News Summary

Five craft breweries from San Diego County and one from Tijuana brought home eight medals at the 2025 World Beer Cup, with Pizza Port Brewing Company leading the pack. The competition showcased the best in brewing talent, featuring over 8,000 beers from around the globe. Despite a drop in overall medals from the previous year, the achievements reflect the craft and innovation of San Diego brewers. Insurgente, a Tijuana brewery, also made its mark with a bronze win, marking a significant moment for cross-border brewing recognition.

San Diego

Five craft breweries from San Diego County and one brewery from Tijuana have earned a total of eight medals at the 2025 World Beer Cup, which is recognized as the largest international beer competition. The award ceremony took place in Indianapolis, where the skilled brewers showcased their innovations and flavors among intense global competition.

Among the victors, Pizza Port Brewing Company from Carlsbad emerged as the top winner, securing three medals in total. Their Imperial Beach brewery won a silver medal for its “Schwarzbier” in the German-Style Schwarzbier category, while the Solana Beach brewery also achieved a silver for its “Oscar Wanted a Brown Ale” in the English-Style Brown Ale category. Additionally, Pizza Port’s Ocean Beach brewery received a bronze medal for its “Junk In Da Trunkel Dunkel” in the South German-Style Dunkel Weizen category.

The Tijuana-based brewery, Insurgente, made notable achievements as well, winning a bronze medal for “Dragula” in the Oatmeal Stout category. This marks Insurgente as only the second Tijuana brewery to be recognized at the World Beer Cup, following Cerveceria Rámuri, which previously earned bronze medals in 2018 and 2022.

Other noteworthy results from San Diego breweries include Craft Coast Brewery & Tacos San Marcos, which won a silver medal for its “XPA” in the Australia-Style Pale Ale category. Coronado Brewing Company received a bronze medal in the Fruited Cider category for their “Guava Hard Cider.” Furthermore, North Park Beer Company took home a bronze award for “House of Fu!” in the Imperial IPA category, and Taproom Beer Company in North Park earned a bronze medal for “Modern Love” in the New Zealand-Style IPA category.

The achievements for San Diego beer makers are slightly lower this year compared to the previous competition in 2024, where breweries in the region won 14 medals, including four golds. Despite this, industry leaders highlight the significant triumphs and quality of the brewer’s craft showcased in the 2025 competition.

The World Beer Cup, hosted by the Brewers Association, draws entrants from around the world, featuring 8,375 beers from 1,761 breweries across 49 countries. Judges for the competition include highly respected brewers, consultants, and industry suppliers who partake in a blind judging process to ensure fairness and impartiality.

The competitive nature of the World Beer Cup underscores the resilience and strength of the San Diego brewing community. The award ceremony was held in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, further emphasizing the dedication to promoting and protecting the craft brewing industry in America.

As San Diego learners in the craft brewery space continue to innovate and evolve, the recognition at the World Beer Cup highlights the region’s ongoing commitment to producing high-quality beers that stand out in an ever-growing global market.

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Additional Resources

• CBS 8
• Times of San Diego
• American Craft Beer
• Google Search: San Diego breweries
• Encyclopedia Britannica: breweries