North Coast Brewing Company Wins Bronze for Laguna Baja at European Beer Star 2025

FORT BRAGG, California., Sept. 18, 2025 North Coast Brewing Company (NCBC) has earned a bronze medal at the prestigious European Beer Star 2025 competition for its Laguna Baja Mexican-style dark lager. This year, there were close to 2,200 beers competing in 74 wide-ranging categories.

The beers were judged by a panel of 150 international experts, including master brewers, beer sommeliers, and trade journalists. Over two days of blind tastings in Nuremberg, Germany in early August, the judges evaluated the beers based on sensory criteria like appearance, aroma, taste, and how well each beer represented its style. Only the top three beers in each category earned the highly coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Laguna Baja stood out among tough competition in the Vienna-Style Lager category. “Our beer competition is globally renowned and highly respected in the brewing industry,” says Kilian Kittl, Managing Director of Private Brauereien Bayern, the event organizer. “The European Beer Star is considered the most challenging beer competition in the world, and every year, our tasters confirm the exceptional quality of the beers. Often, only the slightest differences decide who wins a medal.”

The NCBC team was officially honored at the European Beer Star 2025 Award Ceremony on September 17, held during the drinktec trade fair in Munich. Jennifer Owen, CEO/CFO at NCBC, shared, “We’re extremely proud that our Laguna Baja Mexican-Style Dark Lager impressed the expert jury of the European Beer Star and won the Bronze award. This achievement affirms that we are among the best in the world when it comes to beer quality.”

About North Coast Brewing Company

Founded in 1988 and proud to be independently owned, NCBC brews a wide range of exceptional, award-winning craft beers, including Scrimshaw and Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.
NCBC’s mission: “Making the World a Better Place, One Pint at a Time.”
Follow North Coast Brewing Company on Instagram @NorthCoastBrewingCompany, Twitter @NoCoastBrewCo and Facebook @NorthCoastBrewingCompany.

About the European Beer Star

The European Beer Star competition has been presented by the Association Private Brauereien since 2004 and has become one of the most important beer competitions in the world. The European Beer Star honors beers that are genuine, full of character and of high quality Further information: www.european-beer-star.com.

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