Oregon City Brewing Company brought home a gold medal from the nation's largest professional beer competition, beating out more than 7,200 entries at the 2026 Great American Beer Festival (GABF).
The brewery's Coming To Fruition: Cherry (2024), a Berliner-Style Weisse, topped its category at the Oct. 11 awards ceremony at Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Judges evaluated 7,267 beer, cider and hop water entries from 1,300 breweries and cideries across 49 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to New School Beer. A total of 336 medals went to 243 winners.
The Brewers Association, which presents the annual festival, calls it the nation's premier beer competition.
Oregon City Brewing, at 1401 Washington St. in Oregon City, was among the Oregon breweries to earn gold. The state claimed 35 medals overall, including 17 golds, 10 silvers and eight bronzes, The Oregonian reported. That haul represented roughly 10% of all medals awarded.
The brewery has been building momentum. Co-owner Bryce Morrow and head brewer David Vohden have grown the operation into a consistent competitor since its founding in 2014. The brewery's own awards page lists more than 20 medals since 2024, spanning the World Beer Cup, GABF and Oregon Beer Awards.
At the brewery's 10th anniversary celebration in November 2024, Morrow said the team had secured "fourteen medals for eleven different beers in our most successful competition year to date."
The gold puts Oregon City Brewing alongside some of the state's most decorated craft operations. Breakside Brewery of Milwaukie led Oregon's 2026 GABF showing with six medals and a Brewery of the Year title. UPP Liquids of Bend also earned Brewery of the Year honors in its production category.
Oregon City Brewing operates two locations: the Washington Street taproom and the Canby Beer Library at 292 N. Holly St. in Canby. Both are open daily, with the Oregon City taproom listing hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday on its website.
