The halls in Belgium echoed the words “Hoppin’ Frog Brewery!” twice last week as Gold and Silver medals were announced for two of their most flavorful beers at the Brussels Beer Challenge.

The Gold medal is for Peanut Butter Hazelnut Caramel Chocolate Cake Stout in the Chocolate Flavoured Beer category, and the Silver is for their flagship beer B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal- Imperial Stout in the Russian Imperial Stout category. Both have long names and superb flavors, and now both have earned prestigious medals in the heart of Belgium – one of the birthplaces of great beer.

A strong supporter of beer culture, the Brussels Beer Challenge is an annual international beer competition, as well as a platform for international brewers to network and actively promote their product. Over three days, a panel of Belgian beer experts judged 1,546 beers from all corners of the world. Beers are subdivided into categories based on origin, typology and style, and are then tasted. At the end of the three tasting days, the best beers in each category are awarded with a gold, silver or bronze medal. Once again Belgium maintained its leadership with 79 awards, followed by the United States (31), Italy (30), the Netherlands (23), Brazil (16) France (13), Canada (10) and China (9). The competition is increasingly international in scope with entries from 36 countries this year, including Australia, South Korea, Bolivia and Ukraine.

Pete Slosberg from the famous Pete’s Wicked Ale in the U.S. has judged at this contest in the past and reached out to congratulate Hoppin’ Frog Brewery. He said “the Brussels Beer Challenge is one of the premier beer judgings in the world, and judges attend from all over the world. What makes this judging unique is that brewers aren’t judges, instead beer journalists and other beer associated people are the judges. All of these judges know their stuff and we get to eat Belgian Frites after judging!” Pete was planning to judge at the event this year, but could not due to the global pandemic health crisis.

Hoppin’ Frog sees the gold and silver medals received at the Brussels Beer Challenge as a validation of all their hard work, and an indication that the company can expect substantial further growth of its business. “This is a great honor to earn the recognition from Belgian judges for making some of the best beers in the world,” said Fred Karm – President, Hoppin’ Frog Brewery, “and these medals will further motivate our staff to continue brewing innovative, superb beers.”