These 5 Arizona craft beers were named among the best in the world

The World Beer Cup is known as the “Olympics of beer competitions.” This year, five Arizona breweries earned top honors.

By Sara Crocker and Tirion Boan

May 2, 2025

Image: Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. is one of five Arizona breweries to bring home a medal from the 2025 World Beer Cup.

Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. is one of five Arizona breweries to bring home a medal from the 2025 World Beer Cup. Dave Clark

Audio By Carbonatix

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
            "component": "21251496",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "STN Player - Float - Mobile Only ",
            "component": "21327862",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "Editor Picks",
            "component": "16759093",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "17980324",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - 2x Rectangles Desktop, Tower on Mobile - Labeled",
            "component": "21934225",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25          
          
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "17980324",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
            "component": "17012245",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          }
        ]

Five Arizona brewers took home medals at the World Beer Cup on Thursday.

The World Beer Cup is an international competition hosted by the Brewers Association, which also honors brewing excellence through the Great American Beer Festival awards. The World Beer Cup, often dubbed the “Olympics of beer competitions,” was held in Indianapolis as part of the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo.

This year, there were 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries and cideries throughout 49 countries, according to the Brewers Association. There were 112 beer categories and 5 cider categories, with an average of 73 entries per category. Overall, the World Beer Cup bestowed 349 awards.

“The World Beer Cup competition continues to showcase the global industry’s dedication to innovative craftsmanship, diverse flavors and technical excellence,” Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director, said in a news release. “This roster of 2025 winners represents the pinnacle of craft brewing and cideries, demonstrating what’s achievable through dedication and passion."

In 2024, four breweries took home medals, one shy of the state's peak haul of five in 2023. In October, Arizona breweries were shut out from the Brewers Association's other major beer awards at the Great American Beer Festival. It was the first time since 1995 that no Arizona breweries medaled at GABF. With these World Beer Cup medals, that shutout ends.

No Arizona breweries are coming home with gold this year, but local brewers earned silver and bronze medals. Here are the five Arizona medalists and their awarded brews.

click to enlarge

Goodyear's Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. adds another medal to its collection of World Beer Cup awards.

Lauren Cusimano

Arizona's silver medalists:

Beer: Now What?
Category: Golden or Blonde Ale
Brewery: Saddle Mountain Brewing Co.
15651 W. Roosevelt St., Goodyear

Beer: Railhead Red
Category: Extra Special Bitter
Brewery: Lumberyard Brewing Co.
5 S. San Francisco St., Flagstaff

Beer: Dragoon Amber
Category: Scottish-Style Ale
Brewery: Dragoon Brewing Co.
1859 W. Grant Road #111, Tucson

click to enlarge

Six Byrd Cider Co. earned a bronze medal at the 2025 World Beer Cup.

Six Byrd Cider Co.

Arizona's bronze medalists:

Beer: Apple Pie a La Mode
Category: Botanical or Spiced Cider
Brewery: Six Byrd Cider
3619 E. Indian School Road
1920 E. University Drive, #101, Tempe

Beer: Rojo
Category: English-Style Brown Ale
Brewery: Barrio Brewing Co.
800 E. 16th St., Tucson
5803 S. Sossaman Road, #212, Mesa

Sara Crocker is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where she focuses primarily on food. She began freelancing for New Times in July 2022 and joined the staff in February 2023. Prior to New Times, Sara worked for publications such as The Denver Post, Phoenix Magazine, Phoenix Home & Garden and Colorado Life Magazine. When she’s not reporting on the Valley’s dining scene, Sara brews beer at home and is an avid cook.

A message from Sara Crocker: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Phoenix's evolving dining scene and the chefs and restaurants that serve our community.

Support Today

Tirion Boan is the Food Editor of Phoenix New Times where she’s worked since May 2022. Tirion keeps a close eye on restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on metro Phoenix food news and trends. She also publishes major annual lists like Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the Best of Phoenix project. Tirion previously worked for publications including The Arizona Republic and The Tucson Weekly. She holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from the University of Arizona.