Asheville + Raleigh, NC -- 2023 marked the 12th anniversary of the NC Brewers Cup competition, administered by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild and sponsored by Pro Refrigeration, Inc., Tryon Distributing, and Lowe’s Foods, the “Official Grocer of NC Beer”. This year, 873 entries were submitted by 122 independent North Carolina craft breweries, making this the largest commercial competition in the Southeast.
All entries were received and organized at Pro Refrigeration, Inc in Mocksville, NC and then transported by Tryon Distributing to the two competition judging venues: Edit Beer Co. in Raleigh, NC and White Labs in Asheville, NC. Judging occurred simultaneously at the two locations over the August 26th-27th weekend. Certified beer judges from across the Southeast traveled to participate in this beer style competition, sanctioned by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP).
Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded in 36 style-based beer categories, based on the 2023 Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines, (also used for Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup competitions.) Unique to North Carolina is the NC Homegrown category, which requires the beer to have at least 55% of the beer's dry-weight ingredients sourced from North Carolina agricultural products.
The three largest categories of the 2023 competition were:
Juicy/Hazy Style IPA, with 70 entries
American-Style IPA, with 63 entries
Field & Spiced Beers, with 50 entries
Click here for the complete listing of all 2023 NC Brewers Cup medalists.
In addition to the category medalists, one brewery will be presented with the NC Brewery of the Year trophy. This award celebrates the brewery who secured the most overall points, based on medals won. The NC Craft Brewers Guild will announce the NC Brewery of the Year and present the trophy and all medals at this year’s NC Beer Industry Awards Banquet taking place at the NC Craft Brewers Conference in Winston-Salem on November 14th, 2023.
Click here to link to 2023 competition photos & marketing assets.
Click here to watch, “Discovering North Carolina’s Best Beers: Live from the Brewers Cup”, filmed and published by Doug Piper of Gourmet Brewing
Interested in sampling medal-winning #NCBeer? Plan a trip to one of North Carolina’s many diverse craft brewery taprooms during NC Beer Month this October! NC Beer Month is a month-long celebration of North Carolina’s beer craftsmanship and the unique destinations where it thrives, from the mountains to the coast!
#NCBrewersCup | #NCBeer | #DrinkNCBeer
The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild (NCCBG) is a 501c6 not-for-profit advocacy group supporting the independent craft brewers of our state through advocacy and education. North Carolina has over 420 independent craft breweries and brewpubs, each one serving as a local gathering spot for their communities. North Carolina is truly the State of Southern Beer™.
For more information regarding this story, or North Carolina's craft beer industry, contact:
Lisa Parker, Executive Director
NC Craft Brewers Guild
lisa@ncbeer.org | c. 919.951.8588
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