A beer brewed in Coimbra, made with the Encruzado grape variety and water from the River Mondego, has just received one of the sector’s most prestigious international accolades.
‘Cerveja de Encruzado by Carlos Lucas & Praxis’ was awarded the title of World’s Best Grape Ale at the 2026 World Beer Awards, held in London, and is considered the world’s best beer in this category.
Developed by Praxis in partnership with winemaker Carlos Lucas, the beer falls into the Grape Ale category, a style that combines beer and wine through the use of grape must or grapes in the production process.
In this case, it combines the Encruzado grape variety – one of the Dão region’s finest – with water from the Mondego River, resulting in a product deeply rooted in the country’s Central region.
In a blind tasting, this beer won over the judges at one of the most prestigious international competitions dedicated to the world of beer.
This achievement is even more significant because it places Portugal among the global winners in the speciality categories of the World Beer Awards, alongside countries with a strong brewing tradition, such as Germany, France, Japan, China and Brazil.
In addition to the world title, the Coimbra-based brewery won a further eight medals at this year’s competition. The beers “Onyx”, “Belgian Triple”, “Glutbeer” and “Topázio” won gold and were recognised as the best in Portugal in their respective categories, joining the award-winning “Cerveja de Encruzado by Carlos Lucas & Praxis”.
The “Non-Alcoholic IPA” and the “NEIPA” won silver, whilst the “Imperial Stout” and the “IPA” received bronze.
Among the award-winning labels are also “Topázio” and “Onyx”, two historic brands from the former Companhia de Cervejas de Coimbra, revived by Praxis, which was founded to revive the city’s brewing tradition.
In Expresso
‘Cerveja de Encruzado by Carlos Lucas & Praxis’ was awarded the title of World’s Best Grape Ale at the 2026 World Beer Awards, held in London, and is considered the world’s best beer in this category.
Developed by Praxis in partnership with winemaker Carlos Lucas, the beer falls into the Grape Ale category, a style that combines beer and wine through the use of grape must or grapes in the production process.
In this case, it combines the Encruzado grape variety – one of the Dão region’s finest – with water from the Mondego River, resulting in a product deeply rooted in the country’s Central region.
In a blind tasting, this beer won over the judges at one of the most prestigious international competitions dedicated to the world of beer.
This achievement is even more significant because it places Portugal among the global winners in the speciality categories of the World Beer Awards, alongside countries with a strong brewing tradition, such as Germany, France, Japan, China and Brazil.
In addition to the world title, the Coimbra-based brewery won a further eight medals at this year’s competition. The beers “Onyx”, “Belgian Triple”, “Glutbeer” and “Topázio” won gold and were recognised as the best in Portugal in their respective categories, joining the award-winning “Cerveja de Encruzado by Carlos Lucas & Praxis”.
The “Non-Alcoholic IPA” and the “NEIPA” won silver, whilst the “Imperial Stout” and the “IPA” received bronze.
Among the award-winning labels are also “Topázio” and “Onyx”, two historic brands from the former Companhia de Cervejas de Coimbra, revived by Praxis, which was founded to revive the city’s brewing tradition.
In Expresso
