Eugene’s Alesong Brewing, 2 Towns Cider in Corvallis, and UPP Liquids in Bend were among the winners at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. Oregon businesses earned 30 awards at the festival, the third most of any state.
Jessica Wisor from 2 Towns Ciderhouse said it’s only the second year for the festival’s cider category, and in 2024, the company won cider maker of the year. Last weekend, 2 Towns won a gold medal for its 14th anniversary cider, and a bronze for its Huckleberry Cosmic Crisp.
“An honor like this carries weight in the beer, the traditional beer industry," Wisor told KLCC. "And I think it does go a long way to help. Beer seekers, or beer buyers, are now being exposed to cider. I think that is the biggest value in this win right here.”
Tonya Cornett is a brewer and part of the ownership team at Bend's UPP Liquids, which won 2025 Brewer of the Year for its size category, as well as two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze for individual beer varieties. She said winning so many accolades makes a difference.
“It's the biggest competition in the United States. It's all judged by our peers,” said Cornett. “So we are thrilled that we were able to pull out such a big award within only being open four months.”
Cornett said her team bought into Immersion Brewing and rebranded it, opening this summer. The awards spanned diverse beer categories, including honey beer, gose, and imperial stout. Cornett said the company plans to start selling to more outlets, and will continue developing beers, seltzers, and ciders.
Many craft brewers are struggling, however, according to the Oregon Brewers Guild, for reasons including declining alcohol consumption, staffing shortages, tariffs and inflation. The guild said sales are projected to decline 5% this year, and that at least 70 Oregon breweries, taprooms or brewpubs closed in the last two years.
Wisor said the cider category is a bright light in the industry, and has been growing. She said 2 Towns recently released its 15th Anniversary cider, featuring local heirloom apples.
The low and non-alcoholic drink sector has also been on the rise. Wisor said 2 Towns has had a fully de-alcoholized, nonalcoholic cider for about a year, and that it’s been the country's best-selling low alcohol cider.
