Official nominees
Brewbound Best of 2026 Awards – Nominees
Winners announced
Each year, the Brewbound “Best of” Awards celebrate the breweries, beyond-beer companies, people, products, and ideas shaping the future of the beer business.
The nominees for the Brewbound “Best of 2026” Awards show how the business is changing. Craft breweries are winning with lagers, light beers and fruited styles that bring new drinkers in, while non-alcoholic IPAs and hop-forward options give people a reason to stay. Beyond beer, cider, hard soda and beer-inspired drinks are growing up beside the taproom, and the brewers behind them are building distribution one market at a time. The people on this list are founders and brewmasters who have kept independent companies growing in a hard year for the category.
Brewbound is proud to share the nominees for its “Best of 2026” Awards in Craft Brewery of the Year, Large Brewery of the Year, Beyond Beer Company of the Year, Person of the Year, Rising Stars and Best New Products. Winners will be announced on December 10, 2026 at Brewbound Live 2026.
0–9
- 1911 Established
- 2 Towns Ciderhouse
A
- Allagash Brewing Company
- Allagash Brewing Company (Jason Perkins, Brewmaster, Allagash Brewing Company)
- Ari Opsahl, CEO, Tivoli Brewing Company / Outlaw Light Beer (Ari Opsahl: Challenging the Status Quo and Rebuilding Beer’s Future)
- Athletic Brewing Company
- Athletic Brewing Company (Bill Shufelt)
B
- Beer Girl
- Best Day Brewing
- Blake's Beverage Company
- Blake's Beverage Company (Andrew Blake: Redefining What an Independent Beverage Company Can Become)
C
- C4 Energy
- Countermeasures (CMC) (CEO)
D
- Dad Strength Brewing Company
- Drawdown Brewing
- Drink Crooked
F
- Fieldwork Brewing Co.
- Funkytown Brewery
G
- Garage Beer
- Go Brewing
H
- Have a Day Tequila Cocktails
- Haykin Family Cider
- High Limb Cider
- Holidaily Brewing Company
- Hurray's Girl Beer
I
- Icicle Brewing Company (Pamela and Oliver Brulotte)
J
- jefferson county ciderworks
K
- Kickstand Cocktails
L
- Lawson's Finest Liquids
- Londsdale Brewing Co./ Hero95 Crisp Low Calorie Lager
M
- Makku
- Mexican Monk
- Montauk Brewing Co.
- Moor's Brewing Company
N
- NOCA
- Novo Brazil
O
- Other Half Brewing
P
- Paulie's Cider
- pFriem Family Brewers
- Pilot Project Brewing
- PopSips
- Pure Project
S
- Schilling Cider
- Second Chapter Brewing
- Smog City Brewing Co.
- Snow Capped Cider
- Southern Tail Brewing
- SpikedAde
- Stateside Brands
- SweetWater Brewing Co.
T
- TailGate Brewery
- The Shop Beer
- Tivoli Brewing Company (Outlaw Light Beer)
U
- United States Beverage
V
- Vermont Brewers Association (Emma Arian)
- Vodkade
W
- Wandering Soul Beer
- Westbound & Down Brewing Company
- Whole Foods Market (Mary Guiver)
- Willie's Remedy+
Y
- Yonder Cider
The winners are coming
Winners announced December 10, 2026.
See past winners