2026 World Beer Cup: Mash Gang scoops GOLD, and is the only UK brewer to gain any medal against 8,000+ entries from across the globe
DioniLife’s Mash Gang has taken home gold at this year’s World Beer Cup, making it the only beer from the UK to win this year in the world’s most prestigious brewing competition. This isn’t any award. Beers are blind tasted by a panel of over 200 judges. Mash Gang’s Chug IPA won gold for “Hoppy Non-Alcohol Beer”, beating stiff competition from 61 other brewers from around the world.
Held only once every two years in the USA, the World Beer Cup is regarded as “the Olympics of Beer Competitions” because of its size and rigorous judging – with every beer being rated for its taste, aroma, visual appearance, depth and character, with no branding or other factors to influence judges.
This year’s competition saw more than 8,000 beers from over 1,600 breweries. Unlike other competitions, where many, many entries receive an award, this competition has a ‘gold, silver and bronze’ award system, meaning only a very exclusive 3 beers for each category win awards.
Crisp, bold, tropical and hoppy, this flagship hazy IPA delivers flavour and refreshment in equal measures. It uses a proprietary blend of grains and hops, including Citra and El Dorado, bursting over a pale base, with notes of passionfruit and grapefruit. Unlike other breweries, which brew to 4-5% ABV and then strip back, Mash Gang is engineered from the ground up. Every beer is crafted with precision to 0.5%, with extra ‘dry hopping’ for a body, depth and character that’s unique in the non-alcohol segment. Since its launch in 2020, Mash Gang has brewed 200+ beers, culminating in this amazing world-leading beer.
Damian McKinney, CEO and Founder of DioniLife, the owner of MashGang said: “Alcohol-free beer has come a long way in the last few years, with a step-change across the board. This win highlights how, at Dionilife, we are pioneering a new wave of truly ‘no compromise’ beers and spirits that taste just as good as their regular-strength counterparts.
“Our research shows that only a fraction of the beer drinking population has yet to find a non-alc beer they love, and our role is to convert this huge segment of the population to Mash Gang by meeting their discerning palates and lifestyles.
“As a pioneering scale-up we aim to deliver brands that truly answer the consumer ask for ‘no compromise’ on taste while being crafted from the very best ingredients. We aim to lead the transformation of non-alc beers, and also non-alc spirits, into truly aspirational and sought-after drinks.
“This accolade is a brilliant milestone for our team, giving recognition for their world-class achievement at the most prestigious of world beer competitions. It was also great to fly the flag for UK brewing by winning this cutting-edge award category.”
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