Texas at the Great American Beer Festival Recap 2026
The Great American Beer Festival invites industry professionals from around the world to sit together in small groups and, without knowing the brand name, taste beer and cider in each specified style category. The ultimate goal of the GABF judge panel is to identify the three entries that best represent each style category as described and adopted by the Great American Beer Festival. Judges are assigned beers and ciders to evaluate in their specific area of expertise and never judge their own product or any product in which they have a concern.
A total of 243 breweries and cideries took home 336 medals in this year’s Great American Beer Festival competition. Over three days, 225 expert judges evaluated 7,267 beer and cider entries—including 54 Collaboration and 30 Pro-Am submissions—from breweries spanning 49 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. These numbers represent a slight drop-off from 2025, which had more of everything (including states).
See the full list of winners here.
GABF Competition Statistics
- 40th edition of the GABF competition
- 7,267 beers and ciders judged (a decline of 1,048 from 2025)
- 1,300 breweries and cideries in the competition from 49 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico (a decline of 255 from 2025)
- 225 judges (decrease of 25 from 2025)
- Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 67 (a decline of 4 from 2025)
- Category with the highest number of entries: Category: West Coast-Style India Pale Ale (277 entries) (Replacing Juicy/Hazy IPA from 2025)
- 336 total medals awarded (decrease of 11 from 2025)
- 243 medal-winning breweries (decrease of 30 from 2025)
- 125 first-time GABF entrants (decrease of 55 from 2025)
- 12 first-time GABF winners (same number as 2025)
- New categories: Rice Lager, Hop Water, Craft Malt Category, Multi-Adjunct Beer (subcategory of Specialty Beer), Hybrid/Crossover Beer (subcategory of Specialty Beer), Gluten-Free divided into Classic Ale or Lager, Hoppy, Specialty
Texas at the GABF
After tying its all-time record with 21 medals in 2024, Texas had a down year in 2025, winning only 15 medals. This includes 4 Gold medals, up from one in 2024. See the full list of Texas winners below:
| Medal | Beer Name | Brewery | City | State | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Green Battles | Pinthouse Pizza North | Austin | TX | American India Pale Ale |
| Silver | Room For More | Peticolas Brewing Co | Dallas | TX | Belgian-Style Abbey Ale |
| Gold | The Last Bockbuster | Flix Brewhouse – MAN | Mansfield | TX | Bock |
| Gold | Sludge Factory | Misfit Brewing | Cypress | TX | Chocolate Beer |
| Silver | Picnic Party #4 | Meanwhile Brewing Co. | Austin | TX | Experimental Beer |
| Gold | Altstadt Oktoberfest | Altstadt Brewery | Fredericksburg | TX | German-Style Maerzen |
| Gold | Altstadt Pils | Altstadt Brewery | Fredericksburg | TX | German-Style Pilsener |
| Silver | Graveyard Ghosts | ODD Muse Brewing | Dallas | TX | German-Style Schwarzbier |
| Silver | Lawnmower Beer | Saint Arnold Brewing Co. | Houston | TX | Golden or Blonde Ale |
| Silver | Dream Logic | Meanwhile Brewing Co. | Austin | TX | New Zealand-Style India Pale Ale |
| Silver | Three Kings | Maple Branch Craft Brewery | Fort Worth | TX | Pro-Am Comp |
| Silver | Howdyfest | Lago Vista Brewing Co. | Lago Vista | TX | Rye Beer |
| Gold | House of Zest | False Idol Brewing | North Richland Hills | TX | Saison |
| Gold | Seventh Hill | Maple Branch Craft Brewery | Fort Worth | TX | Smoke Beer |
| Silver | Perpetual Peace | No Label Brewing Co. | Katy | TX | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer |
TOP 5 MOST-ENTERED BEER STYLE CATEGORY WINNERS
* Both categories tie for the fifth most-entered category, each with 161 entries.
Category 102: West Coast-Style India Pale Ale (277 entries) – Sponsored by Wyeast
- GOLD: Before & After Science | Human People Beer | Seattle, WA
- SILVER: Born Hoppy | TapRoom Beer Co. | San Diego, CA
- BRONZE: Mosaic + Krush Cryo West Coast IPA | pFriem Family Brewers | Hood River, OR
Category 101: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (260 entries) – Sponsored by Wyeast
- GOLD: Because Science | Bend Brewing Co. | Bend, OR
- SILVER: Icy Fog | McMenamins Breweries | Portland, OR
- BRONZE: The Goat | New York Beer Project – Beer Lodge | Orchard Park, NY
Category 56: German-Style Maerzen (184 entries)
- GOLD: Altstadt Oktoberfest | Altstadt Brewery | Fredericksburg, TX
- SILVER: Oktoberfest | Bingo Beer Co. | Richmond, VA
- BRONZE: Oktoberfestfest | MainStage Brewing Co. | Boulder, CO
Category 100: American India Pale Ale (165 entries) – Sponsored by Stronger Can, Better Service
- GOLD: Breakside IPA | Breakside Brewery & Taproom | Milwaukie, OR
- SILVER: Built for Speed | Grains of Wrath Brewing | Camas, WA
- BRONZE: Green Battles | Pinthouse Pizza – North | Austin, TX
Category 54*: Dortmunder or German-Style Festbier (161 entries)
- GOLD: Festbier | Wren House Brewing Co. | Phoenix, AZ
- SILVER: 8th Anniversary Lager | Fat Head’s Brewery | Middleburg Heights, OH
- BRONZE: Counter Weight Fest Bier | Counter Weight Brewing Co. | Cheshire, CT
Category 50*: German-Style Pilsner (161 entries)
- GOLD: Altstadt Pils | Altstadt Brewery | Fredericksburg, TX
- SILVER: Templin Family Fass Bier | Templin Family Brewing | Salt Lake City, UT
- BRONZE: Pazifik Coast Highway | Beachwood Brewing | Huntington Beach, CA
MOST-ENTERED CIDER CATEGORY WINNERS
Category 203: Fruited Cider (58 entries)
- GOLD: Gowan’s Heirloom Cider | Honey Citron | Philo, CA
- SILVER: 2 Towns Ciderhouse |Golden Lime Cosmic Crisp | Corvallis, OR
- BRONZE: 2 Towns Ciderhouse | Huckleberry Cosmic Crisp | Corvallis, OR
BREWERY OF THE YEAR
0-250 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Mieza Blendery | Alexandria, VA
>250–500 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
UPP Liquids | Bend, OR
>500–1,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. | Golden, CO
>1,000–2,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Craft Coast | Oceanside, CA
>2,000–5,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Morgan Territory Brewing | Tracy, CA
>5,000–15,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Fieldwork Brewing Company | Berkeley, CA
>15,000–100,000 Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Breakside Brewery & Taproom | Milwaukie, OR
>100,000+ Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year
Goose Island Beer Co. | Chicago, IL
Cidermaker of the Year
Snow Capped Cider | Austin, CO
