March is coming in like a lion, and San Antonio’s breweries are celebrating the vibe shift and racking up awards. Meanwhile, Alamo City’s craft brew scene is getting ready for spring with a fresh batch of seasonal pours.

The thrill of victory
It was not just world-class athletes aiming for gold this February. Craft breweries from around the state were facing off in the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s fifth annual Brewers Cup competition. Winners were announced Feb. 21 in Austin to close out the guild’s yearly meeting.

Picked from over 900 entries, the following San Antonio-area breweries received a Brewers Cup medal:

• Fredericksburg’s Altstadt Brewery cleaned house at the competition, winning four medals (two gold, a silver, and a bronze) and the Brewery of the Year award, accumulating the most contest points among producers with 620 or more annual beer barrels.
• Another Fredericksburg brewery, Belly Up Brew Pub, received a gold medal in its Brewers Cup debut with its Shovelhead Amber Ale.
• Roughhouse Brewing, from San Marcos, was awarded a gold medal for its Hill Country Light in the American and International Light Lager category.
• Lucha Libre, from Flix Brewhouse, the popular movie theater/brewery chain, won the gold medal in the American and International Lager category.
• Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery’s Harissa, a chili and spiced oatmeal stout, claimed the gold in the Smoke and Chili Beer category.
• Misty Lady, a Guava Lazy IPA entry in Bear King Brewing’s Lady series out of Marble Falls, was a gold medalist among Specialty IPAs.
• Also from Marble Falls, Save the World Brewing received a bronze in the American and International Light Lager category for its Cerveza TX Mexican lager. Save the Word scored a second bronze, this time among the Barleywines and Strong Ales, with its Danger Noodle Island, a seasonal imperial stout.
• Lettie, the renowned Kolsch from Dorćol Distilling and Brewing’s Highwheel Beer brand, was awarded the gold in the Session and Standard Dark Lagers category. Highwheel’s Dunkelweizen received the bronze medal in the Wheat or Rye category.
• Back Unturned Brewing’s Billy Goat in Belgium, a Belgian IPA infused with West Coast hops, was awarded a bronze in the Specialty IPA category.
• Longtab Brewing won two bronze medals. Jedbergh, a Belgian blonde, was honored in the Belgian and Farmhouse Ales category. The Tripel Volunteer, a Belgian tripel, collected an honor among Belgian Abbey Ales.
• Künstler Brewing’s Blackberry Streusel, made with fruit and lactose, won a bronze in the Experimental, Hybrid and Specialty Beer category.

Enjoy seasonal sips at Cibolo Creek Brewing in Boerne.Cibolo Creek Brewing/ Facebook

Now on tap
Adventurous craft beer fans looking to sample brand new brews can find recently released libations at these area breweries:

• Cibolo Creek Brewing’s 1924 Heritage Pils is a small-batch lager that was made with Weyermann Isaria 1924, Germany’s first certified brewing barley, and the Boerne brewery’s house lager yeast.
• 28 Songs Brewhouse and Kitchen has unveiled Odin’s Nightcap, a Baltic porter that offers notes of toasted malt, caramel, coffee, and dark dried fruits.
• Thirsty Pups Brewery’s Rubia Soho is a blonde ale that features a bready malt character, according to the Castle Hills brewer.
• Longtab Brewing has produced Spy Girl, named after Elizabeth "Betty" McIntosh, aka "Spy Girl,” who served as a critical U.S. intelligence operative during World War II. McIntosh later became a journalist and author who helped to shine a light on women’s contributions to national security. The beer Spy Girl contains Yakima Chief's Pink Boots blend, which generates funds for the Pink Boots Society. It releases on March 6, on International Women’s Day.
• Cactus Land Brewing is now offering Hula Hops, an IPA brewed with coconut and mango, and New Zealand hops.
• Guadalupe Brewing Co. and Pizza Kitchen has a Double Dry Hopped IPA, a hazy IPA filled with Dolcita, El Dorado, Nectaron, and Azacca hops, and aromas of peach rings, pineapple, and orange.