Fruition Brewing and Kitchen in Watsonville has been named Small Brewery of the Year at the 2026 Best of Craft Beer Awards, a national competition that drew nearly 1,400 entries from breweries around the world.
The Watsonville-based brewery in the East Lake Village Shopping Center earned the top small-brewery honor after winning a gold medal for its “Yuzu Haze” hazy IPA and a silver medal for its “Watsonville Wildflower” honey blonde ale.
The awards were announced following judging held April 10–12 in Central Oregon, where nearly 60 international judges evaluated more than 9,000 beer submissions across 51 categories.
Fruition Brewing was one of 108 breweries to receive medals this year, with 153 awards handed out overall, according to event organizers.
The gold medal-winning Yuzu Haze features locally grown citrus sourced from Red Sands Orchard and Pretty Good Farm in Santa Cruz County. Brewers hand-zest the fruit, and the beer is currently available only on tap, though the company said the award is prompting plans to expand into canning.
The silver-winning Watsonville Wildflower uses local honey from Lazy G Bees. The beer has previously earned a gold medal at the U.S. Beer Tasting Championship and is already distributed more widely.
Co-owner David Purgason called the awards “a huge surprise.
“But it’s great motivation to continue working hard,” he said. “Brewing is an art of constant adjustments, endlessly chasing perfection, especially when working with local agriculture that varies year to year.”
The Best of Craft Beer Awards, now in its 12th year, has grown into one of the largest professional brewing competitions in North America.
Breweries of all sizes sent over 9,000 containers of their finest product for evaluation in 51 categories and sub-categories.
Fruition Brewing is one of several food and beverage establishments in the shopping complex. This includes Sushi-Q, Silver Spur, Hong Kong Garden II and Staff of Life.
