Fort Myers Brewing Company, Lee County’s first microbrewery and one of Florida’s largest craft breweries, swept the 2026 Best Florida Beer Championships — earning six medals for six entered beers and claiming Second Runner-Up for Florida’s Best Large Brewery. The announcement was made at the Best Florida Beer Brewer’s Ball on Sunday, March 8.
“This recognition reflects the talent, dedication, and passion of our entire brewing team. Every batch we produce is made with care, and this award belongs to both them and the Southwest Florida community that has supported us since day one,” said Rob Whyte, co-founder, Fort Myers Brewing Company.
2026 Best Florida Beer Championship Results
Fort Myers Brewing entered six beers and medaled in all six categories:
- Boat Story, Bronze Medal, American-Style Wheat Beer
- Virtuoso, Bronze Medal, Other Hoppy Lager
- Bubblin’ Crude, Silver Medal, American-Style Imperial Stout
- High 5 IPA, Silver Medal, American-Style Pale Ale
- Chocolate Stout, Silver Medal, Chocolate Beer
- Penny Lager, Gold Medal, American-Style Amber Lager
The Best Florida Beer Championships is a sanctioned beer, mead, and cider championship that promotes commercial breweries and excellence in craft beer across the state of Florida.
A legacy built one medal at a time
Fort Myers Brewing has medaled at the Best Florida Beer Championships every year since 2014, a streak that now spans more than a decade of uninterrupted excellence. The brewery enters 2026 with a cumulative total of more than 40 Best Florida Beer accolades, including over 17 gold medals.
The brewery’s award-winning portfolio reaches far beyond Florida’s borders. Fort Myers Brewing earned gold at the 2022 World Beer Cup, gold at the Great American Beer Festival, and was named Grand National Champion at the U.S. Open Hard Seltzer Championships in both 2021 and 2022. Most recently, the brewery’s beloved Chocolate Stout claimed silver at the 2024 World Beer Cup in Las Vegas…