Hopsized Brewing wins World Beer Cup gold, eyes second location

Hopsized Brewing Co. turned a World Beer Cup gold into something bigger than a trophy case addition. The Bonita Springs brewery’s Chargie won gold in the blonde ale category in Philadelphia, beating out more than 80 entries and giving owners Ana Rodriguez de Vera and Darlyn Victor a credential that can move a brand from neighborhood favorite to expansion candidate.

The timing made the win even more valuable. The Brewers Association announced the 2026 World Beer Cup results on April 22, with 353 medals going to 273 producers worldwide, just ahead of American Craft Beer Week, which runs May 11-17. Hopsized quickly leaned into the moment, using the medal to push a limited can release and celebration events while the recognition was still fresh.

For Victor and Rodriguez de Vera, the gold medal capped a climb that started long before the World Beer Cup stage. The couple said they are originally from Miami and moved to Fort Myers in 2016. Hopsized’s own history says Vic began homebrewing in May 2019 after Ana encouraged him to give it a shot, and the operation started in a garage before it ever poured a pint in Bonita Springs. Within months, the brewery says, it was winning local homebrewing competitions.

That foundation matters because Hopsized had already built some serious credibility in Southwest Florida before the World Beer Cup. The brewery had collected 14 Florida Brewers Guild medals, and Chargie’s gold now gives the beer and the business a national calling card. Victor has framed the World Beer Cup as the Olympics of beer, and that is the right scale for what this means: not just bragging rights, but a signal to drinkers, distributors and potential investors that Hopsized’s lineup can compete beyond the local market.

Inside the taproom, the brand image matches the beer success. Hopsized runs 18 taps in a bright, polished space with a tropical, contemporary feel, a colorful mural and a clean production area that fits Bonita Springs better than a generic warehouse taproom ever could. That place-based identity is part of the appeal, and it is also part of why a second location now sounds realistic instead of aspirational.

The owners are already looking for the ideal site for another brewery, a move that would make sense in downtown Bonita Springs, where Old US 41 has been changing fast. The city has invested heavily in streetscaping and the corridor has drawn more restaurants, bars, shops and music venues. With a World Beer Cup gold in hand, Hopsized now has the kind of momentum that can justify the next lease, the next brewhouse and the next loyal crowd.