Side Project Brewing wins Silver medal at 2026 World Beer Cup

Philadelphia, PA - April 23rd, 2026 — St. Louis based, Side Project Brewing was awarded a Silver medal in the 2026 World Beer Cup, the most prestigious beer competition in the world.

The award ceremony took place on April 22, 2026, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia where awards were given in 114 style categories and five cider categories. 

Side Project Brewing was awarded a Silver award in the German-Style Schwarzbier beer style category for its Tamno Pivo, a amno started as a German Schwarzbier and morphed into a hybrid with a Czech dark lager that was brewed in collaboration with St. Louis based Balkan Treat Box.

Brewer, Drew Druwish said “Tamno started as a German Schwarzbier and morphed into a hybrid with a Czech dark lager. Part of this was pragmatic, we had the hardy and active German lager strain rolling, and the other part was compromise with our beloved Balkan Treat Box friends. Schwarzbier and Czech dark lagers tend to overlap quite a bit, varying in degrees of roast character, origin of malt and hops, and bitterness levels. However, in the venn diagram of the beers the similarities are close enough to create something that we specifically wanted to drink.

Thus, Tamno Pivo was born. Tamno riffs on the Czech dark lager tradition of “Tmave” labels, which simply means dark.”

World Beer Cup, better known as the “Olympics of Beer Competitions,” recognizes the best in brewing from all over the world. This year, a group of 255 discerning beer judges, hailing from 37 countries, carefully evaluated 8,166 entries from 1,644 breweries across 50 countries. Established by the Brewers Association in 1996, the World Beer Cup Competition continues its legacy annually, representing the international brewing elite and celebrating producer craftsmanship. For additional information, visit the World Beer Cup website.