The World's Best Lager—According To The International Beer And Cider Awards

Forbes

a day ago

Lagers were among the most popular categories at this year's International Beer And Cider Awards. getty
In early June, the International Beer and Cider Awards handed out bragging rights for the world's best lager and many other beer categories. Judges assessed 1426 entries in Idaho Falls for this year's competition. Lagers were spread across more than a dozen categories, not including pilsners, which also were assessed in various categories.
Lagers have increased in popularity in recent years, with more and more craft beer fans drawn to these clean-tasting beers that are often celebrated for their crispness—which generally means dryness (lack of sweetness) and high thirst-quenching ability. This trend has resulted in increasing numbers of these beers being submitted to the International Beer and Cider Awards, said Harvey Hembree, the competition coordinator, in an email. 'We have noticed an overall trend towards lighter, more sessionable beers across all categories and particularly lagers.'
Entries for a few subcategories of lagers saw particular growth at the 2025 competition.
'The stand-out lager category this year was definitely Latin American or Tropical-Style Lagers ,' Hembree said. This light-lager category has low-hop and malt aroma and can me made with adjunct ingredients including corn. It is often inspired by the popular lagers brewed within various Latin American and Caribbean countries. 'This style is obviously a market favorite and has widespread recognition,' Hembree added. 'It's fun to see breweries at any scale producing this refreshing, almost nostalgic style that can be enjoyed by beer drinkers of all palates.'
In addition, Hembree said the competition received more dark lager and Asian lager submissions. 'The dark lager categories were very competitive, indicating to us that the market for sessionable dark beer is on the rise,' Hembree said. Asian lagers, a newer category, continue to increase in entrants since their introduction just two years ago.
For each category, three medals were awarded: gold, silver and bronze. The competition is run by the North American Brewers Association, a nonprofit that promotes craft beer and culture. Though it accepts beer entries from across the globe, this year's lager gold medal categories were swept by U.S. breweries. Below are the gold medal-winning lagers that were deemed the best of the best in 2025. The World's Best Lagers
Gold Clubhaus Lager, Von Ebert Brewing Portland, Oregon American-Style Standard or Premium Lager
307, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY, USA Latin American or Tropical-Style Lager or Ale
Helper Beer, Mexican Lager from Helper Beer, Helper, Utah Asian-Style Lager
Saru Zen Japanese-style Rice Lager, Bozeman Brewing Co., Bozeman, Montana Helles Lager
Helles Good, Boxing Bear Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM, USA American Black Lager
Templin Family Capenfluegan, Templin Family Brewing Salt Lake City, Utah American-Style Amber Lager California Common
Vienna Lager, Cardinal Craft Brewing, Burlington, Washington Vienna-Style Lager
Prost Vienna Lager, Prost Brewing Co. Northglenn, CO Marzen Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, Idaho Brewing Co., Idaho Falls, Idaho Schwarzbier (Black Beer)
Oh Black Lager, Discretion Brewing, Soquel, CA Czech Dark Lagers
Stacks & Towers Czech Dark Lager, Wild Ride Brewing, Redmond, OR Helles Bock Maibock Traditional Bock
Ammo Bocks, Bear Island Brewing, Boise, Idaho Other Hoppy Lager
Raft Soda, Sacred Waters Brewing Co., Kalispell, Montana