Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup gold, silver medals: Here's why they won
ASHEVILLE - In a global blind taste test, North Carolina breweries competed against breweries representing 49 countries, earning 11 medals in the prestigious World Beer Cup awards program known as "the Olympics of beer competitions."
Four medals were awarded to Asheville area beer companies: Diatribe, Highland, Hi-Wire and Sierra Nevada.
The Brewers Association received 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries that were judged over 14 sessions by 265 industry experts.
Winners were announced at the 2025 World Beer Cup award ceremony on May 1 during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Indianapolis.
The local brewing teams shared details about their award-winning beers and how bringing home the medals is a win for the Asheville area brewing community, particularly after a challenging season following last fall's Tropical Storm Helene.
1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville. diatribebrewing.com
Diatribe Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Chocolate Porter.
Diatribe opened in 2023 with an American Porter that's been a taproom guest favorite and earned the West Asheville brewery a gold medal in the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Dave Byer, co-owner and brewer, said he began with that base to build the Chocolate Porter, using imported cocoa nibs, testing different techniques, and then introducing varieties to guests.
"It's been a fun journey with us and with our customers, and everyone weighing in on what's their favorite, Byer said. "It's been a big group effort to create this beer, seeing what we love, and taking nibs that worked and putting them in our award-winning porter."
Byer said he's witnessed Asheville's brewing industry strengthen for over a decade to compete on the world's stage. He said Helene was another example of the community's resilience.
The Chocolate Porter was one of the first batches of beer Byer brewed after water was restored several weeks after the storm. He attributed the community's support to keeping the brewery open and thriving.
Betty Dunajski, co-owner and taproom manager, said the brewery will be one of the participating locations, hosting events during AVL Beer Week, May 15-29.
"We always have fun experiments and different ways for people to connect with beer, whether it's different ingredients or different ways of serving beer," she said." We like to get our customers and community involved."
The Chocolate Porter is available exclusively served in the taproom. It's seasonal, and supplies are limited.
12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville. highlandbrewing.com
Highland Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the German-style Kölsch category for its Daycation Gold.
"The German-style Kölsch category is highly nuanced," said Nikki Mitchell, vice president of brand development. "It's such a delicate beer. To win for 'Gold' fills me and everyone at Highland with a huge amount of pride."
Daycation Gold was introduced in 2021 as a small-batch Kölsch named Distance Driver, which won gold at the 2022 Best of Craft Beer Awards. It was designed to quench the thirst of disc golfers at Highland's East Asheville campus. Due to demand, it continued to be brewed. This spring, a revamped and rebranded brew version was released as Daycation Gold, under the same session beer umbrella as Daycation IPA. It's available in the taproom and for retail sale.
Innovation Brewing Manager, Josh Jiles, said it's a technical, challenging beer to brew, but when done correctly, it should be refreshing and bright.
"Daycation hits that perfect sweet spot," Jiles said. "It's clean, crisp, incredibly well-balanced."
Jiles said Helene significantly impacted Asheville's brewery industry, as there was little to no water to brew. He commended the beer community for working hard to get back on its feet.
"We're all pretty crafty. Asheville produces some of the world's best beers, and every brewer should be proud of that," Jiles said. "It's a good win for the community."
Various locations, including 2A Hunstman Place, Biltmore Village. hiwirebrewing.com
Hi-Wire Brewing Co. won the silver medal for its Hi-Wire Lager in the International-Style Pilsner category. This is the seventh World Beer Cup award the brewery, founded in 2013 in Asheville, has earned.
"This one is different for us than the others," said Adam Charnack, co-founder. "The Hi-Wire Lager is the first beer we ever made. ... It's everything about our brand that we love."
Charnack said the lager is the ideal representation of the brewery, describing the brew as timeless, classic, simple, complicated, and easy-drinking. It's the brewery's bestselling beer in its taprooms.
He said winning the World Beer Cup award this year heightened the emotions from Helene, and it's a chapter-turner for Hi-Wire, as it recovers. In May, Hi-Wire will reopen its beer garden in the River Arts District, which was devastated during the historic storm.
"We're beyond ecstatic," Charnack said. "We can't be more proud."
100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River. sierranevada.com
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. won the gold medal for its Weizenbock in the South German-Style Weizenbock category. It also earned the gold medal at the 2024 competition and the Great American Beer Fest in 2024.
'It's a wonderful example of the beer style," Brian Grossman, chief brewer and second-generation brewery owner at Sierra Nevada, said in an email. "It is brewed using traditional techniques, and it showcases an authentic German yeast strain that came from our long-time friends at a historic Bavarian brewery. It is a testament to our brewing team's hard work and dedication to premium quality craft brewing.'
Grossman, who called Asheville 'a world-class beer destination,' said the Weizenbock is a limited batch beer available at the Mills River taproom, though it may not last long.
The North Carolina Brewers Guild and North Carolina brewers were honored with the Brewers Association's Recognition Award, honoring the brewers' collective response to Tropical Storm Helene.
View the complete list of 2025 World Beer Cup winners at worldbeercup.org.
Discover more Asheville breweries in a citywide celebration, AVL Beer Week, from May 15-29, at various locations. For a complete list of events, visit avlbeerweek.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup medals: Here's why they won
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