8 Florida brewers win medals in World Beer Cup, including a Fort Myers favorite

Cheers to Fort Myers Brewing Co.

It’s one of eight Florida breweries to medal in the 2023 World Beer Cup.

For the second consecutive year, Lee County’s first craft brewery won for its Chocolate Stout.

After taking gold in the chocolate beer category in 2022, the stout — which boasts layers of rich chocolate with touches of roasted barley and espresso — took home silver at the 2023 awards ceremony, announced May 10 at Music City Center in Nashville.

Dining news:New Cape Coral restaurant, from the owner of Two Meatballs and Junkanoo, to open soon

“For our Chocolate Stout to be recognized among the world’s best is an incredible honor,” Rob Whyte, who co-owns Fort Myers Brewing with his wife Jen, said in a news release. “Our brewing team is passionate about creating unique and flavorful craft brews, and it means a lot for our popular stout to be honored in this prestigious competition.”

Third time's a charm

This is the third World Beer Cup medal for Fort Myers Brewing, with the first being silver in 2018 for its Somebody Else’s Dream chocolate beer.

In February, the Whytes threw a four-day bash to celebrate the brewery’s 10^th anniversary.

“We blinked and it’s 10 years later,” Jen said at the time.

“We have been extremely busy so in one sense it seems like we’ve been doing this forever and in another, it’s gone by so quickly,” Rob said.

The 'Olympics of Beer'

Organized by the Brewers Association, the World Beer Cup is a global competition, known as the “Olympics of Beer.” After taking place every other year beginning in 1996, the competition became an annual event in 2023.

“The World Beer Cup brings together the finest brewers and beers from around the globe and celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and passion for great beer,” Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director, said in a news release. “Receiving a World Beer Cup award is a testament to quality and innovation, and we commend this year’s winners for setting the bar higher than ever.”

A total of 2,376 breweries from 51 countries entered 10,213 beers in this year’s Cup. The 103 beer styles ranged from American wheat beer to wood and barrel-aged strong stout.

Eight Florida breweries won eight medals, including four golds, and are as follows:

Gold medalists

• Escape Brewing Co., Trinity, for Poolside Chill, in American-style sour ale
• First Magnitude Brewing, Gainesville, for Drift, in English mild or bitter
• Oyster City Brewing, Apalachicola, for Tates Helles, in Munich-Nelson hazy IPA style Helles
• 3^rd Planet Brewing, Niceville, for Emulator, in German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock

Silver medalists

• Fort Myers Brewing, Gateway, for Chocolate Stout, in chocolate beer
• Gatlin Cerveceria Hall Brewing Co., Orlando, for Gatlin Gold, in Dortmunder/export German-style Oktoberfest
• Prison Pals Brewing Co., Doral, for Nelson Hazy IPA, in juicy or hazy India pale ale

Bronze medalists

• La Tropical, Miami, for La Original, for American-style amber lager

All the Florida brewers were first-time winners except for Fort Myers Brewing and First Magnitude Brewing, which took silver in 2018 for its Vega in the golden or blonde ale category.

Fort Myers Brewing is at 12811 Commerce Lake Drive, Suite 28, Gateway. Find them on Facebook, fmbrew.com, Instagram or call (239) 313-6576.

Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send scoops and news to rhgeorge@gannett.com.