River North Brewery Wins 3 Medals at the 2026 World Beer Cup

4 days ago
3 min read

We’re fired up over here.

The World Beer Cup results are in, and River North Brewery is bringing home three medals. One gold. Two silvers.

The World Beer Cup is the most prestigious beer competition in the world, drawing thousands of entries from breweries across the globe. This year alone, more than 8,000 beers were entered from nearly 50 countries, making every medal hard earned.

2026 World Beer Cup Winners at River North Brewery

River North Brewery won three medals at the 2026 World Beer Cup:

GOLD - Coffee Beer: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun
SILVER - Stout or Porter: Espresso Hello Darkness
SILVER - Pumpkin Spice Beer: Pumpkin Spice J. Marie

Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun Takes Gold

Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun takes gold in the Coffee Beer category at the 2026 World Beer Cup.

At this point, we might need to rename it to Squirrels Just Want to Win Gold. After taking gold at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2024 and 2025, and now the World Beer Cup in 2026, the squirrels are on a bit of a streak.

Espresso Hello Darkness Earns Silver

Espresso Hello Darkness picks up silver in the Stout or Porter category at the 2026 World Beer Cup.

Rich, roasty, and built around real espresso character, this one doesn’t hold back. It’s no stranger to the big stage, taking gold at the Japan International Beer Cup and now adding a silver at the World Beer Cup.

Pumpkin Spice J. Marie Takes Silver

Pumpkin Spice J. Marie earns silver in the Pumpkin Spice Beer category at the 2026 World Beer Cup.

J. Marie is a fan favorite we’ve been making for years. If it’s not on tap, we’re convinced some people might start a riot. Now take that base and layer in real pumpkin character with warm spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove.

It’s bold, balanced, and still unmistakably J. Marie. Good enough to earn silver at the World Beer Cup two years in a row, and even land on Forbes’ list of the best pumpkin beers in the world. Yum!

From Denver to Philadelphia

Our Founder Matt and Head Brewer Matt made the trip out to Philadelphia for Craft Brewers Conference and the World Beer Cup awards ceremony, while we were back home cheering from the taproom at our watch party.

Three trips to the stage later, yeah, we were fired up.

There’s nothing quite like hearing your name called in a room full of breweries from around the world.

Falling for Colorado Beer

Colorado showed up in a big way this year. Breweries across the state brought home a serious amount of hardware, and it’s always cool to see that kind of representation on the global stage.

Shout out to our friends at Cannonball Creek Brewing Company for taking home gold in one of the most competitive categories, and Bull & Bush Brewery for also bringing home some shiny new medals.

Come Celebrate With Us

Come celebrate with us this Saturday at BarleyWILD, our annual Barleywine Month grand finale party and our head brewer's favorite month of the year. Where else can you find an entire month dedicated to barleywine? I’ll wait.

We close this thing out the only way we know how. A stacked tap list, big pours, and a room full of people ready for it.