Athletic Brewing Company has been named the top large-size brewery of the year at the 2025 Best of Craft Beer Awards, signaling the growing popularity of the nonalcoholic beer category. The Connecticut-based brewery, which specializes in nonalcoholic beers, won four medals at the Oregon-based competition — taking home gold for its Run Wild IPA and Raspberry Espresso Stout, while its Freewave Hazy IPA and Soul Sour earned bronze medals.

The other two winners in the nonalcoholic hop-forward beer category are Best Day Brewing’s Electro Lim and Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh-Squeezed Nonalcoholic IPA, each earning silver medals.

In all, the competition saw 233 breweries enter a total of 1,239 beers, with more than 100 judges evaluating samples by category. 

After years on the sidelines, ignored and largely unpleasant to drink, nonalcoholic beer has gotten better, with the category gaining popularity in the United States over the past decade. Now, breweries of all sizes are striving to create alcohol-free options that capture the flavors beer enthusiasts love. Since its founding in 2017, Athletic Brewing has seen remarkable growth, associating itself with outdoor sports — like marathons — and the better-for-you beverage sector. 

With younger generations embracing a sober or sober-curious lifestyle and older generations looking to curb alcohol consumption, initiatives like Dry January and Sober October have gained momentum, and major breweries such as Guinness and Heineken have poured marketing dollars into zero-alcohol options.

Beyond nonalcoholic beers, this year’s awards also saw another trend: the increasing dominance of Oregon beers.

With upwards of 40 medals, Oregon breweries were also recognized for their outstanding brews across a number of categories. One standout, Sunriver Brewing Company, based in Sun River, Oregon, was named Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year. Meanwhile, Terranaut Beer in Bend, Oregon, earned the Small-Sized Brewery of the Year title. (Brewery size classifications are determined by the number of barrels produced annually.) 

Sunriver Brewing is on a winning streak, having earned eight medals at this year’s competition. Last year, it was honored as the Small Brewery of the Year (for breweries producing up to 15,000 barrels) at the Great American Beer Festival. The brewery operates five locations in Central Oregon and has won awards for a range of styles, including hazy and juicy pale ales, wood- and barrel-aged stouts, and hop-forward lagers.

Terranaut Beer, which opened in 2024, has quickly made a name for itself, winning three medals for Kölsch, experimental beers, and coffee and smoke beer. The brewery, while relatively new, has already earned significant attention and accolades. Notably, founder Byron Puka won a Great American Beer Festival medal for the third batch of beer ever produced at the brewery — a brown ale — as reported by Beervana, which covers Oregon beer and beyond. 

Founded in 2014, the Best of Craft Beer Awards has grown into one of the largest beer competitions in the country, attracting entries from around the globe. In addition to its annual awards presented each March, the organization hosts a wet and fresh hop competition in early autumn to evaluate beers made with freshly picked hops from farms in the Pacific Northwest. 

Despite the craft brewing industry facing declining sales and increased competition from other beverage categories, these awards serve as a strong reminder that fresh and flavorful beer is being made in all corners of the country and the chance to drink local and to support small businesses has never been better.