Breweries from all over the globe gathered in Las Vegas in the spring for the largest beer competition in the world, the World Beer Cup. 9,300 beers, 2,060 breweries from 50 countries, and 290 judges from 37 countries turned out for the event. Nine Virginia breweries brought medals home.
Caiseal Beer & Spirits Co. from Hampton won gold in the “Belgian-Style Quadrupel” category with Namur, based on the brewing methods of Belgian monasteries. It features raisin, plum, and caramel flavors, as well as a special Belgian yeast, says Todd Emr, head brewer and distiller.
“In today’s booming craft beer industry, with an ever-growing number of breweries competing, standing out is a significant challenge,” says Emr. “It means that our dedication to quality, innovation, and craftsmanship has been recognized among a vast field of talented brewers.”
“Winning at this global competition is very difficult, so we were very honored to win two awards!” says Afton’s Blue Mountain Brewery owner and brewmaster Taylor Smack. They earned a silver for their Classic Lager in the American classic category “Cream Ale,” which demands the most careful brewing specifications of time and temperature. They won another silver for Wild Pear, a fruited version of the German gose-style of beer in the “Contemporary Gose” category.
Devils Backbone Brewing Co., based in Roseland, produced silver-winning Belgian Wheat in the “Belgian-Style Witbier” category. “We are very proud of how our products have done in competitions this year,” says Matt Casto, master distiller. “The fact that we literally pulled samples off production runs and sent them to competition shows the consistency and quality of every batch.”
Other winners include Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Co., Norfolk’s COVA Brewing Co., Chester’s Three Leg Run Brewery, Bluemont’s Bear Chase Brewing Co., Stafford’s Barley Naked Brewing Co., and Charlottesville’s Decipher Brewing.
Check out all the 2024 winners on WorldBeerCup.org
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue.
