A Texas County farm brewery recently secured two bronze medals at the 2026 U.S. Open Beer Championship, an international competition based in Oxford, Ohio.
Piney River Brewing Company earned the honors for its Black Walnut Wheat ale and its non-alcoholic Andy’s Root Beer. The competition, recognized as the third-largest beer competition in the world, announced the winners July 15 after international judges reviewed thousands of entries across more than 180 style categories.
Black Walnut Wheat placed in the nut beer category. The brewery’s flagship and top-selling beer is a dark, American-style wheat ale brewed with black walnuts sourced from Hammons Black Walnuts in Stockton. The ale has claimed seven medals at the championship since 2015, including a past gold, two silvers and three previous bronzes.
Andy’s Root Beer medaled in the kids' root beer category. The non-alcoholic brew is a project spearheaded by Andy Durham, son of brewery founders Brian and Joleen Durham. He began brewing root beer by the keg while in elementary school and later developed a business plan to can the beverage during a junior high pitch competition at the University of Missouri in Columbia. The root beer, which previously won gold in 2024 and silver in 2018, is now sold statewide and is available for nationwide shipping.
"I am incredibly proud of the work our brewery team does every day to help execute award-winning beers from brewing to packaging," co-founder Brian Durham said, crediting team members Brandon Lee and Sheldon Starr for their work on the recipes and packaging operations. "Piney River is not a well-known brewery, but we are making world-class beers on our farm in rural America. It’s something that we’re proud to do."
Located on a 160-acre farm in south-central Missouri, Piney River Brewing operates out of a restored 1940s barn and a newer production facility. Founded in 2010 using a 10-gallon brewing system, the brewery produced 1,620 barrels of beer in 2025 and currently distributes throughout Missouri and Arkansas. The business has collected 27 U.S. Open Beer Championship medals over the last decade.
To celebrate the recent wins, the taproom — known as the BARn—will host a "We Win, You Win" event Friday through Sunday, offering discounts on draft pours and to-go packages. The family- and pet-friendly celebration includes a free live music performance by Josie VanKirk at 5 p.m. Saturday.
More information about the brewery can be found at pineyriverbrewing.com, and a complete list of championship winners is available at usopenbeer.com.
