Great Beer Doesn't Happen by Accident
This week's Brew Deck arrives in the middle of California Craft Beer Week, an annual activation spearheaded by the CA Craft Brewers Association, which serves as a reminder of the decades of advocacy that have helped shape and fortify our modern craft beer industry.
Last week also brought news of another impressive showing for BABG member breweries at a national competition.
Taken together, they reinforce a simple truth: great beer doesn't happen by accident.
Just like an award-winning beer requires meticulous ingredient sourcing, recipe refinement, and precise cellaring and packaging practices, a healthy craft beer ecosystem is made possible by tireless behind-the-scenes work to create hospitable regulatory and legislative parameters.
Another Competition. Another Strong Showing.
The results of the 2026 U.S. Open Beer Championship were announced last Wednesday, and once again Bay Area Brewers Guild members proved they can compete with anyone.
Leading the way was Alvarado Street Brewery, which was named Brewery of the Year in the 15,000+ barrel production category.
Over the past several years, Alvarado Street has become a fixture atop the medal standings across a wide range of the world's largest commercial beer competitions. Their Howzit Punch sour ale followed consecutive World Beer Cup golds in 2025 and 2026 with another gold at this year's Brewers Cup of California, while their flagship IPAs Mai Tai and Contains No Juice have earned World Beer Cup medals of their own.
Earlier this year, Craft Beer & Brewing named Alvarado the #4 Regional Brewery in America in its annual Best in Beer survey, and now the Monterey County brewery adds another major accolade as the 2026 U.S. Open Large Brewery of the Year.
Hop Dogma Brewing Company continued one of the most remarkable competition streaks in American craft beer. The Half Moon Bay brewery returned to the U.S. Open podium with four more medals: bronze for Alpha Dankopotamus (West Coast IPA), silver (behind only Alvarado's "Mai Tai") for Sincerely, NZ Cascade (Single Hop IPA), silver for POG in the Fog, and Bronze for its non-alcoholic Hop Water.
This follows World Beer Cup medals in 2026 and 2025, being named the 2025 U.S. Open Brewery of the Year, and taking silver at GABF for Muka Laka Hiki just one day after that same beer earned bronze at Yakima Chief's Alpha King Challenge, one of the country's most fiercely contested IPA competitions.
Some individual beers are beginning to build legacies of their own. Burma Ale from Alameda Brewing followed its 2025 World Beer Cup Silver Medal with gold at both this year's California State Fair and the U.S. Open Beer Championship. Likewise, Pond Farm Brewing's Dark Mast has continued an extraordinary run after winning gold at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival, adding bronze at the Brewers Cup of California, bronze at the California State Fair, and silver at the U.S. Open Beer Championship this year.
Berryessa Brewing Company and Half Moon Bay Brewing Company also added to the Bay Area's medal haul.
As we've covered before, commercial beer competitions differ in the composition of their judging panels, the pools of beers submitted, the style guidelines employed, and the competitive contexts in which judging takes place. Yet several of the same breweries—and even many of the same beers—keep rising to the top. While a single medal is always worth celebrating, the consistency these members are demonstrating across multiple competitions speaks to something genuinely extraordinary happening at those breweries.
Catching Up on the California State Fair
The Guild also wanted to recognize members who earned awards at the 2026 California State Fair Commercial Craft Beer Competition.
Congratulations to all of this year's BABG medal winners, including:
- Morgan Territory Brewing — 8 medals!!
- San Francisco Brewing Company — 5 medals!
- Alvarado Street Brewery and CuVer Belgian Brewers — 4 medals each
- Cooperage Brewing Company, Headlands Brewing, Pond Farm Brewing, and Standard Deviant Brewing — 3 medals each
- Steel Bonnet Brewing and Canyon Lakes Brewing Company — 2 medals each
- Alameda Brewing, Discretion Brewing, Gilman Brewing, and Sugoi Brewing — medal winners
One brewery's performance felt especially heartening.
You might remember that earlier this year we dedicated an issue of The Brew Deck to highlighting those Bay Area breweries who were still dedicated to producing world-class Belgian-style ales. That issue featured Windsor's CuVer Brewing as one of the Bay Area's most underappreciated producers of Belgian-style ales. Their State Fair performance certainly backs up that claim.
CuVer earned four medals, led by a gold for Dark Lioness in the Trappist Quadrupel category. Golden Abbey earned silver in the Tripel category, while Unwind Classic (Belgian Wit Ale) and By Her Bootstraps (White IPA) each earned bronze.
California Craft Beer Week: Celebrating More Than Great Beer
This week is also California Craft Beer Week, organized by the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA).
The week is, of course, an opportunity to celebrate independent breweries, but it's also a chance to recognize something that often goes unnoticed: the laws governing craft beer have changed dramatically over the past several decades because brewers chose to organize and advocate together.
From the legalization of homebrewing in 1978 to modern licensing reforms that have expanded taprooms, hospitality opportunities, and brewery business models, legislative advocacy has played a critical role in shaping California's craft beer landscape.
Policy victories won't generate the excitement of a medal announcement or a big festival, but they are essential to creating the conditions that allow small and independent breweries to thrive.
The CCBA has been at the center of these efforts, working on behalf of independent breweries to modernize regulations and adapt to new innovations and market realities. Take, for example, the creation of California's duplicate Type 23 license, which has opened new opportunities for breweries to establish additional hospitality-focused locations, reflecting how today's breweries serve not only as manufacturers, but also as neighborhood gathering places. We've covered how this pivot has been essential not only to the survival of many of our member institutions, but also to the fabric of social life in the Bay Area today.
This California Craft Beer Week, it's worth celebrating not only the beers being brewed, but also the brewers, advocates, and organizations that have spent decades building one of the strongest craft beer communities anywhere in the world.
Congratulations again to all of this week's medal winners, and thank you to everyone helping write the next chapter of California craft beer.
🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries
🎉 Public Events This Week!
Thursday, 7/23—Drag Bingo at Drakes Dealership!
(Oakland, CA)
Hosted by the fabulous Sally Limon, with live performances by some of the best drag performers in the Bay Area. This is a bingo night you won't want to miss.
More Info –> Drag Bingo In Oakland!
Friday, 7/24—Hoodslam at Drakes Dealership!
(Oakland, CA)
It's monstrous when Slamtown and Monstertown combine for Midsommar Squash! Voted Queer Wrestling Illustrated's "Promotion of The Year!"
Tickets & More Info –> Pro Wrestling In Oakland!
Saturday & Sunday 7/25 & 7/26—Hop Oast 8th Anniversary Celebration!
(San Francisco, CA)
Hop Oast is celebrating their 8th anniversary by releasing a special Belgian Golden Strong Ale. There will also be live music, pretzels, and a beer slushy machine!.
More Info –> Hopoast.com!
Saturday & Sunday, 7/25 & 7/26—Fruition Brewing 7th Anniversary Celebration!
(Watsonville, CA)
Another two-day celebration! Starting at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. Expect a special anniversary with pop-up food vendors and DJs on an expanded patio!!
More Info –> Fruition Anniversary in Watsonville!
📅 Save the Dates
Friday & Saturday 7/31 & 8/1—Del Cielo Taproom Anniversary Celebration!
(Livermore, CA)
Julio Bravo kicks off the celebration on Friday, followed by The Dream Tellers on Saturday. Two nights of live music, great beer, and celebrating an amazing first year in Livermore.
Tickets & More Info –> Two Nights Of Live Music in Livermore!
Saturday 8/1—Enterprise Brewing 3rd Anniversary!
(San Francisco, CA)
One more time around the sun for and SF favorite! Celebrate with Rosamunde Sausage Grill pop-up starting at 1pm.
More Info –> 3rd Anniversary Party in San Francisco!
Saturday, 8/15—Pitch-A-Friend at Headlands Brewing!
(Walnut Creek, CA | 8PM)
Think "Shark Tank" only your friends are pitching you!
Sign Ups & More Info –> Pitch-A-Friend In Walnut Creek!
Sunday, 8/23—SUDS FRANCISCO - A Funk & Fermentation Festival hosted by Barebottle Brewing at Salesforce Park!
(San Francisco, CA | 2PM-7PM)
A summertime celebration of funk and fermentation held beneath the SoMa skyline!
Tickets and More Info –> Suds Francisco 2026!
Saturday, 9/19—It's The Malt - Craft Malt Festival at Admiral Maltings!
(Alameda, CA | 1PM-5PM)
Admiral Maltings' third annual celebration of artisan beer, American Single Malt whiskey, floor-malting, and California grown grains.
Tickets and More Info –> It's The Malt 2026!