CLEVELAND — Northeast Ohio brewers brought home six medals from the 2026 Great American Beer Festival, one of the most closely watched competitions in American craft beer, with Cleveland’s Masthead Brewing Company leading the haul.
Masthead won two gold medals, for its Oni Giri rice lager and its Shower Beer American lager. Akron’s Akronym Brewing also struck gold, with its Road Pop international light lager, and Ghost Tree Brewing in Amherst won gold for Féileadh Mòr, an international-style amber lager.
Two more Northeast Ohio breweries earned silver. Fat Head’s Brewery in Middleburg Heights took silver for its 8th Anniversary Lager in the Dortmunder or German-style festbier category, and Great Lakes Brewing Company of Cleveland won silver for Dort Light in the international light lager category.
Ohio’s medal count did not stop in the northeast. Third Eye Brewing, with locations in Cincinnati and Hamilton, collected three medals — a silver for Kelly’s Private Stash dessert stout and bronzes for Higher Purpose and Wired Euphoria.
The results add to a long run of festival success for Ohio, and especially for the Cleveland-Akron corridor, where lager specialists have repeatedly finished at the top of national judging. Brewers and industry advocates say the showing reflects both the depth of the region’s brewing talent and the community that forms around its taprooms.