17 months into the game, Pinnacle Brewing Co. is already on top of the Arizona craft beer world. The Scottsdale brewery, which opened in May 2024, earned 2025 Brewery of the Year at the 4th annual Arizona Craft Beer Awards ceremony Sunday night in Mesa. The ACBA is presented by PHOENIX magazine and the Arizona Craft Brewer’s Guild.
Since Pinnacle burst onto the scene, it has become no stranger to delighting the palates of beer judges everywhere. Earlier this year, its Novo 11° Czech Dark Lager was named USA Beer of the Year at the USA Beer Ratings Competition. Druid, Where’s My Car? Stout won gold at the 2024 ACBA and silver this year at the London Beer Competition.
On the strength of its four gold medal wins, Pinnacle becomes the fourth different beermaker to win the coveted Brewery of the Year title, in this, the fourth year of the ACBA competition. Mesa’s Oro Brewing Company won in 2022, Tempe’s Pedal Haus Brewery in 2023 and Tucson’s Barrio Brewing in 2024. Wren House Brewing captured five total medals and was named runner-up this year.
Goodyear’s Saddle Mountain Brewing won Best in Show for its Scottish ale ClanDestine. Pedals & Pistons hazy IPA from Roses by the Stairs Brewing was runner-up and Fate Brewing’s Halfway to Hefen earned honorable mention.
See all our winners in each category below.
PHOENIX magazine would like to give a special thanks to the Arizona Craft Brewer’s Guild for its work to grow the awards competition and gathering the entries. We had 32 judges pour through 202 entries from 35 breweries. Beers were sorted into 21 categories, ranging from 3 to 20 entries per category.
Join us for our annual PHOENIX magazine Best of the Valley party on Saturday, October 18 at Warehouse215 in Downtown Phoenix. This year’s party combines the best of the Arizona Craft Beer Awards with Best of the Valley food, drink and entertainment all under one roof. Tickets on sale now!
BREWERY OF THE YEAR
Gold: Pinnacle Brewing Co.
Silver: Wren House Brewing
BEST IN SHOW
Gold: ClanDestine, Saddle Mountain Brewing Co.
Silver: Pedals & Pistons, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
Bronze: Halfway to Hefen, Fate Brewing
A smaller panel of 8 judges chose these three as the most exceptional among all 21 gold medal winners.
HAZY IPA
Gold: Pedals & Pistons, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
Silver: This is Growing Up, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
Bronze: Spellbinder, Wren House Brewing
20 entries in this category
AMERICAN PILSNER/LAGER
Gold: Tempe Snap, Hundred Mile Brewing Co.
Silver: Big Spill Pils, Wren House Brewing
Bronze: Magnum VI, Front Pourch Brewing
19 entries in this category
AMERICAN FRUIT / FRUITED WHEAT
Gold: Trigo Suave, Oro Brewing Co.
Silver: Prickly Pear Wheat, Grand Canyon Brewing
Bronze: Crowd Surfer, Hundred Mile Brewing Co.
12 entries in this category
GERMAN VIENNA / MARZEN / DARK LAGER
Gold: Trida 11°, Pinnacle Brewing Co.
Silver: Fatetober, Fate Brewing Company
Bronze: Dark Lager, Verde Brewing Company
12 entries in this category
WEST COAST IPA
Gold: Mrs. Beer Guy, Tombsone Brewing Co.
Silver: Baron of Arizona, Bone Haus Brewing
Bronze: Coast to Coast, Helluva Brewing
12 entries in this category
STOUT/PORTER
Gold: Black Wind, Bone Haus Brewing
Silver: Black Caddis, Wren House Brewing
Bronze: La Sombra, Sana Sana Cerveceria
12 entries in this category
AMERICAN AMBER / BROWN
Gold: Trail Buddy, SanTan Brewing
Silver: Knit Ninja, 12 West Brewing
Bronze: Legend of the Red Ghost, Bone Haus Brewing
11 entries in this category
EXPERIMENTAL IPA
Gold: Trippin, Mudshark Brewery
Silver: Prickly Pear IPA, Grand Canyon Brewing
Bronze: PeachZa, Hundred Mile Brewing
10 entries in this category
BLONDE/GOLDEN ALE
Gold: Inside the Park, Oro Brewing Co.
Silver: Loco Gold, Loco Patron
Bronze: Barrio Blonde, Barrio Brewing
9 entries in this category
OKTOBERFEST
Gold: Ludwig, Pinnacle Brewing
Silver: Wohnwagen Festbier, Lazy G Brewhouse
Bronze: Festbier, Wren House Brewing
9 entries in this category
U.K. STYLES
Gold: ClanDestine, Saddle Mountain Brewing
Silver: Dragoon Amber, Dragoon Brewing
Bronze: Rojo, Barrio Brewing
9 entries in this category
AMERICAN IPA
Gold: Moon Juice, SanTan Brewing
Silver: Hoppy, O.H.S.O.
Bronze: Dragoon IPA, Dragoon Brewing
9 entries in this category
WOOD AGED
Gold: Kingsnake, Wren House Brewing
Silver: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cherry Dubbel, Grand Avenue Brewing
Bronze: Tim the Enchanter, Grand Avenue Brewing
9 entries in this category
GERMAN PILSNER / LAGER
Gold: German Pils, Pedal Haus Brewery
Silver: Purpose Pils, Greenwood Brewing
Bronze: MOE, Lazy G Brewhouse
8 entries in this category
SOURS
Gold: Raspberry Berliner, Tombstone Brewing
Silver: Peachalicious, Helluva Brewing
Bronze: Watermelon Gose, Greenwood Brewing
8 entries in this category
AMERICAN PALE / SESSION IPA / WHEAT
Gold: Halfway to Hefen, Fate Brewing
Silver: Pedal Pounder, LazyG Brewhouse
Bronze: Twin Cam, MotoSonora Brewing
8 entries in this category
SPECIALTY
Gold: Viktoria 12°, Pinnacle Brewing
Silver: Mobility Scooter, Catalyst Crafted Ales
Bronze: Cashmere Kimono, Saddle Mountain Brewing
6 entries in this category
BELGIANS
Gold: Seeing Dubbel, Pinnacle Brewing
Silver: Biere Blanche, Pedal Haus Brewery
Bronze: Viotto, Catalyst Crafted Ales
6 entries in this category
HERB/SPICE
Gold: Pumpkin Piehole Porter, Historic Brewing
Silver: Alewife’s Pumpkin Pie, Desert Monks Brewing
Bronze: Big City Nights, Fate Brewing
6 entries in this category
IMPERIAL IPA: JUICY, HAZY, OR AMERICAN
Gold: One More Time, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
Silver: Oregon Lots II, Tombstone Brewing
Bronze: Sneaky Little Hoppitses, Front Pourch Brewing
5 entries in this category
HAZY PALE / INTERNATIONAL PALE
Gold: Florecita, Dragoon Brewing
Silver: Smooth Transitions, 12 West Brewing
Bronze: Emera Easy Hazy, Greenwood Brewing
3 entries in this category
FUN FACTS & FIGURES
Four for Four!
Five beers are batting 1.000 and have medaled in all four years of ACBA competition:
- Desert Monks’ Alewife’s Pumpkin Pie (gold in ’22, bronze in ’23, silver in ’24 and silver in ’25)
- Barrio Blonde (silver in ’22, gold in ’23, bronze in ’24, bronze in ’25)
- Wren House Spellbinder (bronze in ’22, gold in ’23, silver in ’24, bronze in ’25)
- Saddle Mountain’s ClanDestine (gold in ’25, silver in ’24, bronze in ’23, bronze in ’22)
- Pedal Haus Pilsner (gold in ’25, bronze in ’24, gold in ’23, gold in ’22)
Welcome to the Party!
First time winners in 2025 include: Tombstone, Bone Haus, Loco Patron, Sana Sana and Hundred Mile. Breweries that have won previously, but captured gold for the first time this year include: SanTan, Fate and Mudshark.
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Trophy Case!
Wren House won the most medals in 2025 with 5 total (1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze). Pinnacle captured 4 total — all golds. Several others won 3 medals, including: Bone Haus, Dragoon, Fate, Greenwood, Hundred Mile, LazyG, Roses by the Stairs and Tombstone.
