U.S. Brewers Receive 31 Awards from the 2020 Brussels Beer Challenge

The 9th annual Brussels Beer Challenge recently came to a close announcing its winners amongst the 1,546 beers that were entered. This year’s competition only event was held as judging took place in Brussels from October 26 to November 6, 2020.

For the 2020 Brussels Beer Challenge (BBC) breweries from 36 countries entered beers, including as far away as Australia and South Korea. America’s New England Style IPA was the fastest growing category with 43 entries. Much different than beer competitions here in the U.S., the BBC most popular categories were Belgian Tripel (71), Belgian Witbier (46), and Herb and Spice (44) are the most popular categories.

Brasserie Dupont from Belgium was the most awarded brewery in the 2020 Brussels Beer Challenge. The top beer in the competition was Friend or Foe? from Poland’s Browar Rockmill. Here in the Pacific Northwest, a few breweries were awarded medals including Reuben’s Brews, No-Li Brewhouse, Deschutes Brewery,

When it comes to overall country winners, Belgium maintained its leadership with 79 awards, followed by the United States (31), Italy (30), the Netherlands (23), Brazil (16) France (13), Canada (10) and China (9).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, judging was a bit different this year. The panel comprised experienced and well-trained judges, mainly from Europe, instead of the normal judges from across the globe. Beer judges evaluated the samples in a blind tasting session based on sensory criteria and pleasure. They then decided together which beers would take the top three places in each of the categories.

Here’s a list of the medal winning breweries from the United States.

Gold Best North American Beer of the Competition
Crikey IPA
Pale&Amber Ale : Pacific IPA
Brewed by Reuben’s Brews

Born and Raised
Gold
Pale&Amber Ale : American IPA (Higher than 6.5 ABV)
Brewed by No-Li Brewhouse

Dadgum Coffee IPA
Gold
Flavoured beer : Coffee
Brewed by Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.

Huge Arker
Gold
Flavored beer : Russian Imperial Stout barrel or oaked aged
Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Co

Gold
Peanut Butter Hazelnut Caramel Chocolate Cake Stout
Flavored beer : Chocolate
Brewed by Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co

Qualified
Gold
Dark Ale : Strong Dark Ale
Brewed by Taxman Brewing Company

Rumpy
Gold
Flavored beer : Herb & Spice
Brewed by Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.

Vienna Festbier
Gold
Lager : Vienna Lager
Brewed by Quarter Celtic Brewpub

Wrecking Ball
Gold
Stout/ Porter : Russian Imperial Stout
Brewed by No-Li Brewhouse

B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout
Silver
Stout/ Porter : Russian Imperial Stout
Brewed by Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Co

Blue Butterfly
Silver
Pale&Amber Ale : Modern Saison
Brewed by Deschutes Brewery

Cranbic
Silver
Flavored beer : Fruit Beer
Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company

Day Job Pale Ale
Silver
Pale&Amber Ale : American Pale Ale
Brewed by Three Weavers Brewing, Co.

Disco Ninja
Silver
Pale&Amber Ale : New England IPA
Brewed by Revision Brewing Company

Eastside Dark
Silver
Lager : Dark/Dunkel (including Schwarzbier)
Brewed by Lakefront Brewery

La Curita Imperial
Silver
Flavored beer : Wood/Barrel Aged Higher Than 10 ABV)
Brewed by Veza Sur Brewing Company

Mama’s Little Yella Pils
Silver
Lager : Bohemian-Style Pilsner
Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery

Revision IPA
Silver
Pale&Amber Ale : American IPA (Higher than 6.5 ABV)
Brewed by Revision Brewing Company

Tank 7
Silver
Pale&Amber Ale : Double Saison
Brewed by Boulevard Brewing Company

The Pupil
Silver
Pale&Amber Ale : Pacific IPA
Brewed by Societe Brewing Company

Tiki Tiki
Silver
Flavored beer : Russian Imperial Stout barrel or oaked aged
Brewed by Veza Sur Brewing Company

Deduction
Bronze
Dark Ale : Abbey / Trappist Style Dubbel
Brewed by Taxman Brewing Company

Evil Santa
Bronze
Specialty Beer : Winter Ales
Brewed by The Virginia Beer Company

Feral One
Bronze
Specialty Beer : Old style Gueuze-Lambic
Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing

Firestone Lager
Bronze
Lager : American-Style Pilsner
Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing

Mac Lomas Stout
Bronze
Stout/ Porter : Dry Stout
Brewed by Quarter Celtic Brewpub

Missile
Bronze
Pale&Amber Ale : American IPA (Higher than 6.5 ABV)
Brewed by Champion Brewing Company

Parabola
Bronze
Flavored beer : Russian Imperial Stout barrel or oaked aged
Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing

Slow Chill Dunkel Lager
Bronze
Lager : Dark/Dunkel (including Schwarzbier)
Brewed by Oskar Blues Brewery

Summer Sour
Bronze
Specialty Beer : Other Sour Ale
Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company

The Harlot
Bronze
Specialty Beer : Specialty beer (Less than 7 ABV)
Brewed by Societe Brewing Company

Find all winners from the 2020 Brussels Beer Challenger here: http://www.brusselsbeerchallenge.com/en.