Futures – Best in Show
Returning once again to give the degenerate lines for the Festival of Wood And Barrel Aged Beers in Chicago, November 13-14.
2025 was won by Lost Abbey’s Duck Duck Gooze 2025. A beer series that truly is a benchmark for spontaneously fermented wilds in the US. The runner up was a first for Verboten with Double Oaked Cognac Grow Old With You. Also perhaps the first time an Adam Sandler reference has made it to the medal stand.
The last 3 Best in Show Winners
- 2025: Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze 2025
- 2024: Half Acre Beer Orin 2024
- 2023: Hidden Hand Oaked Val d’Or
Opening line is the brewery’s line, taking beers into account that have been announced by participating breweries. The lines may be updated as more beer entries become known. I’m obviously not booking your action, so you’ll have to find another degenerate to bet your money and beers with. Maybe try DraughtKings or something.
Breweries with multiple locations are consolidated into 1 inclusive entry for betting purposes
| Brewery Entrants | Opening | Updated |
| 3 Floyds (Munster, IN) | 22-1 | |
| Barn Town Brewing (West Des Moines, IA) | 28-1 | |
| Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) | 55-1 | |
| Breakside Brewing (Portland, OR) | 50-1 | |
| Brothership Brewing (Mokena, IL) | 18-1 | |
| Cerebral Brewing (Denver, CO) | 11-1 | |
| Cruz Blanca Brewery (Chicago, IL) | 24-1 | |
| Finback Brewing (Queens, NY) | 35-1 | |
| Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles, CA) | 16-1 | |
| Forbidden Root (Chicago, IL and Columbus, OH) | 23-1 | |
| Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL) | 20-1 | |
| Grimm Artisanal Ales (Brooklyn, NY) | 35-1 | |
| Hailstorm Brewing Co (Tinley Park, IL) | 48-1 | |
| Half Acre Beer Co (Chicago, IL) | 6/1 | |
| Hidden Hand Brewing (Naperville, IL) | 15-1 | |
| Idyll Forest Artisan Ales – Pyres (Minneapolis, MN) | 35-1 | |
| Imperial Oak Brewery (Willow Springs, IL) | 25-1 | |
| Jackie O’s Brewery (Athens, OH) | 20-1 | |
| LunaR Brewing (Villa Park, IL) | 64-1 | |
| Maplewood Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 15-1 | |
| middle brow (Chicago, IL) | 60-1 | |
| Mikerphone Brewing (Elk Grove Village, IL) | 14-1 | |
| Monochrome Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 19-1 | |
| Movement Brewing (Rancho Cordova, CA) | 50-1 | |
| More Brewing Co.(Villa Park, IL + Huntley, IL + Bartlett, IL) | 9-2 | |
| Neuronova Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 22-1 | |
| Noon Whistle Brewing (Naperville, IL + Lombard, IL) | 40-1 | |
| Off Color Brewing + Mousetrap (Chicago, IL) | 15-1 | |
| Old Irving Brewing Co. (Chicago, IL) | 30-1 | |
| other half brewing (Brooklyn, NY) | 15-1 | |
| Penrose Brewing Company (Geneva, IL) | 80-1 | |
| Pipeworks Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 30-1 | |
| Phase Three Brewing (Chicago, IL + Lake Zurich, IL) | 16-1 | |
| Reserve Artisan Ales (Galesburg, IL) | 85-1 | |
| Resident Culture Brewing (Charlotte, NC) | 10-1 | |
| Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL) | 17-1 | |
| Riverlands Brewing Company (St Charles, IL) | 14-1 | |
| Seedz Brewery (Union Pier, MI) | 17-1 | |
| Streetside Brewery (Cincinnati, OH) | 20-1 | |
| The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, CA) | 6-1 | |
| The Veil Brewing Company (Richmond, VA) | 14-1 | |
| Transient Artisan Ales (Bridgman, MI) | 19-1 | |
| Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project (Fort Collins, CO) | 12-1 | |
| Weldwerks Brewing Co (Greeley, CO) | 12-1 | |
| Yazoo Brewing (Nashville, TN) | 34-1 | |
| Field (any brewery competing but not listed above) | 5-1 |
Things to consider
- Judging is blind and done on Friday. Winners are announced in the middle of Saturday’s session
- Breweries from the Midwest have a higher win rate, but also a higher participation rate in general
- Wilds have been winning more Best In Show titles recently
- No Stout has won Best in Show since 2018 with Fundamental Observation from Bottle Logic
- Last 6 winners have been The Lost Abbey, Half Acre, Hidden Hand, The Lost Abbey, Tin City, Bottle Logic
- Here’s a link to all past winners
- Certain breweries have multiple locations that have submitted locations that will be totaled under one brewery selection
Notable breweries absent from FoBAB 2026
- Alesmith Brewing Company
- Crooked Stave Brewing Company
- Fair Isle Brewing
- Forager Brewery
- New Image Brewing
- Whiskey Hill Brewing
- Wren House Brewing Company
- Xul Beer Company
Notable breweries entering or returning to FoBAB 2026
- Barn Town Brewing
- Finback Brewing
- Grimm Artisanal Ales
- Phase Three Brewing
- The Veil Brewing Company
- Yazoo Brewing
Qualifications
These futures are for entertainment purposes. With that said, I worked in Las Vegas sportsbooks for 3 years between Caesars Palace and CG Technology’s M Resort Sportsbook. I’ve crafted Super Bowl props that took actual action on SB44, the NBA Finals, and other various wild bets. So while these are for entertainment purposes, they’re not without substance either.
