Though not as well known locally as U.S.-based competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup (WBC), the International Beer Cup (IBC) is Japan’s largest annual professional brewing competition. Like the aforementioned WBC, it accepts submissions from brewers the world over.
The mission of the IBC is to create greater consumer awareness regarding the differences and qualities of the world’s best beers. The 2021 IBC received more than 800 beers, which were entered across 122 categories and rated by more than 70 judges. The winners of the competition were announced recently, and five beers from San Diego County breweries brought home medals.
The biggest winner was North County’s Belching Beaver Brewery, which took a pair of golds for its Viva La Beaver, a Mexican chocolate peanut butter stout with numerous accolades to its name, and No Worries IPA, a new beer added to the company’s core lineup earlier this year. Belching Beaver was also named American Heritage Champion for the entire competition, an honor bestowed on the producer of what are deemed the best U.S. beers available in Japan.
“Being recognized among so many amazing breweries is really exciting,” says Belching Beaver Brewmaster Troy Smith. “We’re so grateful for these medals and being able to share our craft with the Japanese community.”
Two Roots Brewing also picked up a pair of medals in the Non-alcohol Beer category—a gold and silver—for its New West IPA and Enough Said Helles. They are the latest in an ever-growing line of recent awards for the Kearny Mesa-based operation.
“Following in the footsteps of our gold-medal win at the Great American Beer Festival [this September], and our wins at the Australian International Beer Awards in August, our latest international recognition demonstrates the quality of our ultra-premium non-alcoholic craft beer,” says Two Roots President and CEO Ron Goodson. “We’ve always believed our beers were world-class. Getting recognized by judges fro around the glove only confirms it.”
Rounding out the San Diego award winners was Coronado Brewing, which earned a silver medal for its Orange Ave Shandy, a 2021 release based on the company’s venerable Orange Ave Wit.
The following is a full list of this year’s winning local beers…
GOLD
- American-style Strong Pale Ale: No Worries IPA, Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside)
- Chocolate Beer: Viva La Beaver, Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside)
- Non-alcohol Beer: New West IPA, Two Roots Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
SILVER
- Fruit Wheat Beer: Orange Ave Shandy, Coronado Brewing (Bay Park)
- Non-alcohol Beer: Enough Said Helles, Two Roots Brewing (Kearny Mesa)