Kansas City brewery awarded 2 medals at the world’s most prestigious professional beer competition
Kansas City, Missouri – April 23, 2026 — BKS Artisan Ales was awarded two gold medals in hoppy beer categories at the 2026 World Beer Cup® (WBC) competition, presented by the Brewers Association®. The best beers amongst 8166 entries in 118 categories were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals at the awards ceremony in Philadelphia, PA on April 22 during the 30th year of the competition.
BKS Artisan Ales was awarded Gold Medals for two of its hoppy beers:
- WHICH WAY for the Session India Pale Ale beer-style category
- WESTLAND for the New Zealand-Style India Pale Ale beer-style category
This is the second year in a row the brewery has been recognized at the WBC competition. In 2025, BKS Artisan Ales was awarded a Bronze Medal for Chur Enough in the International Pale Ale category.
BKS Artisan Ales has also earned medals at the annual Great American Beer Fest including:
- 2022 Gold Medal in the English Mild or Bitter beer-style category for its Rockhill & Locust Ale, an English Dark Mild.
- 2021 Silver Medal in the Juicy or Hazy Imperial IPA beer-style category for its Clouds Double IPA, a New England Style Double IPA .
Multiple other Kansas City area breweries were awarded medals at the 2026 WBC competition. For more information on the WBC competition, including a complete 2026 winners list, visit worldbeercup.org.
About BKS Artisan Ales
BKS Artisan Ales opened in 2017 as the first craft brewery in Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood. Containing the well-known abbreviation for the neighborhood, BKS, the brewery is located at 633 E. 63rd Street, on the corner of 63rd Street and Holmes Street. This location houses a production facility and tasting room that produces and serves characterful and quality beers.
In late 2025, BKS Artisan Ales opened a second tasting room in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City. Located at 1701 McGee Street #400 the location has 16 taps, plenty of seating, multiple food options nearby and later weekend hours.
The Kansas City brewery draws on traditional and experimental influences to produce hop-forward, classic and modern ales, as well as lagers through Pivo Project. Both tasting rooms are open 6 days a week and offer packaged beer to-go, in addition to draft pours. Learn more at bksartisanales.com or follow on Instagram & Facebook.
