San Diego’s largest and most prestigious brewing competition not only has a brand-new scoring system, having adopted the same model as the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, it also has a brand-new name. What has operated as the San Diego International Beer Competition (and San Diego International Beer Festival before that) for the past 18 years shall henceforth be called the San Diego County Fair Craft Brew Competition (SDCFCBC). It’s a logical handle as the professional beermaking melee has always been associated with San Diego’s signature summertime event.
While the competition’s entry and judging timeframes have jumped around since being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, longtime organizers Tom Nickel and Tyson Blake say that, moving forward, the event will always take place in spring as it did this year. The 2025 SDCFCBC included 624 entries from 111 American and international breweries, and covered numerous categories spanning various styles of beer, cider and hard seltzer.
As has been common over the life of the competition, San Diego County entrants performed extremely well, racking up 95 medals – five more than 2023, the last time the competition was held – and combining to sweep 14 style categories.
This year’s biggest local winner was Pizza Port. Four of its brewpubs (including one in San Clemente, which nabbed two medals) combined to earn 11 awards (5 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze). The Brigantine restaurant group’s in-house beer operation, Ketch Brewing, secured seven medals (2/3/2), while North Park’s TapRoom Beer Co. (2/2/2) and Alpine’s Mcilhenney Brewing (0/4/2) tied for third-most. Overall, 33 San Diego County operations were honored.
This year’s Best of Show winners all hail from neighbors to the north in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. An imperial IPA called Berg’s the Word from Huntington Beach’s Riip Beer Co. took top honors, followed by Beer of Champions American cream ale from Glendale’s Paperback Brewing and an American pale ale called Between Normandie & Western from Gardena’s Eureka Brewing.
The following is a full list of local winners from the 2025 SDCFCBC…
GOLD MEDALS (25)
Amber & Red: Daywalker, Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside)
American-style Juicy or Hazy IPA: Deep Cuts Hazy IPA, The Roadies Brewing (Vista)
Belgian-style Dark Ale: Panic at the Monastery, Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon)
Blonde Ale: Brig Blonde, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Chili Beer: Double Dog Dare Ya Jalapeño Lager, Weir Beer Co. (Vista)
Chocolate Beer: The Chocolate Klub, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Coffee Beer: Tweaky Buggah, Kairoa Brewing (University Heights)
Dark Lager: Board Schwarz, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Dessert Stout: Ohaguro, Pure Project Brewing (Vista)
European Lager: Puesto Clara, Puesto Cervecería (Mission Valley)
European Pilsener: Zeitgiest, East Village Brewing (East Village)
Experimental Beer: Free Fall, Mother Earth Brew Co. (Nampa, Idaho) *
Fruit Beer: Sun Diego Sour Series: Apricot-Peach, Barrel & Stave Brewing (Vista)
Fruit Seltzer: State Street Seltzer, Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad)
German-style Bock: Doppelbock, MacDaddy Beer Co. (Escondido)
German-style Weiss Beer: Paloma Sour, Pizza Port Brewing (Ocean Beach)
Hefeweizen, Belgian Wit & Saison: Flying Hawaiian, Pizza Port Brewing (Ocean Beach)
Herb & Spice: Mariette, Pizza Port Brewing (Ocean Beach)
International-style Pale Ale: Our Neck of the Woods, Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad)
International-style Pilsener: Tora!, Fall Brewing (Miramar)
Irish-style Red Ale: Beoir Dearg, Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park)
Porter: Tomorrow Will Never Know, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Session Beer & Session IPA: Guillaume, Pizza Port Brewing (Ocean Beach)
Strong or Specialty Hard Seltzer: Cheeseburger in Paradise Margarita Hard Seltzer, Weir Beer Co. (Vista)
West Coast IPA: Broken Record, Embolden Beer Co. (Miramar)
SILVER MEDALS (29)
Amber & Red: Summon Ifrit, BattleMage Brewing (Vista)
American & Belgian Sour, Brett & Other Sour Ale: In Praise of Blackberry, Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon)
American-style Amber Lager: Sawmill Steam, Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park)
American-style Juicy or Hazy IPA: Roam, Northern Pine Brewing (Oceanside)
Belgian-style Pale Strong Ale: Faceplant, Pizza Port Brewing (San Clemente) **
Brown Ale: Weasel, Julian Beer Co. (Julian)
Chili Beer: Couple’s Therapy, OB Brewery (Ocean Beach)
Chocolate Beer: Chocolate Macadamia Stout, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Coffee Beer: Golden Stout, Karl Strauss Brewing (Pacific Beach)
Dark Lager: Puesto Negra, Puesto Cervecería (Mission Valley)
Dessert Stout: Vietnamese Coffee Stout, Mike Hess Brewing (North Park)
European Lager: Brite Lites, Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine)
European Pilsener: Rain, Pure Project Brewing (Vista)
European-style Amber Lager: Vienna Vida, Barrel & Stave Brewing (Vista)
Experimental Beer: S3-2X Peach Cobbler, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Fruit Seltzer: Haterade Hard Seltzer, Weir Beer Co. (Vista)
German-style Ale: Ketch Kölsch, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Hefeweizen, Belgian Wit & Saison: Rooftop, OB Brewery (Ocean Beach)
Herb & Spice: Dragon Fire, Backyard Brewery (Esconddo)
Imperial IPA: Wild Child, Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine)
International-style Pilsener: Kamakura, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Irish-style Red Ale: Radiant, East Village Brewing (East Village)
New Zealand IPA: Modern Love, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Session Beer & Session IPA: A Little Cold, Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad)
Specialty IPA – Cold IPA & Black IPA: The Inkwell, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Strong or Specialty Hard Seltzer: Clear Conditions, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
West Coast IPA: Parallel Paradise, Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine)
Wood & Barrel-aged Beer: Malthead Mayhem, Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine)
Wood & Barrel-aged Strong Stout: Buffalo Tim, Kairoa Brewing (University Heights)
BRONZE MEDALS (41)
American & Belgian Sour, Brett & Other Sour Ale: In Praise of Bacchus, Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon)
American-style Amber Lager: Puesto Amber, Puesto Cervecería (Mission Valley)
American-style IPA: Treevana, Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad)
American-style Juicy or Hazy Imperial IPA: Double Dust, Pure Project Brewing (Vista)
American-style Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale: Muntz, Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine)
American-style Lager: Willy Nilly, Pizza Port Brewing (San Clemente) **
American-style Pale Ale & Hazy Pale Ale: Stone Tigresas del Sur, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
Belgian-style Dark Ale: OB Bubble Dubbel, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Belgian-style Pale Strong Ale: Bruxelles Trip, Deft Brewing (Bay Park)
Bitter & Scottish Ale: Origins, Dogleg Brewing (Vista)
Blonde Ale: California Honey, Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad)
Bold Stout: Stone Cimmerian Portal, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
British-style Strong Ale & Barleywine: Hooded Assassin, BattleMage Brewing (Vista)
Brown Ale: Stone Lifeblood, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
Chili Beer: Mostraveza Mexican Mocha Milk Stout, Barrel & Stave Brewing (Vista)
Chocolate Beer: Warrior’s Rest, Julian Beer Co. (Julian)
Coffee Beer: CoffeeCore, Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon)
Dark Lager: Czech Your Head, OB Brewery (Ocean Beach)
Dessert Stout: Double Chocolate Macadamia Stout, Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
European Lager: Helles for Children, San Diego Brewing Co. (Mission Valley)
European Pilsener: G. Pilz, Barrel & Stave Brewing (Vista)
European-style Amber Lager: Alta Mar, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Experimental Beer: Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
German-style Ale: San Diego Gold, San Diego Brewing Co. (Mission Valley)
German-style Bock: Night of Several Sleeps, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Hefeweizen, Belgian Wit & Saison: Deft & Witty, Deft Brewing (Bay Park)
Herb & Spice: Pickle My Other Bice, Mike Hess Brewing (North Park)
Imperial Stout: Constantine’s Russian Imperial Stout, Nickel Beer Co. (Julian)
International-style Pale Ale: Carlsbad Crush, Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad)
International-style Pilsener: Japanese Lager, Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch)
Irish-style Red Ale: Irish Hello, Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad)
Light Lager: Gringo Loco, Prohibition Brewing (Vista)
New England & Fruit Cider: Superfruit, Coronado Brewing (Bay Park)
New Zealand IPA: Nothing But Nelson, Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine)
Porter: Porter Past Midnight, Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar)
Session Beer & Session IPA: Pacific Swell, Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa)
Specialty Beer: The Other Level, TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park)
Specialty Stout: Oats, Pizza Port Brewing (Solana Beach)
Standard or Specialty Cider & Perry: Rosé of Pear, Bivouac Ciderworks (North Park)
Strong or Specialty Hard Seltzer: Tommy Pickles Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer, Weir Beer Co. (Vista)
Wood & Barrel-aged Beer: Stone Bourbon Barrel-aged Lifeblurred, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Point Loma)
* Beer was brewed at Vista-founded company’s Nampa, Idaho brewpub
** Beer was brewed at Carlsbad-based company’s San Clemente brewpub
Note: Local brewing companies swept the following categories – Chili Beer; Chocolate Beer; Coffee Beer; Dark Lager; Dessert Stout; European Lager; European Pilsener; Experimental Beer; Hefeweizen, Belgian Wit & Saison; Herb & Spice; International-style Pilsener; Irish-style Red Ale; Session Beer & Session IPA; and Strong or Specialty Hard Seltzer