Great Brewers are Born at UC Davis
The 2024 Craft Brewers Conference was a blast, and this year we were thrilled to see that some of UC Davis Professional Brewing Programs’ alumni took home medals during the World Beer Cup®, one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the world. Known as “the Olympics of beer,” the global competition celebrates the art and science of brewing and recognizes brewing excellence in more than 100 categories.
We’re proud of all our Master Brewers Certificate Program graduates and former students, but we wanted to bring special attention to those alumni who won medals at the World Beer Cup®:
Deschutes Brewery (Scott Birdwell, Sean Gavin, Jessica Cruzan):
The Bend, Oregon-based brewery won gold in the Brett Beer style category for its Neon Butterfly, a cross between two light and refreshing beers. The brewery also took home gold in the Non-Alcohol Beer category for its Black Butte NA, a non-alcoholic porter brewed from malt.
In addition, their Portland-based Airport Pub won gold in the Honey Beer category for Hachimitsu Mai, a Japanese rice lager, and silver in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer for Sensationator, a Doppelbock.
Barebottle Brewing Company (Kelsey Holstein, Alexandra Nelson):
This San Francisco-based brewery took home silver in the Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale category for Small Wonder Dust, a New England / Hazy.
Fieldwork Brewing Co. (Chris Moran):
Founded in Berkeley, California, the brewery took home bronze in the Belgian-Style Tripel for Adrianne, which marries the artistry of malted barley and the bouquet of yeast esters.
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Golden Road Brewing (Nicanor “Nico” Rocha):
The Los Angeles-based brewery earned bronze in the Golden or Blonde Ale style for Pacific Blonde, while the brewery’s Anaheim-based pub won bronze in the Experimental India Pale Ale style for Ride-On Tropical, brewed with real pineapple juice and passionfruit.
Strangebird (Micah Krichinsky):
The Rochester, New York-based brewing company was recognized in the Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale beer style category for its Unfettered Soul, a hazy double IPA.
21st Amendment Brewery:
The San Francisco-based brewery (whose owners conceived of the brewery while taking a brewing science course at UC Davis) won a bronze medal in the American Style Cream Ale category for El Sully, a Mexican-style lager.
And special shout out to Lana Svitankova, a UC Davis Tapping Potential Scholarship recipient, who was a judge in the 2024 World Beer Cup®!