Why These 6 Beers Were Named the Best in the Country at the 2026 Good Food Awards

When it comes to beer, the Good Food Awards recognize more than just exceptional brewing. The annual awards celebrate breweries that produce standout beer while valuing thoughtful sourcing, environmental stewardship, and ethical labor practices.

This year’s winners include two beers each from Maine’s Allagash Brewing Company, Colorado’s Cerebral Brewing, and North Carolina’s Fullsteam Brewery, showcasing breweries that are committed to responsible production without sacrificing the quality of their creations.

How the Good Food Awards chose the best beers

To earn recognition from the Good Food Awards, winning breweries are expected to strengthen regional supply chains by sourcing ingredients locally when possible, minimizing synthetic agricultural inputs, conserving resources, and supporting their communities through sustainable business practices. And that’s all in addition to developing a delicious beverage.

Qualifying beers must either be certified organic or meet multiple sustainability benchmarks, such as using locally sourced or sustainably grown ingredients, reducing water use and packaging waste, and participating in community initiatives or third-party social responsibility programs. All entrants must demonstrate a commitment to fair labor practices, diversity, equity, and inclusion, with larger breweries required to meet additional standards for parental leave, board representation, and workplace safety.

This year’s six award-winning beers were produced by three breweries located in Maine, Colorado, and North Carolina. Here’s a closer look at each producer and why their beverages are worth seeking out.

Allagash Brewing Company

Two beers from the Portland, Maine-based Allagash Brewing Company — its namesake Allagash Lager and Kickabout Lager — earned Good Food Awards. Brewmaster Jason Perkins says the company’s goal is to craft “great beer while doing right by our environment, the Maine community, and employees.” In 2025, the Certified B Corporation brewed with 2,025,674 pounds of Maine-grown grain, more than doubling its original goal of 1 million pounds. Local grain is used to craft the Allagash and Kickabout Lagers as well as the brand’s flagship Belgian-style wheat beer, Allagash White.

The Allagash Lager, a 5% ABV pilsner, earned a gold medal at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival. “It’s one of our more recent additions to our core portfolio, alongside longtime favorites like Allagash White, and we’re really happy with the reception this beer has been getting,” Perkins notes.

The Kickabout Lager is brewed in partnership with Portland’s semipro soccer team, the Portland Hearts of Pine, which Allagash officially sponsors. The brewmaster describes the beer as “light, bright, and refreshing but still flavorful.” It’s a popular choice at the soccer team’s outdoor stadium, where patrons can enjoy it with other local concessions like Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs and Lady Shuckers’ fresh Maine oysters.

The easy-drinking lager was one of four recipes presented to the Hearts of Pine team and members of the support club Dirigo Union for a tasting and vote to determine the final product. Perkins explains that “Kickabout is a 5% ABV lager with a bit of wheat in the grain bill, which adds body as well as some nice citrus notes and a light dry hopping to round out the beer’s flavor.”

Cerebral Brewing

Cerebral Brewing from Aurora, Colorado, also earned two Good Food Awards, one for its fresh-hop pilsner Mountain Express and another for the fruited saison Velvet Orchard. Anne Abrahamson, director of operations for Cerebral Brewing, says the Good Food Awards resonate with the brewery’s ethos. “Our goal is to make excellent beer and serve as a gathering place for our community. Supporting that mission is a commitment to operating responsibly — whether that means investing in our team, finding ways to reduce waste, or giving back to the neighborhood that supports us.”

Abrahamson calls Mountain Express “an ode to the Cascade hops grown at Billy Goat Hop Farm in Montrose, Colorado.” While Montrose is outside of the typical hop-growing region, “Billy Goat has twice claimed the Cascade Cup for the best true-to-style Cascade in the country,” Abrahamson details. The beer’s grain bill, which features Pevec pilsner malt from Troubadour Maltings in Fort Collins, Colorado, allows the fresh hops to shine.

Velvet Orchard is a saison that’s aged in an oak foeder — a massive wooden barrel — for 20 months with the funky yeast strain Brettanomyces, before being blended and then conditioned on organic Starfire peaches and a small amount of Colorado lavender flowers, which Abrahamson says “round out the palate and add a hint of spice.”

Fullsteam Brewery

Durham, North Carolina’s Fullsteam Brewery took home awards for a pair of beers too, its old-world pilsner Paycheck and the Reset: Oktoberfest. 

Fullsteam Paycheck is the brand’s flagship pilsner and its bestseller, according to Sean Lilly Wilson, founder and chief executive officer of Fullsteam. “It’s a deceptively simple beer: clean, crisp, and highly drinkable,” he reports. Paycheck has been previously recognized with a gold medal win from the U.S. Open Beer Championship, and Wilson says its accolades are a reflection of the company’s “long-standing commitment to sourcing Southern ingredients, including North Carolina–grown barley and corn.”

Reset: Oktoberfest “is really about soil,” according to the brewery founder. “The grain comes from a farm using regenerative practices that improve the land rather than depleting it. We’ve been talking about plow-to-pint beer for more than 15 years, but Reset: Oktoberfest is one of the clearest examples of what that can mean.” Made with 100% North Carolina malt from Asheville’s Riverbend Malt House, the first Certified Regenified malt house, Reset: Oktoberfest was the first Certified Regenified beer.

This year’s winners show that exceptional beer is a product of sustainable ingredients, responsible production, strong ties to local agriculture, and fair labor practices — not just expert brewing. While Cerebral and Fullsteam beers can only be purchased in Colorado and North Carolina, Allagash’s products are available in 22 states. Each brewery offers a “beer finder” option on its website to help you find the nearest place to buy a brew and crack a can.