03/20/2026
This year, for the first time, we introduced some surprise awards to recognize standout beers in a fun and different way. We MAY have forgot to tell the breweries we were doing this - so it was a total surprise. Here’s how they played out:
🏆 Homebrew Award
Determined by fan voting for favorite homebrew—this one was incredibly close with tons of great entries getting love.
🥉 Brian Boe – Crazy Haziness Hazy IPA
🥈 Frank Van Loon – Citrus Alt
🥇 Tyler Choura – Strawberry Blonde
🏆 The Pete Award
We used a photo of Pete and his friends from last year as our cover photo all year—so naturally, we had Pete hand out medals to his favorite beers.
🥉 Golden Isles Brewing – Pina Colada IPA
🥈 Marker 48 – Red Right Return
🥇 Tampa Bay Brewing – Peach Python IPA
🏆 Best Pro Beer (Fan Vote)
Voted on by the crowd—these were the beers that stood out above the rest.
🥉 Gulf Pine Brewing – Strawberry Chocolate Stout
🥈 de Bine Brewing – Czech the Facts Czech Pilsner
🥇 Clearwater Brewing – Top Hat Old Fashioned Inspired Beer
🏆 Word of Mouth Award
I walked around asking one simple question: “What beer should I try?” These were the most recommended beers of the fest.
🥉 7venth Sun – Control Freak
🥈 Dade City Brewing – Rice Lager
🥇 Gulf Pine Brewing – Strawberry Chocolate Stout
We loved adding these awards this year and can’t wait to make them even bigger and better next time.
Already counting down to next year. 🍺
