The title of Supreme Champion in the 2026 International Beer Challenge Taste Awards has gone to a hoppy blonde ale from Belgium.

Huyghe Brewery’s Averbode triumphed over other gold medal winners after also taking the title for best ale over 5% ABV. The same beer was the Supreme Champion in 2024.

The UK’s Hogs Back Brewery was awarded a trophy for Best Label Design in the Design & Packaging Awards for its Little Swine Alcohol-free Pale Ale.

The Supreme Champion accolade in the Brewer of the Year Awards, which run alongside the IBC, went to Hofmeister Brewing Company.

The 2026 IBC received entries from dozens of countries, including Peru, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, Spain and Luxembourg, as well as more established beer heartlands such as Belgium, Germany and the US.

A total of 39 gold medals were awarded in the Taste Awards, with the Supreme Champion chosen from the gold medal winners by the senior judging panel, chaired by Jeff Evans.

Evans said: “This year’s IBC was one of the most enjoyable ever. The standard of beers was terrific and our expert judges awarded a total of 39 gold medals to beers from a wide range of countries, which underlines why this is truly the International Beer Challenge.

“Our judges also selected some outstanding trophy winners – the best of the best, if you like – with awards going to be breweries such as Mahou, Damm and Hijos de Rivera in Spain, Eisenbahn and Denker in Brazil, Hofmeister in Germany and Harvey’s in the UK.

“Then they chose the overall Supreme Champion beer. It was a very close call, because the standard was just so high, but eventually they plumped for Averbode from the Huyghe brewery in Belgium which, remarkably, was also judged Supreme Champion two years ago.

“I’d like to thank all our judges for their hard work and congratulate all our medal and trophy winners.

“I’m sure the awards will help their beers succeed in what has become a very complex beer market in the UK and around the world.”

The full list of Taste Awards trophy winners is as follows :

Supreme Champion: Averbode, Brouwerij L Huyghe, Belgium

Best Lager up to 5% ABV: Dunkel, Eisenbahn, Germany

Best Lager above 5% ABV: 1906 Black Coupage, Hijos de Rivera, Spain

Best Flavoured Beer: Mahou Cinco Estrellas Radler, Mahou, Spain

Best Speciality Beer: Denker Praia Negra, Cervejaria Denker, Brazil

Best Ale up to 5%: Lewes Castle Brown Ale, Harvey & Sons, UK

Best Ale above 5%: Averbode, Brouwerij L Huyghe, Belgium

Best Stout or Porter: Prince of Denmark, Harvey & Sons, UK

Best Wheat Beer: Hofmeister Weisse, Hofmeister Brewing Company, Germany

Best No- or Low-alcohol Beer: Estrella Damm 0.0, SA Damm, Spain

The full list of Brewer Awards, based on a company‘s accumulation of medals, is as follows:

Supreme Champion Brewer: Hofmeister Brewing Company, Germany

Brewer of the Year, Asia: Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation, Vietnam

Brewer of the Year, Europe: Hofmeister Brewing Company, Germany

Brewer of the Year, North America: Samuel Adams, US

Brewer of the Year, South America: Cervejaria Denker, Brazil

Brewer of the Year, UK: Round Corner Brewing, UK

For a full list of medal winners visit the International Beer Challenge website.