Four Houston breweries took home hardware from the World Beer Cup, a prestigious international competition that recognizes the best in beer-making.
Houston's 11 Below Brewing Company, Holler Brewing Co., Karbach Brewing Co. and Saint Arnold Brewing Company received medals Wednesday in Nashville, where the awards ceremony was held for the competition known as the "Olympics of Beer." More than 10,200 beers from more than 2,300 different breweries from 51 different countries entered the competition, with an international pool of judges handing out gold, silver and bronze medals in more than 100 different categories.
The Houston brewery that won the biggest award was 11 Below, 6820 Bourgeois Rd. in the far northwest part of the city. Its "Big Mistake" was awarded gold in the Wood-and-Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category, which included a total of 202 entries.
Let's go! 🥇 pic.twitter.com/FN66taKEV6
— 11 Below Brewing (@11BelowBrewing) May 10, 2023
Saint Arnold, 2000 Lyons Ave., which bills itself as Texas' oldest craft brewery, took home two medals. One of its seasonal beers, Pumpkinator, won silver in the Pumpkin Beer competition. Saint Arnold's Amber Ale, a year-round offering, placed third in the English Mild or Bitter category.
Holler Brewing, located at 2206 Edwards St. Suite A in the Sawyer Yards area, received a silver medal for Dollar Pils Y'all in the German-Style Pilsener category. That competition included 233 entries, the third-most among all of the 100-plus categories.
Karbach Brewing Co., 2032 Karbach St., was a silver medalist for its Mother in Lager in the International Dark Lager category.
The World Beer Cup started in 1996 and is organized by the Brewers Association, a nonprofit trade group dedicated to small and independent American brewers. The awards ceremony is held annually in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America.
