Five World Beer Cup Award Winners from Oregon You Need to Try

Every year, there are awards handed out to deserving brewers from around the country at Denver’s Great American Beer Festival. Then there are the local fests that showcase the flagship and seasonal beers that provide a more limited scope. Yet it’s only every two years that the Brewer’s Association gathers for the Craft Brewers Conference AND features the World Beer Cup, a competition showcasing beers from 58 countries, evaluated by an international panel of 219 judges from 31 countries and what I can only presume to be some psychedelic hangovers…

Oregon brewers submitted 199 beers to be judged across the 94 style categories and took home 18 awards, including 9 gold medals (tied for the most) and a Brewery/Brewmaster award for Pelican Brewing (Small Brewing Company). Here are 5 award winners you should snatch up in the store, at the pub, or at a festival ASAP.

10 Barrel Brewing (Bend, OR) – Cucumber Crush (Gold)

Category 5: Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer – 57 Entries

Brewed by Tonya Cornett, using the same Berliner Weisse approach as her celebrated Apricot Crush and Swill beers, this crafty cuke was first created last spring. It’s only found at 10 Barrel locations and special events in the summer, but is scheduled to appear again at Portland’s Fruit Beer Festival, the first full weekend of June. One of the most refreshing beers I’ve ever had. 4.0% ABV

The Commons Brewery (Portland, OR) – Flemish Kiss (Bronze)

Category 19: American-Style Brett Beer – 35 Entries

Fans of Flemish reds, barrel-aged, and/or beers featuring Brett can’t go wrong with everything The Commons offers. Following primary fermentation, Flemish Kiss closely resembles an American Pale Ale, though after 5 weeks of secondary fermentation and barrel maturation on wild Brettanomyces yeast, it emerges with a drier, fruity character. It can be found throughout Oregon in750ml bottles. 6.5% ABV

Pelican Brewing (Pacific City, OR) – Kiwanda Cream Ale (Gold)

Category 84: Golden or Blonde Ale – 67 Entries

One of my first Oregon brewpub experiences was sampling the great variety of tastes this beach-front brewpub offers year-round. The Kiwanda Cream has always been one of my favorites; a traditional lager/ale hybrid style straight out of the 1800s. It’s a perfectly refreshing and smooth ale for the coming summer months and easy enough to find throughout the state in 6 packs and 22 oz. bottles. 5.1% ABV

Two Kilts Brewing (Sherwood, OR) – Scottish Ale (Gold)

Category 71: Scottish-Style Ale – 30 Entries

Something I just tried for the first time today, this deep amber Scotch Ale is a definitive version of the style: malty, rich, sweet, on the strong side. Two Kilts is a smaller brewer with limited distribution in the Portland area, though with this breakout win, I expect to see more of their finest on the shelves soon. The Scottish ale is available in most markets throughout the Portland-metro area. 6.5% ABV.

 Widmer Brothers Brewing (Portland, OR) – Hefeweizen (Gold)

Category 2: American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast – 25 Entries

Here’s something you can find throughout the U.S.–Widmer’s flagship beer that has for decades been the archetype of what an American Hefeweizen is. Whether you’re new to the craft beer scene or love German-style wheat beers in the hot sun, you can’t go wrong with this in a big glass, garnished with a lemon. It seems apt that the originator of this American style was found best in class by a panel of international judges. 4.9% ABV

And that’s only 5 of the 17 winners. Catch the rest at the Oregon Brewers Guild and all the 2014 World Beer Cup winners here.