The Brewers Association is proud to announce the success of its Export Development Programme (EDP) American craft brewery members at two prestigious international beer competitions – Brussels Beer Challenge and European Beer Star – where an impressive haul of medals was garnered on both occasions.
The 14th edition of the Brussels Beer Challenge was held in Marche en Famenne, Belgium, in early November 2025. Over three days, 1,701 beers from 36 countries were evaluated by a panel of 78 international judges. The beers were categorised by origin, specificity, and style, ensuring a comprehensive and fair judging process.
American craft breweries performed strongly in the competition, winning a total of 28 medals (up from 19 in 2024), including six gold, eight silver, and 14 bronze. Special mention goes to Firestone Walker Brewing Co for Union Jack which was awarded the title of Best American Beer in the competition.
European Beer Star
Held annually in Nuremburg, Germany, the European Beer Star Awards, took place in August 2025 for the 22nd time. As one of the world’s most respected beer competitions, it celebrates authentic and high-quality beers rooted in traditional European brewing techniques. The competition received 2,202 entries from over 510 breweries across 43countries. The competition was judged by 45 experts from 33 countries.
American craft brewers excelled once again securing 19 medals, five gold, three silver and nine bronze.
Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe, commented: “Year after year, American craft brewers excel on the world stage winning top honours at prestigious European beer competitions. Such success creates a point of difference and drives awareness helping to develop distribution opportunities in global export markets.
“This year’s impressive medal haul is a true reflection of the skill and creativity of American craft brewers, the world class quality of their beers and their innovative, boundary-pushing approach to brewing. Congratulations to all of the winners!”
See winners of both competitions here
Success at international beer competitions helps raise awareness for American craft beer abroad and assists EDP member breweries with generating publicity for their brands in overseas markets. As part of its programming, the EDP helps facilitate U.S. brewery participation and performance in select competitions by covering entry fees and consolidated airfreight shipment to judging sites.
The work of the EDP is made possible by grants from the United States Department of Agriculture. The BA is committed to increasing trade relationships, enhancing media visibility, and raising consumer awareness of American craft beer internationally via festival participation, trade conferences, retail promotions, media campaigns, and international beer competitions.
The UK is an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 8.2% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally.
UK brewers are invited to compete on the global stage and register for the World Beer Cup 2026, the largest and most prestigious beer competition in the world. Registration is now open until mid-December 2025, with winners crowned at the annual Craft Brewers Conference ® in Philadelphia, 22 April 2026. More details: www.worldbeercup.org
