American craft brewers performed strongly across two prestigious international European beer competitions this fall—Brussels Beer Challenge and European Beer Star—securing 58 medals in total.

Brussels Beer Challenge

The 12th edition of the Brussels Beer Challenge took place in Turnhout, Belgium over three days at the end of October 2023 and attracted 1,811 beers from 37 countries, judged by 92 independent beer experts. Participating beers were subdivided into categories based on origin, typology, and style, and then tasted.

Brewers Association (BA) Export Development Program (EDP) members were awarded 33 medals in total, eight more than last year. These included nine gold, 11 silver, and 13 bronze, including Breakside Brewery’s “Are You Afraid of the Dark” Imperial Stout aged in Apple Brandy Bourbon and Rye Whisky Barrels, which was voted “Best American Beer of the Competition.”

Breakside Brewery’s brewmaster Ben Edmunds says, “We were thrilled to learn that ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ had been named Best American Beer in the Competition in addition to snagging a gold medal in its category. This win is a wonderful reward. We have been able to send beers to Brussels and the other international competitions before thanks to the support of the EDP. I know that these are extremely competitive events where the judge panels have different sensibilities than our peers and customers in the U.S. The diversity of entries is inspiring, and it is exciting to know that our beers are being evaluated side-by-side with many of the most iconic beers from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. It is a great opportunity for us to get feedback from an expert audience with a distinctive perspective on world beers.”

European Beer Star

One of the most recognized beer competitions in the world, the European Beer Star Awards, is committed to the traditional European art of brewing. It recognizes high-quality, authentic beers that are genuine and distinctive and is limited to beer categories that originate in Europe.

This year’s competition took place for the 20th occasion in September 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany, and attracted 2,355 entries in 74 categories which were judged by 149 beer experts from 31 countries. Of these entries, 64.5% were international and 35.5% domestic. EDP members won 24 medals in total, including nine gold, eight silver, and eight bronze. View the full list of winners here.

The EDP views international competitions as a key mechanism by which to generate publicity for the U.S. craft beer industry and assist EDP members with gaining attention and distribution for their brands in select target markets. Therefore, the EDP helps facilitate U.S. brewery participation and performance in select competitions by covering entry fees and consolidated airfreight shipment to judging sites.

Lotte Peplow, the BA’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe, adds, “The success of American craft beer at prestigious global beer competitions is a testimony to the skill, creativity, and all around excellence of America’s small and independent craft breweries, who continue to lead the field in quality, consistency, innovation, and style-diversity. Garnering 93 medals in total across three highly competitive international competitions is no easy feat and I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of them.”

Congratulations to all the award-winning breweries.