Paso Robles, California–based Firestone Walker Brewing Company beat out 35 American breweries this year to win Best American Beer with its flagship IPA, Union Jackat the 2025 Brussels Beer Challenge. “The Brussels Beer Challenge is a top world-class competition that draws some of the very best,” says Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It means a lot to win.”

Founded in 2012, the Brussels Beer Challenge has grown into one of Europe’s most prominent international beer competitions, with thousands of entries judged annually by an international panel of brewers, beer writers, and sommeliers. While the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival remain the most influential competitions for U.S. breweries — particularly in terms of domestic prestige and market impact — the Brussels Beer Challenge offers a different kind of validation: recognition from a European judging body historically rooted in Old World styles. For American breweries, a win in Brussels can signal international credibility as much as technical excellence.

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Union Jack’s roots date back nearly two decades. Brynildson says that initial brewing trials for the beer began in 2006 — the same year as Firestone Walker’s tenth anniversary — and the resulting beer was officially released in 2008. “It was inspired by the many great IPAs coming from California brewers at that time,” says Brynildson. “Beers like Sierra Nevada Celebration, Russian River Pliny the Elder, and Anchor Liberty Ale.”

Early recognition helped cement Union Jack’s reputation during the height of the West Coast IPA boom. Brynildson notes that in 2008 and 2009, the beer earned back-to-back gold medals in the American IPA category at the Great American Beer Festival, which “helped to put Union Jack on the map as a leading West Coast IPA and the beer helped us grow our brewery’s distribution outside of Central Coastal California.”

Since then, both the IPA category and Firestone Walker’s portfolio have expanded considerably. The brewery’s IPA lineup now includes a modern take on the West Coast IPA and a hazy IPA with its own variety pack and cyclist spin-off — styles that reflect broader shifts in consumer demand away from the piney, bitter profiles that once defined the category. Still, Brynildson says those newer beers remain connected to the original. They were “all inspired by what we have learned through Union Jack and share at least a little of its core DNA,” according to Brynildson.

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While Mind Haze IPA has now overtaken Union Jack as the brand’s bestseller in-market, the older beer continues to play a significant role in Firestone Walker’s identity. Brynildson says Union Jack’s continued popularity keeps it a top seller in Firestone Walker’s taprooms.

“It’s rewarding to see a beer that you’ve thought about and brewed over and over again continue to be relevant and recognized around the world,” says Brynildson. This year alone, Union Jack took home gold medals at both the World Beer Cup and the Brussels Beer Challenge, where it competed in the Pale & Amber Ale: English IPA category.

That category placement underscores one of the interesting aspects of Union Jack’s appeal. Though often associated with the American West Coast IPA tradition, the beer found success in Brussels within a stylistic framework closely aligned with English brewing heritage.

Luc De Raedemaeker, beer sommelier, editor-in-chief of Belgium-basedGrand Cru beerand co-founder and director of the Brussels Beer Challenge, says that while Union Jack’s hop profile may not be 100% textbook for an English IPA, its balance of a “solid malt backbone is exactly what a good English IPA should have,” making it a category favorite with the panel of six judges. “Firestone Walker is a top brewery,” says De Raedemaeker, “Fresh, hoppy, and well-balanced, this beer has it all.”

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U.S. beers that medaled at the 2025 Brussels Beer Challenge
BEER	BREWERY	CATEGORY	MEDAL
Lager	pFriem Family Brewers	Warehouse: Helles	Gold
Beer	Firestone Walker Brewing Co.	Lager: Italian Style Pilsner	Gold
Union Jack	Firestone Walker Brewing Co.	Pale and Amber Ale: English IPA	Gold
The FNG	Monkless Belgian Ales	Pale and Amber Ale: Strong Amber	Gold
Diabolical	The Monk’s Cellar	Pale and Amber Ale: Strong Blonde	Gold
White Field	New Glarus Brewing Company	Speciality Beer: Other Sour Ale	Gold
Trail Magic	The Virginia Beer Company	Dark Ale: Brown Ale	Silver
To The Beach	Trademark Brewing	Flavored Beer: Fruit Beer	Silver
Fruited Spontaneous	Pfriem Family Brewers	Flavored Beer: Old Style Fruit-Lambic	Silver
Gold Dot Export Lager	Heater Allen Brewing	Stock: German-Style Märzen	Silver
Pale	Pfriem Family Brewers	Pale and Amber Ale: American Pale Ale	Silver
Double Barrel Ale	Firestone Walker Brewing Co	Pale and Amber Ale: Light Bitter/Bitter/Best Bitter/ESB	Silver
Santilli	Night Shift Brewing	Pale and Amber Ale: Pacific IPA	Silver
Speedway Stout	AleSmith Brewing Company	Stout/Porter: Russian Imperial Stout	Silver
Deduction	Taxman Brewing Company	Dark Ale: Abbey Style Dubbel	Bronze
Midnight Hike	River North Brewery	Flavored Beer: Chocolate	Bronze
Nightmare Fuel	River North Brewery	Flavored Beer: Coffee	Bronze
Hazelnut Imperial Stout	Diatribe Brewing Company	Flavored Beer: Field beer	Bronze
Honey Kölsch	River North Brewery	Flavored Beer: Honey Beer	Bronze
Showstopper ’25	Alesong Brewing and Blending	Flavored Beer: Imperial Stout Barrel- or Wood Aged	Bronze
A Clean Pair of Schwarz	Quarter Celtic Brewpub	Stock: Dark/Dark	Bronze
Oktoberfest	The Virginia Beer Company	Stock: German-Style Märzen	Bronze
Gold Dot Helles	Heater Allen Brewing	Warehouse: Helles	Bronze
Whirlpool	Night Shift Brewing	Pale and Amber Ale: American Pale Ale	Bronze
Looking Down On You – Hazy DIPA	Revision Brewing Company	Pale and Amber Ale: Double IPA	Bronze
Spellbinder	Wren House Brewing	Pale and Amber Ale: New England IPA	Bronze
West Coast IPA	Pfriem Family Brewers	Pale and Amber Ale: Pacific IPA	Bronze
Hoochie Momma	StillFire Brewing	Stout/Porter: Export Stout	Bronze