampshire
Silver: Edelgard – Geisthaus Brewing Company – California (Sacramento)
Bronze: Bobber – Logboat Brewing Company – Missouri

American Cream Ale
Gold: Boulevard Light – Boulevard Brewing Company – Missouri
Silver: Cinco Cinco Cinco! – Shred Beer Company – California (Rocklin)
Bronze: College Water – Benson Brewery – Nebraska

American-Style Fruit Beer – Lime
Gold: Stone Buenaveza – Stone Brewing – California (Escondido)
Silver: Freshy Lime Lager – Market Garden Brewery – Ohio
Bronze: Southwest BLVD – Boulevard Brewing Company – Missouri

Coffee Beer Dark
Gold: Venti is Large – Hop Dogma Brewing Company – California (Half Moon Bay)
Silver: Barrel Aged Hazelnut Latte Speak of the Devil – Streetside Brewery – Ohio
Bronze: Lil Zoomie – Brink Brewing – Ohio

Barrel-Aged Strong Stout/Porter
Gold: GSO Barrel Select Stout 2024 – Forgotten Road Ales – North Carolina
Silver: 3 year Barrel Aged Family Reserve Sleepy Bear – Werk Force Brewing – Illinois
Bronze: Eclipse – Frey Ranch – FiftyFifty Brewing Co. – California (Truckee)

Session Beer
Gold: Shiner Bock – Spoetzl Brewery – Texas
Silver: Stone West Specific Pilsner – Stone Brewing – California (Escondido)
Bronze: Shiner Lemonade Shandy – Spoetzl Brewery – Texas

Near Gluten Free/Gluten Reduced Beer
Gold: Stone Hefe No-Wheat-Son – Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station – California
Silver: Damn! That’s Good – The Explorium – Wisconsin
Bronze: Amber Ale – Union Bear Brewing-Denton – Texas
Bronze: UB Light – Union Bear Brewing-Denton – Texas

Historical Beer 
Gold: A Better Burden – Narrow Path Brewing Company – Ohio
Silver: Juniper Flats – Julian Beer Company – California
Bronze: Windmills & Tulips – Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery – Texas

Pink Boots Hop Blend
Gold: Stone She’s The Brewer – Stone Brewing – California (Escondido)
Silver: Lupulin Omen #5 – Aeonian Brewing Company – Ohio
Bronze: Her – Big Ugly Brewing – Virginia

Golden/Blonde Ales
Gold: Party On Gold: Reuben’s Brews – Washington
Silver: NA Brau – DC Brau Brewing – Washington DC
Bronze: Dry Fly –  Fall River Brewing Company – California (Redding)

Hop Water
Gold: Lord Citra Hop Tea – Public Coast Brewing Company – Oregon
Silver: Hop Water Grapefruit – Berryessa Brewing Co – California (Winters)
Bronze: Citra-Drop Hop Water – Public Coast Brewing Company – Oregon

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