US Brewers Score 28 Medals at the 2025 Brussels Beer Challenge

U.S. breweries made a stronger-than-expected showing at the 2025 Brussels Beer Challenge, earning 28 medals — up from 19 last year — in one of the world’s most competitive beer competitions. The three-day event in Belgium drew 1,701 entries from 36 countries, but American producers held their own, taking home 28 medals — six of which were gold — and reinforcing, as Brewers Association international relations director Steve Parr puts it, that “American craft beer deserves a place at tables around the world.”

Standout U.S. performances

This year’s top American performers were pFriem Family Brewers of Hood River, Oregon, and Firestone Walker Brewing Company of Paso Robles, California. pFriem finished with four medals across pale ales, lagers, and lambics, while Firestone Walker’s three-medal haul included the title of Best American Beer for its flagship IPA, Union Jack.

Union Jack, first developed by brewmaster Matt Brynildson in 2006 using Simone, Chinook, and Centennial hops, is marketed as a West Coast IPA but fits comfortably within traditional English IPA style guidelines — a detail that becomes even more fitting when considering that it topped the Pale & Amber Ale: English IPA category for the second consecutive year, previously held in 2023 by Tsingtao India Pale Ale from China. Notably, no English breweries placed in that category in 2025. (Similarly, no U.S. beers placed in the American IPA, New England IPA, Session New England IPA, American-style Pilsner, American Red Ale, or American Stout categories.)

Notable category wins

American breweries also made two key showings in the American Pale Ale and Lager categories. pFriem’s Pale earned a silver medal in the American Pale Ale category in a tie with Euforia, crafted by Beha Brewing of Italy, while Boston’s Night Shift Brewing secured bronze for Whirlpool, tying with Orca Brau of Germany.

Firestone Walker scored another high-profile win with a gold medal for Pivo Pils in the Italian-style Pilsner category, edging out two Italian-made entries. pFriem added to its standout year with a gold medal in the Helles category for its Lager, topping entries from Germany (Bayreuther Bierbrauerei’s Bayreuther Helles) and Oregon (Heater Allen Brewing’s Gold Dot Helles).

Other U.S. medals spanned ESB, Pacific IPA, fruit beer, barrel-aged stout, honey beer, and chocolate- and coffee-flavored beers. In total, 18 U.S. breweries earned medals: six gold, eight silver, and fourteen bronze.

Belgium leads international results

Internationally, Belgium — host nation and global brewing powerhouse — once again dominated the medal count. Belgian breweries entered 420 beers and won 70 medals overall. The top domestic performer was Brouwerij Huyghe, the East Flemish producer best known for Delirium Tremens, which collected five medals, including three gold. Its Averbode Extra, entered in the Abbey Style Single-Extra category, was named Best Belgian Beer of the competition.

Global standouts

Breweries from the Netherlands, China, and Germany also had notable results. Royal Swinkels Family Brewers, an international brewing group with roots in the Netherlands, earned gold in the Alcohol Free 0.0 category for Bavaria 0.0% Pilsner, which was also named Best NABLAB (Nonalcoholic Beer & Low-Alcohol Beer).

China continued its strong run in hop-driven categories, winning 24 medals overall and securing gold in the New England IPA category for the second year in a row, this time with Beijing Rushi Trading Company’s Rushi. Best of Show went to Amsterdam-based Oedipus Brewing for Manneliefde, a saison made with Szechuan pepper and Sorachi Ace hops that has repeatedly impressed judges in previous years.

How U.S. breweries participated

Founded in 2012, the Brussels Beer Challenge was created to elevate brewing standards worldwide and foster international recognition for producers of all sizes. For the 2025 competition, the Brewers Association subsidized up to three beer entries for each participating Export and Development Program member brewery, with support from USDA international marketing grants.

This funding enabled 36 American breweries to enter the event — a strategy Parr describes as “a key mechanism by which to generate publicity for the U.S. craft beer industry and […] gain attention and distribution.”

Next year, the Brussels Beer Challenge will move to Roeselare in West Flanders, bringing the competition to the historic home of Rodenbach, one of the world’s most influential makers of Flemish red ale.