BABG Members Score Five Golds at GABF 2025!
This past Saturday, the Brewers Association announced the 2025 Great American Beer Festival medal winners, recognizing the very best beers in the United States. The ceremony—held, as always, on the final day of GABF in Denver, CO—capped off three days of festivities celebrating the nation’s brewing community.
For more than forty years, GABF has been the premier stage for American craft beer: a showcase, a celebration, and a proving ground. This year, a total of 273 breweries and cideries took home 347 medals across roughly 100 categories.
Among Bay Area Brewers Guild members, our biggest winners were the team from Bare Bottle Brewing, who earned two gold medals: one for its "Hella Jalapeño" chili beer, and another for "Dank Dank Revolution" in the highly competitive Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale category, where it took the top spot among 143 entrants! Based in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, Barebottle also operates taprooms in SoMa, Santa Clara, and Menlo Park, with a Walnut Creek location opening this month!
“We’re super fortunate to bring back two gold GABF medals to San Francisco, and we’re especially pumped that "Dank Dank Revolution" won in one of the most competitive hazy IPA categories,” said Bare Bottle co-founder Lester Koga. “GABF is an incredibly rigorous competition—just getting out of the first round is a huge accomplishment. Having judged GABF last year, I can say without a doubt that the beers we’re all brewing in the Bay Area are among the best in the world. We’re lucky to share the stage with all the Bay Area winners this year.”
Additional gold medals went to Armistice Brewing (Richmond/Napa), Berryessa Brewing (Winters), and Pond Farm Brewing (San Rafael). And rounding out a truly phenomenal year, Hop Dogma Brewing (Half Moon Bay) added some more hardware to a trophy case that has been filling up fast. Their "Muka Laka Hiki" New Zealand IPA took silver at GABF just one day after earning bronze at Yakima Chief’s fiercely contested Alpha King Challenge. Earlier this year, Hop Dogma also took home a gold medal at the World Beer Cup and was named a “Brewery of the Year” at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
“The pride I’m feeling for my brew staff is unrivaled right now,” said brewer-owner Dan Littlefield. “We’ve worked so hard to continually improve and have come such a long way. This has truly been an emotional experience and one I’ll never forget. I’m just so proud of Team Dogma.”
Full List of BABG Member Medalists – GABF 2025
🏅 Gold Medals
• Barebottle Brewing (San Francisco, CA) – Hella Jalapeño — Chili Beer
• Barebottle Brewing – Dank Dank Revolution — Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale
• Armistice Brewing (Richmond, CA) – Gravity Bomb — International-Style Pale Ale
• Berryessa Brewing (Winters, CA) – Free Kittens — Contemporary American-Style Lager
• Pond Farm Brewing (San Rafael, CA) – Dark Mast — Session Beer
🥈 Silver Medals
• Del Cielo Brewing (Martinez, CA) – Órale — Mexican-Style Pale Lager
• Hop Dogma Brewing (Half Moon Bay, CA) – Muka Laka Hiki — New Zealand India Pale Ale
🥉 Bronze Medals
• Cellarmaker Brewing (Oakland, CA) – Pretty Pretty Pils — American Pilsener
• Cellarmaker Brewing – Old Head Red — American Amber/Red Ale
• Canyon Lakes Golf Course & Brewery (San Ramon, CA) – O.B. Brown — Historical Beer
• Epidemic Ales (Concord, CA) – Lager at World’s End — American-Style Lager
Raising a Glass
All told, breweries from around the greater Bay Area took home 19 medals. Congratulations to all the fantastic brewers representing the Bay Area on the national stage. The showing at this year’s GABF is yet another reminder that innovation, quality, and community continue to define our region’s brewing scene.
Check out all of this year's medal winners here.
🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries
🎉 Free (Pay-As-You-Go) Public Events This Weekend!
Saturday, 10/18— Oktoberfest at Canyon Lakes Golf Course & Brewery (San Ramon, CA)
Help Canyon Lakes celebrate their GABF medal by joining them for some delicious beers, authentic German food, live music, and bocce ball at the first championship 18-hole golf course and microbrewery in the country!
More Info →Oktoberfest in San Ramon
Saturday, 10/18 — Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Anniversary Party (Capitola, CA)
Help SARA celebrate thirteen years with DJ 2-Row, tacos, Yakitori, ice cream, and some rare beers on tap!
More Info → 13th Anniversary Celebration
🎟️ Ticketed Events
Thursday 10/18 — Puppet Wars Marionette Massacre at Drake's Barrel House (San Leandro, CA)
Drake's Brewing Company hosts this extraordinary, family-friendly live event, where pro wrestling, wild characters, intense rivalries, and fresh beer collide!
More Info → Puppets Wars Marionette Massacre in San Leandro
📅 Save the Dates
Friday-Sunday, 10/24-10/26— OPENING WEEKEND: Headlands On Campus (Berkeley, CA)
Help the Headlands Brewing team usher in a new era on the UC Berkeley Campus as they officially take over at the legendary Bear's Lair space.
Saturday, 10/25— Spooky Puppy at Temescal Brewing (Oakland, CA)
Get ready for the biggest Halloween event of the year, a puptacular event filled with delicious beer and adorable pups, SPOOKY PUPPY 2025!
More Info →Spooky Puppy Pageant & Costume Contest In Oakland
Saturday, 10/25— Occult Beach Party at HenHouse Brewing (Petaluma, CA)
A matinee surf party from 2-6 pm at HenHouse's Palace of Barrels in Petaluma! Featuring “Planet Earth’s Longest-Running Modern Surf Band,” The Insect Surfers, all the way from Washington D.C.
More Info →Occult Beach Party & Afternoon Concert In Petaluma
Saturday, 10/25— Goodbye Bash at 21st Amendment (San Leandro, CA)
A bittersweet bash, but a bash nonetheless. This is your chance to say farewell to a beloved institution. Grab your friends and celebrate the memories, the beers, and the good times, as we raise one more glass to a foundational Bay Area brewery.
Friday, 10/31— Halloween Night Party at Original Pattern Brewing (Oakland, CA)
A spooky-season smash featuring live music, DJs and an costume contest, all fueled by some delicious brew!
More Info →Halloween Night Party In Oakland
Friday 2/20/2026 - Sunday 3/1/2026 — Beer Week 2026 (The Whole Damn Bay Area!)
The biggest and best regional celebration of independent craft beer on the planet!
Keep up-to-date on all the events at sfbeerweek.org