Port City Brewing Co. won a silver medal for its porter in the robust porter category at the 2018 World Beer Cup in Nashville, Tennessee.

The event’s awards ceremony took place on May 3, but brewery applications for the awards were due on Nov. 14, 2017. The World Beer Cup is organized by the Brewers Association and takes place during the Craft Brewers Conference.

This year, the beer cup received 8,234 entries, which represents a 25 percent increase from 2016, according to a Port City press release. Cup entries are judged by 295 beer experts over the course of six sessions. The more than 8,000 entries were narrowed to 302 winners. 

“It’s the toughest competition in our industry,” Port City founder Bill Butcher said in the release.  “There are more breweries every year and the quality of craft beer continues to rise, both domestically and overseas, so it’s a huge honor to be credited as a producer of world-class beer.”

Port City previously won nine Great American Beer Festival awards and was named the GABF Small Brewing Company of the Year in 2015. This is the brewery’s first award at the World Beer Cup.