Yesterday, winners of the 2024 edition of the U.S. Open Beer Championship were announced. San Diego County breweries racked up 20 total medals, half of which were of the gold variety. On top of that, Carlsbad-based Burgeon Beer Co. ranked tenth overall among all of the breweries that entered after amassing three gold medals in the Australian- and International-style Pale Ale categories as well as the Collaboration – IPL (India Pale Lager) category.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the brew crew and the continued efforts they put into our products day in and day out,” says Burgeon co-founder and Head Brewer Anthony Tallman. “This was our first time entering the U.S. Beer Open Championship and to take home three gold medals and be honored in the top 10 breweries is just an amazing accomplishment.”
Three other San Diego County breweries also earned three awards apiece: Kilowatt Brewing (two gold, one bronze), Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (one gold, two silver) and TapRoom Beer Co. (one gold, one silver, one bronze). As an organization, Stone Brewing brought home the most medals with five, adding one gold and one silver for beers produced at its Escondido headquarters to its Point Loma brewpub’s haul.
TapRoom, Hodad’s Brewing and Ketch Brewing combined for a San Diego sweep of the International-style Pilsner category, taking gold, silver and bronze, respectively, while Modern Times Beer nearly swept the Extreme Pastry Stout, winning gold and bronze.
Another local brought the county’s medal-count to 21. That individual is homebrewer Lucas Orr, whose amateur recipe, Kilt Dropper, took gold in the Strong Scottish Ale category. Orr was allowed to enter his beer because it had won a gold medal at last year’s edition of the American Homebrewers Association’s National Homebrew Competition.
The U.S. Open Beer Championship included more than 9,000 entries representing over 170 different beer styles. The top three overall breweries in this year’s competition were Hamilton, Ohio’s Third Eye Brewing; Atlanta, Georgia’s Monday Night Brewing; and Indianapolis, Indiana’s Sun King Brewing.
The following are all of the local winners from the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championships…
GOLD (11)
Australian-style Pale Ale: Carlsbad Crush, Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad)
British / Russian Imperial Stout: Brew For Ukraine, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Brut IPA: Celestial Navigation, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Collaboration Beer – IPL: Family Name, Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad) with Living Häus Beer Co.
Experimental Beer: S3-2X Peach Cobbler, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Extreme Pastry Stout: Chaos Grid: The Penultimate Course, Modern Times Beer (Point Loma)
International-style Pale Ale: Keepin’ It Real, Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad)
International-style Pilsner: Digital Chicken, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Specialty Beer / Anything Goes: Down the Rabbit Hole Golden Stout, Stone Brewing (Escondido)
Strong / Imperial Brown Ale: LifeBlurred, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
Strong Scottish Ale: Kilt Dropper – 2023 NHC Gold Winner, Homebrewer Lucas Orr
SILVER (5)
International-style Pilsner: Surf Punk, Hodad’s Brewing (Serra Mesa)
Juicy or Strong Hazy Pale Ale: PB Haze, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Near Gluten-free / Gluten-reduced Beer: Delicious IPA, Stone Brewing (Escondido)
Single-hopped IPA: SMaSH Loop (HBC 1019), Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
Specialty Honey Beer: Pucks Pints 6, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
BRONZE (5)
Collaboration Beer – IPA: Murk Level Midnight, Shred Beer Co. with Pure Project Brewing (Vista)
Extreme Pastry Stout: MT Ultra: Coconut, Modern Times Beer (Point Loma)
Imperial Pastry Stout: Awe Yeh, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
International-style Pilsner: Kamakura, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Specialty Beer / Anything Goes: Maple Smoked Maibock, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
A full list of winners from this year’s competition can be found online.