Chuckanut Wins Big at WA Beer Awards

Chuckanut Brewery Wins Six Medals at the 2026 WA Beer Awards

Chuckanut Brewery has another impressive awards haul to add to its already lengthy list of brewing honors, taking home six medals at the 2026 Washington Beer Awards. The Burlington, Washington brewery collected two Gold Medals and four Silver Medals, with its traditional European-style lagers and newer hop-forward beers all getting some attention. Not a bad day for the lager specialists. In a competition that included more than 1,000 beers from 153 Washington breweries across 142 different beer styles, six medals is a pretty good indication that Chuckanut continues to get the details right.

What I like about this particular group of awards is the variety of beers involved, because Chuckanut isn’t simply collecting medals for one popular flagship beer or leaning on a single brewing style. The Bohemian Style Pilsner and Alt Bier both earned Gold, while Fest Bier, Grodziskie Polish Lager, Japanese Style Lager and West Coast Pils all picked up Silver Medals. That’s a nice cross-section of the brewery’s production, from traditional German and Czech-inspired beers to a Polish smoked lager and a more modern West Coast interpretation of pilsner. Different recipes. Different brewing challenges.

Chuckanut has been doing this for a while, and the brewery’s award history makes these latest results even more interesting. It has previously been named Large Brewery of the Year at the Washington Beer Awards in 2017, 2019 and 2021, while also earning Small Brewery of the Year honors at the Great American Beer Festival in 2009 and 2011. Those are significant accomplishments, especially for a brewery that has continued putting so much attention into classic lager styles at a time when much of the American craft beer conversation has been dominated by hazy IPAs, imperial stouts and heavily hopped releases. Chuckanut keeps brewing its way.

The six award-winning Chuckanut beers are available on draft or in cans wherever Chuckanut products are sold, giving Washington beer drinkers an opportunity to try the medal-winning lineup rather than simply read about it, and the brewery welcomes visitors at its production facility and taproom in Burlington’s Skagit Valley; here is the full announcement from Chuckanut Brewery.

Chuckanut Brewery Announces Six Medals at the 2026 Washington Beer Awards

Chuckanut Brewery proudly announces that it has won six awards at the 2026 Washington Beer Awards Competition, earning two Gold Medals and four Silver Medals among more than 1,000 beers submitted by 153 breweries across 142 beer styles.

The Washington Beer Awards competition was created specifically to recognize and support professional brewers throughout Washington State. Beers are evaluated through blind judging, allowing the quality and characteristics of each entry to stand on their own.

Two Gold Medals for Chuckanut Pilsner and Alt Bier

Chuckanut Bohemian Style Pilsner and Alt Bier German Ale each received Gold Medals at the 2026 competition. Both beers have earned Gold recognition in previous competitions, continuing their history of success.

The Bohemian Style Pilsner represents Chuckanut’s dedication to traditional European lager brewing, while the Alt Bier showcases the brewery’s experience producing classic German-style ales.

Four Silver Medals for Chuckanut’s Lager and Pilsner Lineup

Four additional Chuckanut beers received Silver Medals.

Chuckanut Fest Bier, a seasonal beer available only once each year, earned Silver in the German-style Oktoberfest/Festbier category.

Grodziskie, an historic Polish smoked lager, also received Silver recognition, highlighting one of the more traditional and distinctive beer styles in the brewery’s lineup.

Chuckanut Japanese Style Lager, also known as Asian Style Lager at Din Tai Fung restaurants, earned another Silver Medal.

Rounding out the awards was West Coast Pils, a newer entry in the competition that earned a Silver Medal in its first appearance.

The six award-winning beers include:

• Gold: Chuckanut Bohemian Style Pilsner
• Gold: Chuckanut Alt Bier German Ale
• Silver: Chuckanut Fest Bier
• Silver: Chuckanut Grodziskie Polish Lager
• Silver: Chuckanut Japanese (Asian) Style Lager
• Silver: Chuckanut West Coast Pils

Chuckanut Brewery’s Award-Winning History

Chuckanut Brewery has built an extensive record of competition success. The brewery was named Large Brewery of the Year at the Washington Beer Awards in 2017, 2019 and 2021.

It also earned Small Brewery of the Year honors at the Great American Beer Festival in 2009 and 2011.

The brewery continues to focus on producing award-winning traditional lagers and ales, with its latest six medals adding another accomplishment to its history of brewing recognition.

All six award-winning beers can be found on draft or in cans wherever Chuckanut beers are sold.

Visit Chuckanut Brewery in Burlington, Washington

Chuckanut Brewery’s production facility and taproom are located in the Skagit Valley at:

11937 Higgins Airport Way
Burlington, WA

The taproom welcomes guests of all ages and offers indoor and outdoor seating.

For additional information about Chuckanut Brewery, its beers, taproom and upcoming releases, visit chuckanutbrewery.com.

Chuckanut Brewery proudly announces the celebration of winning six awards at the WA Beer Awards Competition 2026. The competition is designed specifically to support Washington’s professional brewers and is judged in a blind format. More than 1,000 beers from 153 breweries across 142 styles were judged for excellence. Chuckanut received 2 Gold Medals and 4 Silver Medals for their Chuckanut Pilsner, Alt Bier, Fest Bier, Grodziskie Polish Lager, Japanese (Asian) Style Lager, and West Coast Pils.

Chuckanut Bohemian Style Pilsner and the Alt Bier German Ale both won Gold Medals, both beers have won this medal in the past. The Fest Bier, only available once a year, won Silver in the German style Oktoberfest/Festbier category. Grodziskie is an historic smoky Polish Lager that won Silver. Chuckanut Japanese Style Lager, also known as Asian Style Lager at Din Tai Fung Restaurants, won silver as well. A newcomer to award competition was the West Coast Pils which won a Silver Medal. Look for any of these award winning beers on draft or in cans wherever Chuckanut beers are sold.

Chuckanut Brewery brews award winning Lagers and Ales and has won Large Brewery of the Year at WA Beer Awards 2017, 2019 and 2021 and Small Brewery at the GABF 2011 and 2009. The production facility and Tap Room is located in Skagit Valley at 11937 Higgins Airport Way, Burlington, WA and welcomes guests of all ages with indoor and outdoor seating! Check out additional information about Chuckanut at chuckanutbrewery.com.

Related news from mybeerbuzz.com:
Chuckanut Brewery has a long history of award-winning lagers, seasonal releases and collaborations, and MyBeerBuzz has covered several of those developments, including Chuckanut Brewery Wins Six Medals at WA Beer Awards, its previous six-medal performance; Chuckanut Brewery Wins 3 World Beer Cup Medals, highlighting its international competition success; Chuckanut Gold Label Czech Pilsner Released, covering its traditional pilsner brewing; Chuckanut Fest Bier On Tap Soon, featuring its seasonal Oktoberfest-style lager; and Chuckanut West Coast Pils Volatility Collaboration With Von Ebert, covering its more modern interpretation of pilsner brewing.

Together, these stories offer additional background on Chuckanut’s award-winning beers, collaborations and continued commitment to traditional European brewing styles.

About Chuckanut Brewery

Chuckanut Brewery is an award-winning Pacific Northwest craft brewery based in Burlington, Washington, with a reputation for producing exceptional traditional European-style lagers and ales. Founded in 2008 by Mari and Will Kemper, Chuckanut has become one of Washington’s most recognized breweries, earning national and international attention for its brewing quality, technical experience and dedication to classic beer styles.

The brewery’s history goes back much further than 2008, however. The Kempers were already established figures in the American craft beer industry through their earlier involvement with Thomas Kemper Brewery, which they co-founded in the 1980s. That experience helped establish their understanding of traditional brewing methods and the importance of consistency, ingredients and fermentation.

After their work with Thomas Kemper, Will continued developing his brewing experience through consulting projects that took him to breweries throughout the United States and internationally. Those experiences exposed the couple to different brewing traditions and techniques, particularly the European lager styles that would eventually become central to Chuckanut Brewery.

When Mari and Will founded Chuckanut in 2008, they brought that accumulated experience into a new independent brewing operation in Washington State. Their goal was to produce carefully crafted traditional beers, with particular attention to lagers, a category that was often overlooked by American craft breweries concentrating heavily on hop-forward ales.

Chuckanut Brewery’s Commitment to Traditional European Lagers

Chuckanut Brewery has developed a strong identity around traditional European beer styles, especially German, Czech and Polish lagers.

The brewery produces beers that emphasize clean fermentation, balanced malt character and appropriate hop expression rather than relying on extreme flavors or oversized alcohol content. Its Bohemian Style Pilsner is a particularly good example of this approach, offering a traditional interpretation of one of Europe’s most recognizable lager styles.

Chuckanut also produces German-style Alt Bier, Fest Bier, Dunkel Lager, Helles and other traditional beers that demonstrate its interest in European brewing history.

Its Grodziskie Polish Lager is another interesting example. This historic Polish beer style is known for its light body and distinctive smoky character, traditionally created using oak-smoked wheat malt. It is not a style that every American craft brewery attempts, making Chuckanut’s continued production particularly interesting for beer enthusiasts who appreciate historic European brewing.

The brewery has also expanded its lager portfolio with more contemporary interpretations, including Japanese Style Lager and West Coast Pils. These beers demonstrate that Chuckanut’s commitment to traditional brewing does not prevent it from experimenting with newer styles and different approaches to ingredients.

An Award-Winning Washington Craft Brewery

Chuckanut Brewery has earned an impressive collection of brewing awards throughout its history.

The brewery was named Small Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in 2009 and again in 2011. Those national honors helped establish Chuckanut as a respected producer of traditional beer styles during a period when American craft brewing was expanding rapidly.

Its success continued at the Washington Beer Awards, where Chuckanut earned Large Brewery of the Year recognition in 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Individual Chuckanut beers have also received recognition at competitions including the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup and Washington Beer Awards.

The brewery’s 2026 Washington Beer Awards performance adds another six medals to that record, with Gold Medals for its Bohemian Style Pilsner and Alt Bier and Silver Medals for Fest Bier, Grodziskie, Japanese Style Lager and West Coast Pils.

These results reinforce the brewery’s reputation for producing technically accomplished beers across a variety of traditional and contemporary styles.

Chuckanut Brewery’s Burlington Production Facility

Chuckanut Brewery operates its primary production facility and South Nut taproom at 11937 Higgins Airport Way in Burlington, Washington.

The Burlington location opened in September 2016 with a new 20-barrel brewhouse and cellar, becoming the company’s main production center. Following the closure of its original Bellingham brewery in 2021, Chuckanut began planning additional expansion at the Burlington property.

The brewery subsequently developed the facility to accommodate additional brewing equipment and production capacity.

Today, the South Nut taproom provides visitors with an opportunity to experience Chuckanut’s beers close to where they are produced. The location offers indoor and outdoor seating, welcomes guests of all ages and provides a relaxed setting for enjoying its traditional lagers, seasonal releases and specialty beers.

Chuckanut also welcomes visitors interested in exploring its brewing philosophy and learning more about the beers that have helped establish its reputation throughout Washington.

Chuckanut Brewery’s Role in Pacific Northwest Craft Beer

Chuckanut has maintained a distinctive position in the Pacific Northwest craft beer industry by focusing on traditional brewing styles while remaining willing to experiment with new recipes and collaborations.

The brewery has worked with other regional breweries and industry partners on specialty releases, including collaborations that explore German-style lagers, West Coast pilsners and other traditional beer categories.

Its approach has helped introduce more American craft beer drinkers to styles that receive considerably less attention than hazy IPAs and heavily hopped ales.

For Chuckanut, the emphasis remains on making good beer, understanding the brewing process and respecting the traditions behind the styles it produces.

With a history dating back to 2008, multiple brewery-of-the-year honors and another six medals at the 2026 Washington Beer Awards, Chuckanut Brewery continues to demonstrate why it has become such a respected name in Washington craft beer.

For beer releases, brewery information, taproom hours and upcoming events, visit the official Chuckanut Brewery website.