California breweries win 68 medals at World Beer Cup, leading U.S. haul

California breweries and cideries brought home 68 medals at the 2026 World Beer Cup, the largest total for any U.S. state, according to results released by the Brewers Association on April 22. The competition awarded 353 medals to 273 producers worldwide in Philadelphia, where the World Beer Cup held its 2026 ceremony alongside the Craft Brewers Conference. A California Craft Brewers Association release published on May 8 said 44 California producers accounted for the state’s 68 awards. The tally gave California the broadest state showing in a competition that drew 8,166 entries from 1,644 breweries and cideries in 50 countries. ### How big was California’s share of the 2026 competition? The Brewers Association said the 2026 World Beer Cup recognized winners across 118 categories and awarded 353 medals out of a possible 354. California’s 68 medals represented nearly one-fifth of all medals awarded, based on the World Beer Cup total and the California Craft Brewers Association count. The association’s release said California breweries and cideries won in categories ranging from fruit beer and porter to IPA and cider. (worldbeercup.org) Philadelphia hosted the April 22 awards ceremony, and World Beer Cup competition director Chris Williams said the 2026 event marked 30 years of the competition. The Brewers Association described the World Beer Cup as recognizing beer and cider producers from around the world, while the California trade group framed the state’s result as the strongest among U.S. states this year. (worldbeercup.org) ### Which California breweries were singled out in the medal list? The California Craft Brewers Association release listed winners from across the state, including AleSmith Brewing Company, Alvarado Street Brewery, Barebottle Brewing Co., Burgeon Beer Co., Cellarmaker Brewing Co., Coronado Brewing Co., Danville Brewing Co. and East Village Brewing Co. Among the entries visible in the published list, AleSmith won gold for Handgepluckte Kriek in Belgian-Style Fruit Beer, Alvarado Street won gold for Howzit Punch in Fruited American-Style Sour Ale, and East Village Brewing Co. won gold for Oaty McOatface in Robust Porter. (worldbeercup.org) The official World Beer Cup winners list also shows California names in individual categories. East Village Brewing Co. of San Diego won silver in Coffee Beer for Stay Calm, Karl Strauss Brewing Co. of San Diego won bronze in the same category for Golden Stout, Urban Roots Brewing of Sacramento won gold in Coffee Stout or Porter for Kaffe Americano, and Hop Dogma Brewing Co. of Half Moon Bay won silver in Chili Beer for Pyros Prost. (wineindustryadvisor.com) ### What did California win in the biggest beer categories? The California Craft Brewers Association highlighted results in four of the competition’s largest categories. In West Coast-Style India Pale Ale, which drew 293 entries, Firestone Walker Brewing’s Propagator location in Marina del Rey won bronze for Electric Eagle. In Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale, with 274 entries, everywhere in Orange won bronze for Shifted Visions. (cdn.worldbeercup.org) In Classic India Pale Ale, which had 205 entries, ISM Brewing in Long Beach won gold for Immutable Dawn, North Park Beer Co. in San Diego won silver for Hop-Fu!, and Shred Beer Co. in Rocklin won bronze for Shred IPA. In German-Style Pilsner, with 201 entries, Hop Dogma Brewing Co. in Half Moon Bay won bronze for Pilsner. Kelsey McQuaid-Craig, executive director of the California Craft Brewers Association, said in the release that California brewers showed strength “from unique and rare beer styles to the highly coveted IPA categories.” Her statement accompanied the statewide medal count and the association’s publication of the California winner list. (wineindustryadvisor.com) ### Why were San Diego breweries prominent in the coverage? San Diego breweries appeared repeatedly in the published California list and in the official winners database. AleSmith, Burgeon, Coronado, East Village, Karl Strauss and North Park Beer Co. were among the San Diego-area names visible in the California release, while the official World Beer Cup list confirms category medals for East Village and Karl Strauss in Coffee Beer. (wineindustryadvisor.com) That concentration helped explain why regional social posts and local roundups focused heavily on San Diego winners after the results were published in May. The full 2026 results remain available through the World Beer Cup winners pages and downloadable winners list, where breweries, beer names, categories and medal levels can be searched by year. The Brewers Association also posted the April 22 competition release and the event page for the 2026 awards ceremony in Philadelphia. (worldbeercup.org) (wineindustryadvisor.com)