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Hendersonville craft beers take home medals in Brewers Cup

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 3, 2025

Three Hendersonville craft breweries won medals, including two gold, in the 2025 Brewers Cup competition, the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild announced Wednesday.
Now in its 14th year, the premier competition, supported by Pro Refrigeration, Tryon Distributing, Lowes Foods and G&A Partners, attracted a record 935 entries from 123 North Carolina’s independent craft breweries, making it the South’s largest commercial beer competition. 

Entries were judged simultaneously at Raleigh Brewing Co. in Raleigh and White Labs in Asheville Aug. 23-24. Certified judges from across the Southeast assessed the beers based on the 2025 GABF Beer Style Guidelines.

Awards were given in 36 style-based beer categories, including the distinctive NC Homegrown category, which requires at least 55 percent of the beer’s dry-weight to be sourced from North Carolina. The largest categories of this year’s competition were
American-Style IPA with 83 entries, Pale European & International Lager with 66 entries and Juicy/Hazy Style IPA with 63.

The winning beers were:

  • American Pale Ale: Oklawaha Brewing Co., Dead West, gold.
  • Juicy or Hazy IPA: Trailside Brewing Co., Trail Hazer, bronze.
  • European Hybrid Styles: Guidon Brewing Co., Guidon Kölsch, gold.
  • North American Style Amber and Dark Lager: Guidon Brewing Co., Bandera Mexican Amber Lager, honorable mention.