Masthead Brewing and Noble Beast Brewing of Cleveland were honored with Brewery of the Year awards.
“Ohio breweries have always performed well on the big stages against competition from around the world,” said Mary MacDonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, in a press statement. “We created the Ohio Beer Awards to celebrate the best our industry has to offer, as well as to give feedback to brewers and help them make the finest beer possible. There’s so much pride and passion that goes into the making of craft beer here in Ohio, and we want to do our part in sharing that with everyone.”
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
2026 Ohio Beer Awards winners:
Category 1: European Pilsner
- Gold: Daytonian Rhapsody, Eudora Brewing Company, Kettering
- Silver: Geist der Glocke, Bell Tower Brewing Co., Kent
- Bronze: Golem, Gemüt Biergarten, Columbus
Category 2: Golden, Blonde and Other Light Ales
- Gold: Sampsel House Kölsch, Uniontown Brewing Co., Ashland
- Silver: Little Kings Cream Ale, Cincinnati Beverage Company, Cincinnati
- Bronze: Hungarian Pearl, Immigrant Son Brewery, Lakewood
Category 3: Hoppy Lagers
- Gold: Stinkin Lincoln New Zealand Pilsner, Uniontown Brewing Co., Ashland
- Silver: IPL Eins, Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, Fresno
- Bronze: Scusi, Traum Brewing, Upper Sandusky
Category 4: Light European Lagers
- Gold: Rustic Helles, Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, Fresno
- Silver: Brewer, Northern Row Brewery & Distillery, Cincinnati
- Bronze: Lakeshore Lager, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland
Category 5: Dark European Lagers
- Gold: Svartalfheim, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland
- Silver: Tmavé Pivo, Birdfish Brewing Company, Columbiana
- Bronze: Rubezahl, Gemüt Biergarten, Columbus
Category 6: World Lagers
- Gold: Float Day, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs
- Silver: Shower Beer, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland
- Bronze: Multinational Pilsner, Crooked Can Brewing Company, Hilliard
Category 7: Porter and Stout
- Gold: Punderson Porter, Bummin’ Beaver Brewery, Chagrin Falls
- Silver: Shuck Yeah, The 1547 Project, Cortland
- Bronze: Porter, The Brew Brothers, Columbus
Category 8: Classic UK and American Styles
- Gold: Old School, Three Tigers Brewing, Granville
- Silver: All the Leaves, Broadview Brewing Company, Broadview Heights
- Bronze: Stone Fort, Seventh Son Brewing Co., Columbus
Category 9: Belgian Beers, German Wheat Beers and Traditional Brett Beers
- Gold: Valor, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland
- Silver: Hefeweizen, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster
- Bronze: Captain Stardust, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs
Category 10: Red Beers
- Gold: Ida Love a Red, Red Wagon Brewing, Columbia Station
- Silver: Frontline, Akronym Brewing, Akron
- Bronze: Scot’s an Evil Man, Schnitz Ale Brewery, Parma
Category 11: Strong Beers
- Gold: Old Dick, New Berlin Brewing Company, North Canton
- Silver: Brasky, Combustion Brewery & Taproom, Pickerington
- Bronze: We Don’t Rat, We Don’t Run 2025, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland
Category 12: Sessionable Hoppy Beers
- Gold: Henry, Akronym Brewing, Akron
- Silver: Light Rajah, The Brew Kettle, Middleburg Heights
- Bronze: Small Axe, Three Tigers Brewing, Granville
Category 13: American IPA
- Gold: Ca$h After Ten, Ghost Tree Brewing Company, Amherst
- Silver: Evil Motives, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland
- Bronze: JAF IPA, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster
Category 14: West Coast IPA
- Gold: Danko, Three Tigers Brewing, Granville
- Silver: The Cleveland Experiment V7, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland
- Bronze: Isolated IPA, JAFB Wooster Brewery, Wooster
Category 15: Hazy, Juicy, New England IPA
- Gold: Fast Friends, Derive Brewing Company, Columbus
- Silver: Creative Space, Yellow Springs Brewery, Yellow Springs
- Bronze: Captain Hazy, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland
Category 16: Imperial IPA and Dark Hoppy Beers
- Gold: The Word, Collision Bend Brewing Company, Cleveland
- Silver: Turtlenecks and Gold Chains, Derive Brewing Company, Columbus
- Bronze: Now We’re Talkin’, Combustion Brewery & Taproom, Pickerington
Category 17: Barrel-Aged Beers
- Gold: Celestial Reserve (Dow’s 65th Birthday Blend), Third Eye Brewing Company, Cincinnati
- Silver: Pounding Husks, Wandering Monsters Brewing, Cincinnati
- Bronze: Bag of Hammers, Akronym Brewing (in collaboration with The Brew Kettle), Akron
Category 18: Barrel-Aged Stout
- Gold: Faded Echoes – Ivory Depths, Counterbalance Brewing, Columbus
- Silver: Underverse, Masthead Brewing Company, Cleveland
- Bronze: Barrel Aged Cheap Heat, Streetside Brewery, Cincinnati
Category 19: Spiced Holiday Beers
- Gold: Winter Warmer, New Berlin Brewing Company, North Canton
- Silver: Slow Toboggan, Brink Brewing Co., Cincinnati
- Bronze: John Dough, Wandering Monsters Brewing, Cincinnati
Category 20: Flavored Beers
- Gold: Fox in the Stout, Seventh Son Brewing Co., Columbus
- Silver: Chunkzilla, Wandering Monsters Brewing, Cincinnati
- Bronze: Chai Spiced Imperial Stout, Parsons North Brewing Company, Columbus
Category 22: Fruit Beers
- Gold: Cha-Cha-Cha... Cherry Bomb!, Four Paws Brewing, Columbia Station
- Silver: Blood Brothers, Hop Brothers Brewing Company, North Ridgeville
- Bronze: Nightfall, Traum Brewing, Upper Sandusky
Category 23: Coffee Beer
- Gold: Wired Euphoria, Third Eye Brewing Company, Cincinnati
- Silver: Good Morning 818, Southern Ohio Brewing, Beavercreek
- Bronze: The Daily Grind, Akronym Brewing, Akron
Category 24: Historical Beer, Smoked Beer, Experimental Beer and Specialty Beverages
- Gold: Rauchfräug Strong Märzen Lager, Hoppin’ Frog Brewery, Akron
- Silver: Lee Morgan, GlendAlehouse, Cincinnati
- Bronze: Hanayori Mo Bīru, Eighty-Three Brewery, Akron
Category 25: Sour and Mixed Culture Beers
- Gold: Barrel Aged Flemish Kriek, Parsons North Brewing Company, Columbus
- Silver: Eau Rouge, Noble Beast Brewing Co., Cleveland
- Bronze: Reverie, Edison Brewing Company, Gahanna
Category 26: Cider
- Gold: Kelly’s Dry, West End Ciderhouse, Athens
- Silver: Shell Jelly, Funky Turtle Brewing Co., Toledo
- Bronze: TinCap Pineapple, TinCap Hard Cider, Wilmington
Category 27: Mead
- Gold: MVWS, Four Fires Meadery, Maumee
- Silver: Booty Blue, Dutch Creek Winery, Athens
- Bronze: Stonefruit Slow Jams, Four Fires Meadery, Maumee
In addition Third Eye Brewing also has a location in Hamilton (805 S. Erie Blvd.).
The Ohio Beer Awards competition yielded 481 entries from 102 breweries, cideries and meaderies. Judging took place at Mad Tree Brewing in Cincinnati in mid-January, drawing more than 70 judges to assess the quality of entries and bestow honors on the best beverages in a blind tasting.
In related news, the 11th annual Ohio Craft Brewers Conference will take place March 23-25 at the Dayton Convention Center.
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