Call it the little brewery that could.

Competing alongside hundreds of other breweries from around the globe, a Gulf Shores-based brewery has for the second time earned a medal at the World Beer Cup — the largest and most prestigious beer competition in the world, according to Forbes. It’s often referred to as “The Olympics of Beer Competition.”

Big Beach Brewery, founded in Gulf Shores in 2016, took home Bronze medal honors in the 2024 competition, held two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Nev. Big Beach won for its Surrender Cobra in the German-Style Schwarzbier category.

As the name implies, the Schwarzbier originated in Germany. It is a dark larger with an opaque, black color with hints of chocolate or coffee and is typically about 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). It’s similar to stout beer in that it’s made from roasted malt.

The third-place finish marked the second time Surrender Cobra has been honored at the World Beer Cup. In 2022, the beer was the Gold medal winner. Big Beach’s entry was the only Alabama-brewed beer to earn medal status at this year’s competition.

Big Beach Brewery’s entry competed against 95 others in its category. Overall, the 290 judges from 37 different countries were tasked with assessing 9,300 beers from 2,060 breweries from 50 countries, awarding medals in more than 100 categories.

The World Beer Cup was launched as a global competition in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing. It’s hosted each year by the Brewers Association, a non-profit trade association.

Dr. Jim Shamburger and his wife, Julie, opened Big Beach Brewing in the Waterway Village District, taking the name from Gulf Shores official motto: “Small Town, Big Beach.” Shamburger started out brewing beer at home and his love for brewing grew from there.

“You know, beer is fun,” Shamburger told AL.com when the brewery opened.

The brewery started out with a menu of about six beers which has since grown to a dozen, including the Surrender Cobra. Big Beach Brewing is the southernmost brewery in Alabama and has developed a devoted following and offers live music and wine in addition to its award-winning beer.

The brewery has a 10-barrel brewing system exclusively dedicated to brewing ales from IPAs and Stouts to Cream Ales and Belgian-style beers. There are six fermenters which produce enough beer to offer up to 12 different beers on tap at any one time.

Big Beach Brewery prides itself on being a “tank to tap” operation, meaning eight 300 gallon vessels behind the bar which “tenderly hold our beer to ensure it is the freshest beer around.”