The South Carolina Brewer’s Guild (SCBG) is proud to announce that nine South Carolina breweries have won 17 total awards, including Hartsville’s Wild Heart Brewing Company winning Brewery of the Year (501-1,000 Barrels), at the 2026 U.S Open Beer Championship, held in Oxford, Ohio.
Jerry Rivers, Head Brewer at Wild Heart Brewing in Hartsville said, “We’re incredibly honored to receive Brewery of the Year for our production size. We’re proud to represent South Carolina and be part of such a great craft beer community. Thank you to everyone who supports Wild Heart Brewing and SC beer and congratulations to all of the breweries recognized in this year’s competition.”
The U.S. Open Beer Championship, one of the premier celebrations celebrating American brewing excellence, has announced its 2026 medal winners and Breweries of the Year. As the third-largest beer competition in the United States, this year’s event drew over 8,000 entries spanning more than 180 categories and subcategories from breweries across the country and around the world.
Two of the winners came in collaboration categories, with Savage Craft Ale Works (West Columbia) partnering with DSSOLVR (Asheville, NC), and Wild Heart working with Southern Hops Brewing Company (Murrells Inlet). Each, too, had an added layer of collaboration — the malt used for brewing was donated by SCBG Allied Trade member Riverbend Malt House of Asheville.
Brandon Evans, Head Brewer at Savage Craft said, "Mortal Composure was an awesome collab experience. We took two of our favorite DIPA’s and blended the recipes to push boundaries on what an IPA can be. Shout out to Riverbend Malt for making the base a beautiful palate on which new and experimental hop products could truly shine!”
“Weight of Sound is a collab with Riverbend Malthouse & Southern Hops,” Rivers said of his award-winning collaboration. “We originally brewed it November 2024 as a ‘Pouring for Neighbors’ NC Brewers Guild initiative to raise money for Hurricane Helene damage. It was very popular in our taproom so we brought it back this year. I love brewing this beer and looking forward to brewing it at Southern Hops soon!”
The U.S. Open utilizes blind judging for all categories. It is the only beer judging competition with its own event center — a 6,000-square-foot Amish barn with two walk-in beer coolers, and dedicated judging and serving areas. Entries are checked in and refrigerated within 24 hours of arrival.
This Year’s Winners
Brewery of the Year (501 – 1,000 Barrels) | Wild Heart Brewing Company
Gold
New England/Juicy/Hazy DIPA | Convergence – Wild Heart Brewing Company
Ordinary Bitter | UK Crusher – Model A Brewing Company
German Hefeweizen | Holy City Brewing – Charleston
Belgian and French Ale | Feral Garden Gnome – Liability Brewing Co. – Greenville
Belgian Witbier | Landmine Spring – Savage Craft Ale Works
Wild Culture Brett Beer | Slow Bloom – Wild Heart Brewing Company
Silver
American Pale Ale | Preciatechya – Wild Yarrow Brewing – Greenville
Single Hop Pale Ale | Dolcita IPA – Model A Brewing Company – Fort Mill
West Coast Pilsner Hop Atlas – Wild Heart Brewing Company
Dortmunder/European-Style Export | Moon without a Tide – Liability Brewing Co.
Fruit Wheat Beer – Raspberry | Farm Simulator – Replay Brewing – Fort Mill
Barrel Aged Dark Beer | Amber Hearth – Model A Brewing Company
Bronze
American Amber Lager | Amortized Amber – Side Hustle Brewing Company – Hilton Head
Collaboration Beer – Pilsners/Lagers | Weight of Sound – Wild Heart Brewing Company & Southern Hops Brewing Company
Wild Culture Brett Beer | Empty Chairs Still Rock – Wild Yarrow Brewing
Collaboration Beer IPA | Mortal Composure – Savage Craft Ale Works & DSSOLVR
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