4 Cincinnati breweries medal at World Beer Cup, 3 beers win gold
Greater Cincinnati has a rich history of brewing beer and boasts an abundance of breweries around town. And Wednesday, several Queen City-area breweries secured medals during the recent World Beer Cup.
The international competition, often referred to as "the Olympics of Beer," is put on by the Brewers Association, a trade group representing small and independent American craft breweries.
During 14 sessions spanning seven days, a panel of 255 judges from 37 countries evaluated 8,166 entries from 1,644 breweries across 50 nations. In short, taking home a medal in the "world's most prestigious beer competition" is no easy feat.
Third Eye Brewing Co., which has locations in Sharonville and Hamilton, took home awards in several categories in the 2026 World Beer Cup.
Third Eye Brewing Co., Sharonville/Hamilton
- Gold: Higher Consciousness Wee Heavy Scottish Ale, Scotch ale category.
- Silver: Barrel Aged Kelly's Private Stash (Ferd's Addition), wood- and barrel-aged dessert or pastry beer category.
- Silver: Higher Purpose Milk Stout, sweet stout or cream stout category.
- Bronze: Double Astral Coconut Imperial Chocolate Stout, field beer category.
Wandering Monsters Brewing Co., Anderson Township
Wandering Monsters Brewery took home gold in the chocolate beer category in the 2026 World Beer Cup.
- Gold: Viator Obscura: Triple Chocolate, chocolate beer category.
Brink Brewing Co., College Hill
- Gold: Moozie, sweet stout or cream stout category.
- Bronze: Lil Zoomie, coffee stout or porter category.
Rhinegeist Innovation Brewery, Camp Washington
- Silver: Uncle, English mild or bitter category.
Samuel Adams Brewery, Boston, Massachusetts
- Bronze: Death or Glory, old ale, strong ale or aged beer category.
Note: Although Samuel Adams Brewery is a Boston Lager, Cincinnati claims the brewer due to Boston Beer Co. co-founder and chairman Jim Koch growing up in Cincinnati. His great-great-grandfather's recipe for Louis Koch Lager, which sparked his brewing journey, was also found tucked away in his family's home attic in Cincinnati. Samuel Adams also brews beer in Cincinnati's West End.
