Six Chicago area brewers won medals at the Great American Beer Festival last weekend. Winners were announced Sunday, October 11, at Levitt Pavilion Denver.
Only four Illinois brewers received medals last year, one for each brewer. This year Goose Island took home four medals, two for Bourbon County Stout variants, and one each for the lager and a wit. Werk Force in Plainfield also medaled for two of its barrel aged heavy beers. Go Brewing of Naperville also won two medals, for their non-alcohol brews.
A full set of gold, silver and bronze medals was awarded in 112 categories of beers and ciders. Among new categories for this year were Rice Lager, non-alcoholic Hop Water, and a one-time Craft Malt category. Also 2 new sub-categories were added: Multi-Adjunct beers, and Hybrid/Crossover: a combination of two classic styles.
One-hundred ninety-nine brewers from across the country competed, along with an out-of-competition United Nations table of international brewers.
Full list of 2026 Winners – Great American Beer Festival
ILLINOIS | |||||
| Bronze | Kick Back Lager | Goose Island Beer Co. – Fulton St | Chicago | IL | American Lager |
Bronze | Hidden Dawn | Goose Island Beer Co. – Fulton St | Chicago | IL | Belgian-Style Witbier |
Silver | Turbo | 93 Octane Brewery | Saint Charles | IL | Coffee Stout or Porter |
Bronze | Stupid Sticky Fingers | Werk Force Brewing Co./Rocky Reef | Plainfield | IL | Collab Comp |
Gold | 2025 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout | Goose Island Beer Co. – Fulton St | Chicago | IL | Dessert or Pastry Beer |
Bronze | 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout | Goose Island Beer Co. – Fulton St | Chicago | IL | Dessert or Pastry Beer |
Silver | Left Fork | Black Lung Brewing Company | Grayslake | IL | Historical Beer |
Bronze | Direct Fire | Roaring Table Brewing | Lake Zurich | IL | Smoke Beer |
Silver | F*kin Pumpkin | Go Brewing | Naperville | IL | Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer |
Bronze | New School | Go Brewing | Naperville | IL | Specialty Non-Alcohol Beer |
Bronze | Hell Bear | Werk Force Brewing Co. | Plainfield | IL | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout |
INDIANA | |||||
Silver | Lollygagger | Field Artisan Brewing | Westfield | IN | English-Style ESB or IPA |
Bronze | Pachanga | Sun King Brewing | Fishers | IN | Mexican-Style Light Lager |
Gold | Soul Shakedown Party | Sun King Brewing | Fishers | IN | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer |
MICHIGAN | |||||
Gold | Hoppy Mood | Founders Brewing Co. | Grand Rapids | MI | Hop Water |
Gold | Panda | Mothfire Brewing Co. | Ann Arbor | MI | Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale |
Silver | Perpetual Fog | Urbanrest Brewing Co. | Ferndale | MI | Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale |
Silver | Stable Genius | Redwood Brewing Co. | Flint | MI | Saison |
Silver | Summer Heat | Short’s Brewing Co. – Production Facility | Elk Rapids | MI | Specialty Beer |
Gold | Chugga Chocolate Milk Stout | Bearded Lamb Brewing Co. | Plymouth | MI | Sweet Stout or Cream Stout |
WISCONSIN | |||||
Bronze | Vintage 2026 | New Glarus Brewing Co | New Glarus | WI | Belgian-Style or Spontaneous Sour Ale |
Bronze | Central Time IPA | Third Space Brewing | Milwaukee | WI | English-Style ESB or IPA |
Silver | GF Ice Bucket | ALT Brew | Madison | WI | Hoppy Gluten-Free Beer |
Bronze | Doppelsticke Altbier | Giant Jones Brewing | Madison | WI | Other Strong Beer |
IOWA | |||||
Gold | Buffalo Creek Brown | Titonka Brewing Co | Titonka | IA | American Brown Ale |
Silver | Zero Eddy | Big Grove Production Facility | Iowa City | IA | Hoppy Non-Alcohol Beer |
Bronze | Czech Dark | Field Day Brewing Co. | North Liberty | IA | International Dark Lager |
Silver | Czech Amber | Field Day Brewing Co. | North Liberty | IA | International-Style Amber Lager |
MISSOURI | |||||
Silver | Bobber Lager | Logboat Brewing Co. | Columbia | MO | Czech-Style Pale Lager |
Gold | Winterbock | Kansas City Bier Co. | Kansas City | MO | German-Style Strong Beer |
Bronze | Hop Spritz | Kansas City Bier Co. | Kansas City | MO | Hop Water |
Silver | Dark Matter | Logboat Brewing Co. | Columbia | MO | Porter or Stout |
Bronze | Oak Aged Floral Saison | Boulevard Brewing Co. | Kansas City | MO | Specialty Beer |
Bronze | Coral Crush | Alma Mader Brewing | Kansas City | MO | West Coast-Style Pilsener |
See the full list of winners here.
Goose Island Beer Co. was also recognized as 100,000+ Barrels Brewery and Brewer of the Year.
The GABF is hosted by the the Brewers Association (BA), the not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 9,300 small and independent American brewers, their beverages, and the community of craft beer enthusiasts.
