The annual Loudoun Wine Awards may be the most glittering event on Loudoun’s craft beverage social calendar, but in February the wine industry’s brewing cousins got in on the action. The inaugural Loudoun Beer Awards took place at Lark Brewing Co in south Loudoun on Tuesday, February 4. Dozens of local breweries competed for 10 gold medals across categories ranging from IPAs, Wheat Beer and Dark Ales to Fruited Beers, Dark and Light Lager and Old World/International Styles. The ceremony is a gala dinner to celebrate the “Best in Show” for Loudoun beer, judged across all competition categories.

 

 

“I developed the awards idea over many months with Kevin Anderson, Executive Director of the Loudoun Brewers Association and Chris Suarez, head of operations at Lost Barrel,” said Tolga Baki, owner of Hillsborough Winery, Brewery & Vineyard in western Loudoun.

“There are not many regional brewing competitions in the US,” said Baki. “Instead, we modeled it on the Loudoun Wine Awards and the incredible impact they’ve had on the success of Loudoun wine.”

 

Baki is in the perfect position to judge. His winemaker brother Kerem served as chair of the Loudoun Wineries & Winegrowers Association board and at their Hillsborough estate, the Baki family famously produces wine and beer, Kerem overseeing the grapes and Tolga the beer.

 

“It’s very rare at Hillsborough to see a table that doesn’t have wine and beer on it,” said Tolga. “People either like one or the other. It’s about time we recognized the brewing community in Loudoun and got together in the same way our wine friends do.”

So, who gets to decide what the best beers in Loudoun are, and under what criteria?

 

Eight certified judges gathered at Dynasty Brewing Co in Sterling for a private blind tasting in late January and recorded their verdict. While most are from Loudoun, judges included Matt Foran, a trained cicerone – or beer sommelier – from Chilly Hollow Brewing in Clarke County.

2025 Participating Breweries:

While ingredients in beer play a role, they are less apparent than in wine where the specific grape makes up the majority of the character. Ultimately, however, when it comes to overall perception, judges have to determine whether a beer actually tastes good or not. Says Akerboom: 

 

“A beer might fit the style it was categorized as but that doesn’t determine whether you like it or not.”

 

Dozens of Loudoun brewers and guests came together to make the evening special for Loudoun's beer community. To see the full list of breweries who took home the medal click here.