What’s on tap for the 2026 SDBN Awards Ceremony

With so many readers pelting us with questions, it would seem there’s a barleywine-strength buzz surrounding this year’s  San Diego Beer News Awards Ceremony. Like you, we are incredibly excited for the big night, which will take place the evening of Tuesday, March 31 at Harland Brewing’s headquarters in Scripps Ranch. This venue has been the site of many highly attended events, from multifaceted anniversary festivals and Ube Day to subculture celebrations and mob-like meet-and-greets with the San Diego Padres’ very own Jake Cronenworth. We are thrilled to have plenty of indoor and outdoor space for this year’s event, ample parking for all, food from The Ocotillo, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and The Raclette Stand, plus Harland’s helpful, experienced team members. These things matter and will make a difference as we endeavor to put on the best San Diego Beer News Awards (SDBNAs) yet!

For those unfamiliar with the SDBNAs, our first event took place in 2021 and was completely virtual. The following year, we took the celebration live and in-person with a packed gathering at North Park Beer Co. that set the tone for what has grown into arguably the most fun night of the year for the San Diego brewing industry and fans of local beer. Now in its sixth year, the SDBNAs remain open to the public and free to attend thanks to the support of dozens of fantastic sponsors, many of which have been backing this event for years.

This year’s event will be co-hosted by SDBN founder and Executive Editor Brandon Hernández and CBS 8 News Anchor Neda Iranpour, a longtime fan of the local beer scene who has won Emmys for her outstanding coverage of the county’s brewing companies. The duo will share the stage with multiple members of the San Diego brewing industry and craft-beer community, as well as representatives from local media outlets and sponsor organizations who will announce the night’s winners in 34 different categories. Those individuals will be played on and off by Phil MacNitt, AKA: “The Beer Jesus”, an industry veteran who will be spinning vinyl as the event’s official DJ.

The sixth annual SDBNAs will feature several new awards, starting with Best Beer Bar or Restaurant, a category recognizing hospitality venues that offer exceptional beer lineups while working with breweries in and beyond the county. Also new is the Best Brewery Branding category, honoring brewing companies that excel in differentiating themselves through logos, visual assets, the interior and exterior design of their venues, the look of their merchandise, website and social-media properties, and quality of their public communications and storytelling. Last but not least is the Brewery Sustainability Award, which will recognize a single company for its efforts to operate in a next-level manner which preserves the environment.

This year’s full list of categories is as follows…

Brewery & Brewer Awards: Champion Brewery, Best Brewery by Region (Central, North, South, East, West), Best New Brewery, Larry Smith Customer Service Award, San Diego Vanguard Brewer Award, Nate Soroko Community Impact Award, San Diego Brewers Guild Outstanding Service Award, Best Expansion Project, Best Brewery Branding, Best Can or Bottle Design, Best Beer Bar or Restaurant, Best Food or Menu, Brewery Sustainability Award

Beer & Beverage Awards: Best West Coast IPA, Best Hazy IPA, Best Imperial IPA, Best Niche IPA, Best Hoppy Beer (non-IPA), Best Pilsner, Best German Beer (non-Pilsner), Best Belgian Ale, Best U.K. or Irish Ale, Best Coffee Beer, Best Sour or Wild Beer, Best Strong Beer, Best Barrel-aged Beer, Best Light Beer or Adjunct Lager, Best Non-Alcoholic Beer, Best Alternative Beverage, Best Collaboration Beer

In addition to spotlighting some of San Diego’s best ales and lagers, Harland will be tapping six limited-edition beers crafted with brewers from throughout the county. Vice President of Brewing Operations Cody Morris and his team partnered with multiple breweries in each of the SDBNA’s five Best Brewery regions to produce a West Coast IPA (west region brewers), hazy IPA (east), West Coast Pilsner (central), dark lager (north) and light lager (south). Harland also worked with SDBN to brew a West Coast pale ale. All of the beers feature hops donated by the SDBNA’s banner sponsor, Yakima Chief Hops. In addition to being on tap at the event, the beers will be available to-go in a mixed six-pack of cans.

For the third straight year, the SDBNAs will feature a vendor expo, allowing beer-industry professionals to interact with numerous product and service providers, all of which are sponsoring the event. The expo will run the length of the event, which will begin at 5 p.m. with two hours of socializing, followed by the ceremony, which will start promptly at 7 p.m. and run approximately two hours.

We hope you can make it out to this year’s event. It’s going to be a great time and you can’t beat the price. Cheers to San Diego beer!

Harland Brewing’s headquarters is located at 10115 Carroll Canyon Road in Scripps Ranch, and the 2026 San Diego Beer News Awards will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31