Skagit Valley College’s Cardinal Craft Brewing (CCB) program earned two major awards at the prestigious 2025 North American Brewers Association (NABA) International Beer Awards, reaffirming the program’s reputation for producing high-quality craft beer—and preparing the next generation of brewing professionals.
The competition results were announced on June 6, with CCB receiving a gold medal for the Vienna Lager in the American Amber Lager category and a bronze medal for the Brown Ale in the English Dark Mild category.
“These awards validate the quality of beer we’re teaching our students to produce,” said Tony Savoy, SVC’s CCB department chair. “The competition is judged blind, so the beer is evaluated solely on taste, style, and quality. We’re proud to stand alongside some of the best commercial breweries from around the world.”
The NABA competition, once limited to North American breweries, is now open internationally. All entries are judged blind by expert panels using strict style guidelines, giving both large and small breweries a level playing field.
This year marks a return to competition for CCB, which paused entries during the pandemic. The program has a strong history of success at NABA and other competitions.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” said Michael Reese, executive dean for workforce education at SVC. “The NABA Awards are like the Super Bowl of beer competitions – earning recognition there illustrates that this is truly a world-class program.”
CCB earned three bronze medals in 2018 for its Smoked Porter, Scotch Ale, and California Common Lager and a silver medal in 2019 for its Smoked Scotch Ale. The program also earned additional awards from the Washington Beer Awards in 2017 and 2018. In total, the program has now earned eight major awards since 2016.
About the Winning Beers
- Vienna Lager (Gold) — A copper to reddish-brown lager featuring a malty aroma, slight malt sweetness, and notable toasted or slightly roasted malt character. Hop bitterness is low to medium-low.
- Brown Ale (Bronze) — An English-style mild ale with flavors of malt, caramel, licorice, and roast malt tones. Very low in bitterness and alcohol, but medium-bodied thanks to dextrin malts.
“The recipes were written by faculty, but the hands-on production was done by our students and staff,” Savoy noted. "We entered 11 beers this year, and these wins reflect the dedication of everyone involved."
About Cardinal Craft Brewing
Founded in spring 2016, SVC’s CCB program prepares students for careers in the fast-growing craft brewing industry. The program has graduated approximately 150 students to date, many of whom now brew or own breweries throughout Washington and Oregon.
Notable alumni can be found at breweries such as Farmstrong, Terra-Mar, Anacortes, Bastion, Chuckanut, Stemma, Structures, Elysian, Deschutes, and many others.
The program’s success at competitions like NABA not only enhances its national reputation, but also helps attract future students. “We want people to know that if you want to learn how to brew great beer, this is the place to do it,” Savoy said. “These awards prove it.”
To learn more about SVC's CCB program, visit: https://www.skagit.edu/craftbrew The CCB program is now enrolling for the fall 2025 cohort. For questions, contact Tony Savoy at tony.savoy@skagit.edu.
Media Contact Info
Marisa Pierce, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications
360.416.7957