Ana Rodriguez de Vera and Darlyn Victor have backgrounds in the medical industry, but that didn’t stop them from diversifying their portfolio.

After the couple decided to open Hopsized Brewing Co. in Bonita Springs in 2019, building a reputation throughout Southwest Florida with its “hoppy” beer and 14 Florida state-level Brewers Guild competition medals, the family-owned business gained international recognition by earning a gold medal for the world’s best golden or blonde ale at the 2026 World Beer Cup, with the news coming just in time for American Craft Beer Week (May 11 through 17).

“If you take a look at the history of the World Beer Cup, which was founded in 1996 by the Brewers Association, that’s considered the Olympics of beers,” Victor said. “That’s the equivalent of bringing home a Grammy.”

Hopsized Brewing Co. is a bright and contemporary brewery situated along Old 41 Road, echoing the tropical energy of Bonita Springs. It has 18 taps, and as the name suggests, specializes in brewing “hoppy” beer.

Victor describes hoppy beer as dominated by aromas and flavors such as fruitiness or bitterness. Hops themselves are the flowering part of the plant Humulus lupulus and are utilized in the brewing process, not only due to their ability to spice up a pint, but also because they provide preservative qualities due to their anti-microbial properties.

Submitting at least seven entries, their one-of-a-kind "Chargie" managed to be one of two Florida-based brewery products that received an award, with BarrieHaus Beer Co. of Tampa receiving a bronze medal for their Munich-Style Dunkel, The Dark.

“This is insane,” de Vera said. “It’s surreal. It’s so fulfilling to just see, and occasionally, my husband and I will sit outside across, in the parking lot, and we just look in while it’s full.”

The dilemma

But there’s a problem facing the industry, as Victor said more and more people are turning away from traditional craft beers.

“If you read literature and you look at statistics, for quite some time now, the beer industry has been a bit shaky,” Victor said. “And there’s been a lot of entry from individuals that are partaking in what really was pushing people away from craft beer as a whole.”

According to a Forbes article, the 2026 World Beer Cup recorded over 8,100 beers from more than 1,600 breweries across 37 countries, whereas the 2025 World Beer Cup recorded over 8,300 beers from more than 1,750 breweries.

“If you’ve ever found a reason to fall in love with craft beers, but for one reason or another were shifted away because of a product you had, give the craft brewing industry another opportunity, because there’s real brewers out there that are making legit beers, and those are the ones you need to learn to fall in love with again,” Victor said.

Hopsized's recipe for success

Despite this disconcerting trend, Victor and de Vera said the primary reason the brewery was able to earn such an award and maintain operations is simple.

“We take a scientific approach to everything we do,” Victor said. “You can ask this question as to how we formulated a recipe, and you can ask the why. And from a science background and chemistry background, we understand that being able to answer the why is the most important question.”

Head Brewer Tripp Allen started as a home brewer following graduation from Florida Gulf Coast University. Working his way up in the industry for over 12 years, he said the Hopsized brewing method starts on a subatomic level.

“For us, it starts before even just developing the recipe with the grain is we have a reverse osmosis water system here, so we really strip down the water to nothing and then we build it back up to what we want,” Allen said.

He said this ensures product consistency and an unmediated and pure taste.

“One of the reasons that helped us with a World Beer Cup medal is [that] beer is like 95% water,” Allen said. “So, if we’ve got the perfect water and we’re crisp and clean and at the right acidity and mineral content, then [it] makes it a lot easier for the rest of my process.”

Another notable step in their process entails water profiling.

“We take pride in our process here,” Victor said. “Every beer style that’s made in-house, we utilize the water profile from the respective style, true to style. So, for lagers, for instance, every lager that we make here, we mirror the water profile from Munich, Germany.”

Onward and upward

De Vera said that while the medal was welcomed with open arms, it’s not why she and her husband embarked on this business venture.

“It wasn’t intentional,” de Vera said. “I think it comes naturally, maybe because we do have a Spanish background, and so within our culture, we are natural hosts and welcoming and just wanting to share and make everybody feel included.”

Both de Vera and Victor said that they couldn’t be happier with the location and community of Bonita Springs, and that they are now looking to open a second location near Fort Myers.

“What makes it very exciting is that we were able to almost put Bonita Springs on the map when it comes to that,” de Vera said. “I think that’s huge, not just for us, but for Bonita Springs in Southwest Florida as a whole.”

Hopsized happenings for American Craft Beer Week

To celebrate the award and in anticipation of American Craft Beer Week, which starts next week, the brewery’s marketing coordinator said it will be having an event scheduled for each day of the week, starting this weekend on Saturday, excluding Sunday.

• Monday, May 11: Industry Night (10% off for all industry hospitality personnel)

• Tuesday, May 12: “Flagship Flight Night” with the brewery’s flagship beers

• Wednesday, May 13: Craft Beer Trivia Night

• Thursday, May 14: “Steal the pint night” (buy two pints and take your glass home)

• Friday, May 15: Chargie 4-pack pre-order pick-up (order now and receive a free five-ounce taster of Chargie)

• Saturday, May 16: "Chargie" Celebration

“We are incredibly grateful to our community and everybody that has contributed to the growth and what has allowed us to still stand here and be able to win this,” de Vera said.

For more information on the rankings, categories, and award recipients, go to The Best Beers In The World—Winners Of The 2026 World Beer Cup. For more information on Hopsized Brewing Co. and events, visit Hopsized Weekly Happenings.

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