The Best Breweries in the World You Haven’t Heard Of
There are more than 10,000 craft breweries in the U.S. alone today. Add the explosive growth of craft brewing around the globe and you have a historic embarrassment of riches. It also means that there’s never been a harder time determining which breweries are worth going to. To help, we’re looking to the winners of the 2023 World Beer Cup. Because nobody knows beer better than the brewers themselves.
The World Beer Cup was recently held as part of the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville. More than 10,000 of the best beers from around the globe were judged in 103 different categories, ranging from American-style IPAs to experimental wood-aged beers. It’s a competition where winners can get recognition, some publicity, and bragging rights, but it’s also a way for people who aren’t beer industry insiders to discover incredible, under-the-radar breweries.
What is the World Beer Cup?
Known as “the Olympics of beer,” the World Beer Cup was first held in 1996. The competition was created by the Brewer’s Association, a not-for-profit trade group for American craft brewers, to build “greater consumer awareness” and promote international brewing excellence.
In 2023, 2,376 breweries from 51 countries entered 10,213 beers in the competition. And a panel of 272 judges from 26 countries awards gold, silver, and bronze medals. Up until 2022 (with a COVID cancellation in 2020), the competition was a biennial event, but starting this year it will be held annually.
“Receiving a World Beer Cup award is a testament to quality and innovation, and we commend this year’s winners for setting the bar higher than ever,” says Chris Williams, the competition director for the World Beer Cup.
Why we picked these breweries
While there are names on the winner’s list you may recognize— Rhinegeist, 10 Barrel, and Blue Point, among others—we were looking for gold medal-winning breweries that you’re likely not be familiar with. Using total review stats on Untappd to gauge size and reach, we focused on 10 smaller breweries from across the U.S. and the world that don’t yet have the recognition they deserve, but are making world-class, plan-a-road-trip beers.
Best Breweries in the World You Haven’t Heard Of
Courtesy of Wondrous Brewing Company
1. Wondrous Brewing Co.
Emeryville, CA
Sometimes in life, you find something early in life that you’re good at. That was true for 30-year-old Wynn Whisenhunt, Wondrous Brewing’s owner and brewer, who has been working as a professional brewer since the age of 17. Wondrous opened its doors in Emeryville back in May 2021 with a mission to brew small batch beers that “inspire wonder and creation.”
Courtesy of Wondrous Brewing Company
The winning beer: Janet’s Brown Ale
Winner of the American-style Brown Ale category, Janet’s Brown Ale is based on a recipe from Mike “Tasty” McDole, an award-winning home brewer and beloved personality in the beer world. McDole won gold twice at the National Homebrew Competition with different variations of the beer and collaborated on a batch with Russian River for the Great American Beer Festival’s Pro-Am competition in 2009. Before he passed away from cancer in 2020, McDole’s brewed one last batch of Janet’s with the recipe included on the side of the bottle. In honor of McDole, the gold medal-winning Janet’s Brown Ale made by Wondrous has that same recipe on its cans.
Courtesy of Von C Brewing Co.
2. Von C Brewing Co.
Norristown, PA
There’s a long shared history between Philadelphia, the Von Czoernig family, and beer. The Von Czoernigs are related to the family that opened C. Schmidt & Son Brewing. From 1860 to its closure in 1987, Schmidt’s was one of the largest breweries in Philly. Von C draws on that history and beer-making experience, because as the brewery’s website says, “Brewing great beer in Philadelphia is in our blood.”
Courtesy of Von C Brewing Co.
The winning beer: O.G. Pils
For Von C, O.G. Pils is undeniably OG. The brewery says the American-style Pilsener gold medal winner is a take on a family recipe that goes back six generations. Von C says the recipe uses two varieties of barley along with flaked maize to give the beer “the most thirst quenching and neutral flavor profile possible.”
Courtesy of Verboten Brewing
3. Verboten Brewing
Loveland, CO
Verboten gets its name from the German word for “forbidden.” In this case, it’s referring to the beer ingredients—that would be everything except hops, barley, and water—rejected by the Reinheitsgebot or Bavarian purity law of 1516. Forbidden ingredients like fruit and spices are exactly what Verboten has been using since the brewery opened in 2013.
Courtesy of Verboten Brewing
The winning beers: Others in Darkness and Pure Imagination
Others in Darkness, a British-style imperial stout, and Pure Imagination, an oatmeal stout, both took home top honors in their categories and true to the brewery’s name include ingredients such as chocolate, oatmeal, and milk sugar that would have been scorned by 16th-century Bavarians. A barrel-aged stout, Others in Darkness has notes of chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit, licorice, and oak with a 14.5% ABV. Pure Imagination is a dark double oatmeal stout with aromas of coffee and roasted grains with flavors of baker’s chocolate and coffee.
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4. Lost and Grounded
Bristol, UK
Opened in 2016, Lost and Grounded cites German lagers and Belgian ales as its biggest influences. Though co-founder Annie Clements explained in an interview with Flavourly that they’re not just copying well-known styles. “We think it is important to not imitate, but just take inspiration.”
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Winning beer: Keller Pils
The winner of the Kellerbier or Zwickelbier category–lagers that aren’t clarified or pasteurized–the brewery describes its version of this beer as grassy, herbal, lemony, and crisp.
Courtesy of 3rd Planet Brewing
5. 3rd Planet Brewing
Niceville, FL
Founded in 2015 by two U.S. Air Force vets, 3rd Planet is just down the road from Elgin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle. In 2019, it was named one of the “50 Fastest Growing Breweries” by the Brewer’s Association.
Courtesy of 3rd Planet Brewing
The winning beer: Emulator
The gold medal-winner in the German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock category is a strong (8.6 ABV) dark lager. 3rd Planet promises flavors of “toasty bread, burnt caramel, and dark fruit.”
Courtesy of Ursa Minor Brewing
6. Ursa Minor Brewing
Duluth, MN
For brothers Ben and Mark Hugus, craft brewing was their “guiding light,” so they named their brewery after the North Star’s constellation. Open since 2018, the brewery is dedicated to using local ingredients including 100% Minnesota hops and malt, as well as water from Lake Superior.
Courtesy of Ursa Minor Brewing
The winning beer: Equanimity
Ursa Minor’s Irish-style Red Ale took home World Beer Cup gold and it’s also claimed a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. This is a rich, malty beer with flavors of toffee, brown sugar, and dried fruit.
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7. Brew Classic
Kanazawa, Japan
Brewer Sosuke Sakao discovered a love for craft beer after being “shocked” when he tried Samuel Adams Boston Lager. After working his way up through the beer industry in Japan, he opened Brew Classic with an aim to create a beer good enough to be called a “classic someday.”
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The winning beer: Doris’ Jaguar
The winner in the American-Belgo-Style Ale category, this crisp, refreshing Belgian IPA has green apple and plum flavors with some mild bitterness. The brewery describes the beer as “a cheerful mood during the daytime on holidays.”
Courtesy of The Good Society Brewery
8. The Good Society Brewery
Seattle, WA
Mixing great beer with good deeds, this West Seattle brewery donates a portion of proceeds from every pint sold to local causes. Opened in February 2020, The Good Society took home the Great American Beer Festival’s “Small Brewpub of the Year” that same year.
Courtesy of The Good Society Brewery
The winning beer: First to Fall
The winner of the Session Beer or Belgian-style Table Beer category, The Good Society classifies First to Fall as a grisette. This particular beer style, which means “little grey one” in French, is related to farmhouse ales and was popular in mining regions of Belgium and France. The brewery describes First to Fall as a “hugely effervescent farmhouse ale” with notes of pepper and lemon, along with earthy, spicy characteristics. It’s also a two-time gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival.
Courtesy of Half Batch Brewing Co.
9. Half Batch Brewing Co.
Hendersonville, TN
Half Batch’s motto is “Full Flavor. Never Half Ass.” Located 20 minutes north of Nashville, the brewery was opened in 2017 by a former programmer and IT analyst who cashed in his retirement account and “quit a nice career” in order to open his own brewery.
Courtesy of Half Batch Brewing
The winning beer: The Fulkin
Taking home gold in the Scottish-style Ale category is The Fulkin. Half Batch calls this smooth 4.9% ABV Scottish ale a “malty session beer.” The brewery says that when it was first brewed, there was confusion about whether it was a Scottish or Scotch Ale. So the brewery decided to add to the chaos by releasing a stronger Scotch ale called The Big Fulkin. Then, it aged some of that beer in bourbon barrels and called it Tipsy Fulkin. See? Not confusing at all.
Courtesy of Incendiary Brewing Company
10. Incendiary Brewing Company
Winston-Salem, NC
Known largely for their IPAs and stouts, Incendiary’s founders were homebrewers who worked their way up from dumping failed batches of brown ale to winning the IPA category at the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing in 2016. Two years later, Incendiary opened its doors to the public.
Courtesy of Incendiary Brewing Company
The winning beers: Brown Porter and Schwarzbier
The gold medal winners of the Brown Porter and German-style Schwarzbier categories are simply named Brown Porter and Schwarzbier. The first is a classic porter with chocolate flavors up front along with notes of toffee and coffee. According to Incendiary co-founder M. Brandon Branscome, it’s “super approachable at 4.8% ABV.” The Schwarzbier is a classic German dark lager. Made with German malts and hops, it’s a chocolate- and coffee-forward beer with a clean finish.
