The Best Lagers Of 2025—According To The World Beer Cup
Lagers from across the globe were given gold medals in various categories at the 2025 World Beer Cup.
The resurgence of interest in lagers has been a bright spot in the craft beer industry in recent years. The industry as a whole has experienced some growing pains with people drinking less and more brewery closings, but in that time lagers have increased in popularity among both brewers and beer drinkers.
This could be seen at this year's World Beer Cup, the unofficial Olympics of beer held earlier this spring in Indianapolis. All told, more than 8,375 beers and ciders in more than 300 categories were submitted by producers from 49 countries. Lagers were among the most popular categories and more than 1000 different lagers were submitted to the competition from breweries across the U.S. and the globe. These beers were judged by more than 200 judges over 14 tasting sessions. The best lagers were assessed in a variety of categories and judges awarded only one gold medal per category.
Pilsners are technically a type of lager, but we've covered some of this year's best pilsner winners previously, so here we will be focusing on other types of lagers that took home gold at this year's World Beer Cup. These award-winning beers hail from multiple countries and range from dark to light lagers and draw on a diverse range of traditional and modern brewing techniques.
Classic Non-Alcohol Ale or Lager
Gold: Tsingtao Non-Alcoholic Wheat Beer, Tsingtao Brewery Co.,
Qingdao, China
Kellerbier or Zwickelbier
Gold: Broumy, Pivovar Matuška, Broumy, Czech Republic
American Light Lager
Gold: Clubhaus Lager, Von Ebert Brewing, Portland, OR
International Light Lager
Gold: Solveza, Peaceful Side Brewery, Maryville, TN
International-Style Lager
Gold: Yamagata, Original Pattern Brewing, Oakland, CA
Hoppy Lager
Gold: Cold IPA, pFriem Family Brewers, Hood River, OR
Munich-Style Dunkel
Gold: G.G., Exile Brewing Co., Des Moines, IA
International Dark Lager
Gold: Late Czech Out, Pilot Brewing Co., Charlotte, NC
Munich-Style Helles
Gold: Construct Of Quality, Cinder Block Brewery, North Kansas City, MO
Dortmunder/Export or German-Style Oktoberfest
Gold: The Cushman, Morgan Territory Brewing, Tracy, CA
Vienna-Style Lager
Gold: Vienna, Second Street Brewery, Santa Fe, NM
German-Style Maerzen or Franconian-Style Rotbier
Gold: Follow the Lederhosen, Moontown Brewing Co., Whitestown, IN
German-Style Schwarzbier
Gold: Schwarz Bear, Gatlinburg Brewing Co., Sevierville, TN
German-Style Bock or Maibock
Gold: Cold Front, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock
Gold: Curse The Goat, Shoreline Brewery, Michigan City, IN
American-Style Lager
Gold: Vacancy Classic, Vacancy Brewing, Austin, TX
Contemporary American-Style Lager
Gold: El Pato Loco, Able Baker Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
American-Style Amber Lager
Gold: 40 Mike Mike, Free Roam Brewing Co., Boerne, TX
Many of these award-winning lagers are made at breweries that have limited distribution, though some offer shipping. You can check each brewery's website for distribution details. You can also search for other winners in your state on the World Beer Cup results page and see if there are any award-winning lagers near your home.
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