Engkanto, a Filipino specialty brew, has made Philippine history by winning six prestigious awards at the 2024 World Beer Awards (WBA).
The brewery’s High Hive Honey Ale took the top honor for World’s Best Beer (Flavoured Honey and Maple Syrup subcategory) under the World’s Best Flavoured Beer category. Engkanto bested 70 other entries from countries including Brazil, France, Canada and The Netherlands.
This is Engkanto’s fifth consecutive year participating in the WBA, a global event that has recognized the finest brews since 2007. It is also a first for Filipino craft beer, placing it on the international stage.
All Engkanto beer entries for this year’s WBA that were recognized include the Live It Up Lager (Gold Medal and Country Winner), Green Lava Double IPA (Gold Medal and Country Winner) and Mango Nation Hazy IPA, Paint Me Purple Ube Lager and the limited-release Dew Drop Dalandan Wheat Ale (Silver Medals).
“More gold and glory for the country. We are proud to represent the Philippines in the World Beer Awards 2024,” stated the brand on its social media page.
The brewery’s success is attributed to its thoughtful blend of global and local excellence. Each bottle combines top-tier imported ingredients with premium local produce from the Philippines’ finest farms. The name “Engkanto” is inspired by mythical creatures from Philippine folklore.
Other winners
The WBA 2024 highlighted three main award categories: Taste Winners, Design Winners and Icons of Beer.
The main awards under Taste Winners include World’s Best Flavoured Beer, World’s Best Dark Beer, World’s Best IPA, World’s Best Lager, World’s Best No and Low Alcohol Beer, World’s Best Pale Beer, World’s Best Sour and Wild Beer, World’s Best Specialty Beer, World’s Best Stout and Porter and World’s Best Wheat Beer.
Here is the complete list of Gold awardees under the Taste Winners categories:
Flavoured Beer Gold winners
Flavoured Chocolate & Coffee: Sinners Microcerveceria Cappuccino Sweet Stout (Ecuador)
Flavoured Stout & Porter: Colorado Hainu (Brazil)
Flavoured Wild & Sour Beer: Schrodinger’s Brewing Yet Not a Touch (China)
Flavoured Fruit & Vegetable: Mill Street Brewery Pineapple Lime Sour (Canada)
Flavoured Herb & Spice: Spring Valley Daydream (Japan)
Flavoured Honey & Maple: Engkanto Brewery High Hive Honey Ale (Philippines)
Smoke Beer: Amsterdam Brewing Company Rauchbier (Canada)
Spirit Beer: Cuvée Clarisse Rum Infused (Belgium)
Wood Aged Beer: Thornbridge Brewery Necessary Evil (England)
Dark Beer Gold winners
Dark Beer Mild: Dragon Premium Dark Beer (Cambodia)
Altbier: Walfänger Sebastian (Brazil)
American Style Brown Ale: Village Brewery Village Blacksmith (Canada)
Dark Barley Wine: Miyazaki Hideji Beer Barley Wine (Japan)
Dark Belgian Style Dubbel: Tongerlo Brown (Belgium)
Dark Belgian Style Strong: Boschdal Quadrupel (Belgium)
English Style Brown Ale: Bowness Bay Brewing Raven Red (England)
Dark Beer Strong: Hoegaarden Verboden Vrucht (Belgium)
IPA Gold winners
American Style IPA: Maisel & Friends West Coast IPA (Germany)
Black IPA: The Flying Dutchman Black Is Black And I Want My Baby Back, Black Rye IPA (Belgium)
English Style IPA: Myoko Kogen Alpen Blick Beer Haneuma IPA (Japan)
Imperial/Double IPA: Jing-A The Airpocalypse Double IPA (China)
Milkshake IPA/New England IPA: Stanley Park Brewing Parklandia (Canada)
Session IPA: Albanos Session IPA (Brazil)
Specialty IPA: Stiegl-Hausbier Ginder (Austria)
Lager Gold winners
Amber/Dark Kellerbier: Toyoda Beer (Japan)
Bock: 1906 Black Coupage (Spain)
Classic Pilsener: Perlenbacher Pilsner Lager (France)
Czech Style Pale: La Sagra Premium Lager (Spain)
Dark Lager: Bernard Dark Lager (Czech Republic)
Dortmunder: Hirsch Gold (Germany)
Helles/Münchner: Loa Atrapanubes (Chile)
Hoppy Pilsener: Birrificio del Ducato Viaemilia (Italy)
International Lager: Lapland Original Lager (Finland)
Light Lager: Bia Lac Viet (Vietnam)
Seasonal Maibock & Helles Bock: Kross Maibock (Chile)
Seasonal Oktoberfestbier & Märzen: ABK Spezialbier Edel (Germany)
Strong Lager: Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock (Germany)
Vienna: Andes Origen Roja (Argentina)
Zwickl/Pale Kellerbier: Falkenbräu Baden Spezial Hell (Switzerland)
No and Low Alcohol Beer Gold winners
Dark: Leffe Bruin 0.0 (Belgium)
Speciality: The Flying Dutchman Freak Kriek Zero Point Three Feel Free Merry Cherry Beer (Belgium)
Flavoured: Nirvana Brewery Cloudy Lemon Lager (England)
IPA: Big Drop Poolside DDH IPA (England)
Lager: Jupiler 0.0 (Belgium)
Pale: Goxoa Sports Beer (France)
Sour & Wild: Athletic Brewing Downwinder (United States)
Wheat Beer: La Brasserie Parallèle Blanche (France)
Pale Beer Gold winners
Pale Beer Amber: Brasserie La Dilettante La Fièvre (France)
American Style Pale Ale: Vocation Crush Hour (England)
Pale Barley Wine: Swan Lake Beer Barley (Japan)
Pale Belgian Style Ale: Kékette Triple (France)
Pale Belgian Style Blonde: Unibroue Eau Bénite (Canada)
Pale Belgian Style Strong: Deerow Brewing Deerow Master (China)
Pale Belgian Style Triple: Hertog Jan Tripel (Netherlands)
Biére De Garde & Saison: Dominicains Dubbel (Belgium)
Bitter 4.5 to 5.5%: Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger (England)
Bitter over 5.5%: Shepherd Neame 1698 (England)
Bitter up to 4.5%: La Voie Maltee L’Ambiguë (Canada)
Brazilian Pale Ale: Wäls Verano (Brazil)
Cream Ale: Anderson Craft Ales Cream Ale (Canada)
English Style Pale Ale: Köstritzer Meisterwerke Pale Ale (Germany)
Golden Ale: Urban Alley Brewery Urban Draught (Australia)
Kölsch: Buckskin Kölsch (Taiwan)
Seasonal Pale Beer: Spring Valley Summer Craft Ale (Japan)
Sour and Wild Beer Gold winners
Catharina Sour: Unika Catharina Sour Caju Pytang (Brazil)
Flanders Red Ale: Sosab Flemish Red Ale XII (Belgium)
Fruit Lambic: Brouwerij Kestemont Abrikoos (Belgium)
Gose: Elmir Craft Beer Anfé (Lebanon)
Gueuze: Boon Oude Geuze Boon Black Label (Belgium)
Kriek: Boon Millésime - Oude Schaarbeekse Kriek (Belgium)
Lambic: Cerveja Stannis Goddess Calíope (Brazil)
Oud Bruin: Queue de Charrue Vieille Brune /Oud Bruin (Belgium)
Sour & Wild Ale: Le Trou du diable Le Lion (Canada)
Specialty Beer Gold winners
Brut Beer: Hertog Jan Grand Prestige Brut (Netherlands)
Experimental Beer: Iwate Kura Beer Oyster Stout (Japan)
Gluten-free Beer: Bombora DBL NEIPA (England)
Grape Ale: Leopoldina Italian Grape Ale Gewurztraminer (Brazil)Heritage Beer: Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (United States)
Rice Beer: Mugikura Brewing Suiren (Japan)
Rye Beer: Cap d’Ona Brune (France)
Grodziskie: Browar Warszawski Grodziskie (Poland)
Stout and Porter Gold winners
Imperial Stout: Weiherer/Cervejaria Bamberg Zapfenduster (Germany)
Milk Stout: Black Sheep Brewery Milk Stout (England)
Oatmeal Stout: Fox Hat Brewing Phat Mongrel (Australia)
Porter: Newme Brewery Dark Cloud Porter (China)
Stout: Flying Lion Brewing Rye Stout (United States)
Strong Porter: Round Corner Brewing Ltd Underwater Song (England)
Sweet Stout: Caracu (Brazil)
Wheat Beer Gold winners
American Style Wheat Beer: Village Brewery Village Wit (Canada)
Bavarian Style Hefeweiss: Herrnbräu Hefeweissbier (Germany)
Belgian Style Witbier: La Goudale Blanche (France)
Dark Wheat Beer: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel (Germany)
Hoppy Wheat Beer: Chopfab Selection White IPA (Switzerland)
Kristal: Franziskaner Kristall (Germany)
Strong Wheat Beer: Unibroue Don De Dieu (Canada)
The WBA is an award-giving body under the World Drinks Awards. According to its official website, “the World Drinks Awards select, reward and promote the world’s best drinks to consumers and trade across the globe.”