The World Beer Cup is one of the craft beer world’s most prestigious competitions and one of its most popular categories is the juicy or hazy IPA. This year more than 326 hazy, hoppy beers were submitted to the competition. Out of that vast field, only three were selected as medalists and only one took home gold.

This unfiltered style of beer lives up to its name with a hazy cloudy appearance. Hazy IPAs are known for massive amounts of hop aroma but low hop bitterness, a soft pillowy mouthfeel and bright and juicy tropical flavors. The style has become a juggernaut in the industry over the past decade but it is hard to pull off. For one thing, because hazy IPAs are unfiltered they need to be consumed fresh or their flavor tends to peak and/or really deteriorate. For another bad ones can have too much yeast left in the beer resulting in the dreaded “yeast burn” taste. I’ve personally had so many bad ones over the years, that I’ve started avoiding the style when I don’t know the beer has been brewed. That said there is still something beautiful about a well-made hazy IPA such as the award-winning beers below.

This citra and mosaic-hopped IPA has a 6.9 ABV and 45 IBU. The World Beer Cup Award is not the first major medal for this beer which also took home gold in 2019 at The Great American Beer Festival. Unfortunately, this beer isn’t available for shipping nationwide but it’s definitely worth seeking out in the Windy City.

This California brewery is “Inspired by a spirit of adventure, creative thinking and a healthy respect for the great outdoors.” The beer list is constantly rotating, so you may not be able to find Art Isn’t Real but there are other hazy options always available on tap and beers from the brewery have won previous accolades. If you live in California, you can have MadeWest beers shipped directly to your house.

According to the brewery, “This Hazy IPA hits all the notes with a nice soft body, easy bitterness, and [is] bursting with tropical fruit.” It has a 7.2 ABV and features Sultana, Simcoe, HBC 586, and HBC 630 Citra, hops. The beer’s name is based on fun brewery lore: the brewery’s unofficial mascot is King Lupu and Queen Lupu is a follow-up a King Lupu beer that was previously brewed.