Earlier today, the winners of this year’s Los Angeles International Beer Competition, a professional brewing contest, were announced. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded in 100 style categories, and San Diego County breweries won an astounding 69 medals—26 golds, 23 silvers and 20 bronzes—representing nearly a third of all winners (three medals were not awarded in every category and cider had its own category).
The most-awarded San Diego operations were Bay Park’s Deft Brewing (6 with 3 golds), Pizza Port’s Carlsbad brewpub (6 with 3 golds) and Carlsbad Brewery-Igniter tenant, Papa Marce’s Cerveceria (6). San Marcos’ Rip Current Brewing also managed a gold-medal trifecta, while Carlsbad’s Burgeon Beer, North Park-based Eppig Brewing, Pizza Port’s Ocean Beach brewpub, South Park Brewing and Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station each earned two golds.
The following is a complete list of local winners from this year’s competition.
Gold Medals
- 2kids Brewing, Five Finger Discount, Munich-style Helles
- Belching Beaver Brewery, Mexican Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, Chocolate or Cocoa Beer
- Booze Brothers Brewing, Honey Bloom, Honey Beer
- Burgeon Beer, Clever Kiwi, Session Beer
- Burgeon Beer, Treevana, American-style Strong Pale Ale
- Deft Brewing, Dawn of the Deft, Brown Porter
- Deft Brewing, DeftHopt Golden, English-style Summer Ale
- Deft Brewing, DoubleDeft Secret, Historical Beer
- Eppig Brewing, Count Maltula Cereal Imperial Milk Stout, Specialty Beer
- Eppig Brewing, Meister N. German Wheat Beer, American-style Wheat Beer
- Karl Strauss Brewing, Mosaic Session IPA, Session India Pale Ale
- Mike Hess Brewing, Peach My Other Vice, German-style Sour Ale
- Pizza Port—Carlsbad, Palapa, Rye Beer
- Pizza Port—Carlsbad, Sharkbite Red, Double Hoppy Red Ale
- Pizza Port—Carlsbad, Twerp, Belgian-style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale
- Pizza Port—Ocean Beach, Flying Hawaiian, South German-style Hefeweizen
- Pizza Port—Ocean Beach, Skidmark, English-style Mild Ale
- Rip Current Brewing, Breakline Bock, Bock
- Rip Current Brewing, Corriente Negra Mexican Lager, Vienna-style Lager
- Rip Current Brewing, Rescue Buoy Imperial Stout, Imperial Stout
- Rouleur Brewing, Puncheur Pale Ale, American-Belgo-style Ale
- South Park Brewing, Bread & Smoke, Smoke Beer
- South Park Brewing, Robert Smith’s Smooth, Ordinary or Special Bitter
- Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Cimmerian Portal, American-style Stout
- Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Space Bar Friends, German-style Altbier
- Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing, Barley Legal, Wood & Barrel-aged Strong Beer
Silver Medals
- 2kids Brewing, Poppycock ESB, Extra Special Bitter
- 2kids Brewing, Rocket Powered Geese, Classic French & Belgian-style Saison
- AleSmith Brewing, Cinnamon Vanilla Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout, Wood & Barrel-aged Strong Beer
- AleSmith Brewing, Private Stock Ale, Old Ale or Strong Ale
- Deft Brewing, Day of the Deft, Oatmeal Stout
- Deft Brewing, Patio Hops & Geysers, Fresh Hop Beer
- Indian Joe Brewing, Ham for the Holidays, Specialty Beer
- Karl Strauss Brewing, Windandsea Wheat, South German-style Hefeweizen
- Mike Hess Brewing, Claritas, German-style Kolsch
- Papa Marce’s Cerveceria, Pumpkin: The Musical, Pumpkin Spice Beer
- Papa Marce’s Cerveceria, Ryesilience, Rye Beer
- Pizza Port—Carlsbad, 2018 Strong Ale, Wood & Barrel-aged Strong Stout
- Pizza Port—Carlsbad, Shagadellic Brown, English-style Brown Ale
- Pizza Port—Ocean Beach, Guillaume, Session Beer
- Pizza Port—Ocean Beach, Junk In Da Trunkel, German-style Wheat Ale
- Rock Bottom—La Jolla, Epic Joyride WIPA, American-Belgo-style Ale
- Rock Bottom—La Jolla, San Diego Sunset Blonde, English-style Summer Ale
- Smoking Cannon Brewery, Coehorn, American-style Stout
- South Park Brewing, In the Meantime, Classic English-style Pale Ale
- South Park Brewing, Skol, Historical Beer
- Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Brut(ish) Imperial Stout, Export Stout
- Thorn Brewing, Fornication, Belgian-style Strong Specialty Ale
- Thorn Brewing, Golden Hills Pils, Bohemian-style Pilsner
Bronze Medals
- Ballast Point Brewing, Ballast Point Lager, American-style Cream Ale
- Burgeon Beer, Canopy Tour, International-style Pale Ale
- Burning Beard Brewing, Dankness Visible, American-style India Pale Ale
- Burning Beard Brewing, Panic at the Nunnery, Belgian-style Tripel
- Burning Beard Brewing, Roggen the Lightning, Rye Beer
- Chula Vista Brewery, Sin Paredes, Belgian & French-style Ale
- Deft Brewing, Bay Park Blonde, Golden or Blonde Ale
- Eppig Brewing, Eppig Special Lager, International-style Pilsner
- Eppig Brewing, Granite City Scottish Export, Scottish-style Ale
- Green Flash Brewing, Baja Bound, Munich-style Helles
- Pizza Port—Carlsbad, Ponto, Session India Pale Ale
- Papa Marce’s Cerveceria, Astout Observation, American-style Stout
- Papa Marce’s Cerveceria, The Funk for Red October, Brett Beer
- Papa Marce’s Cerveceria, Is It Bretty Yet?, Specialty Saison
- Papa Marce’s Cerveceria, Zest of Friends, German-style Sour Ale
- Rouleur Brewing, Soloist Golden Strong Ale, Belgian-style Strong Specialty Ale
- Smoking Cannon Brewery, Paxton, Field Beer
- Thorn Brewing, Barrio Lager, America-style Lager or Ice Lager or Malt Lager
- Thorn Brewing, Marty Zen, German-style Maerzen
- Thorn Brewing, Relay IPA, American-style Strong Pale Ale
Honorable Mentions
- Rouleur Brewing Company, PUNCHEUR Pale Ale, American-Belgo-style Ale
- Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, Rogalian, Smoke Beer
An earlier version of this post included Stone Liberty Station’s Rogalian Smoke Beer (honorable mention) as a silver medalist.