The XXI edition of Beer of the Year delivered its verdicts in the city of Rimini, on the occasion of the Beer&Food Attraction event. The competition organized by Unionbirrai – the association of small independent craft breweries – selected the best among 1,746 beers entered by 212 producers, blindly evaluated by 73 judges from 19 countries. An edition that falls in a symbolic year: 2026 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Italian craft movement, born in 1996.
Eremo beer: the Brewery of the Year comes from Umbria
The Spiga d’Oro Award – the title of Brewery of the Year – went to Birra dell’Eremo di Assisi. The Umbrian brewery, founded in 2012, emerged with 8 overall podiums: 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze obtained in 6 different categories.
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What determined its proclamation was the transversal qualitative constancy, the result of technical research focused in particular on experimentation on yeasts, an identifying element of the project since its origins.
Special prizes
Among the exceptional awards, the Best Collaboration Brew award was assigned to the Panatè Saison of the La Piazza brewery in Turin, created together with the Granda brewery in Lagnasco (Cuneo). The Best 100% Italian Beer instead went to Real IGA Gose from the Il Mastio Brewery in Belforte del Chienti (Macerata), a production entirely obtained with Italian raw materials, demonstrating the growing link between craft beer and the national agricultural supply chain.
You can find the list of the various awards on the unionbirrai.it website
