Sept. 4. Lake Norman–area breweries were well-represented in this year’s NC Brewers Cup awards, which annually recognize the best craft beers in the state.

Now in its 14th year, the competition drew 935 entries from 123 independent North Carolina breweries, making it the largest commercial beer competition in the Southeast.

Royal Bliss Brewing in Denver — which is planning a Cornelius location — earned the area’s lone gold medal for its 73 & Hazy, a 7.5% ABV New England IPA. The brewery describes the beer as “tropical like a hurricane of hops,” with passion fruit and papaya notes.

Local winners include:

• Gold: Royal Bliss Brewing Co., 73 & Hazy (Denver)

• Silver: Primal Brewery, Gentle Giant Session IPA (Huntersville); 760 Craft Works, Embers and Periscopes (Huntersville); Ghostface Brewing, Doppel Trouble (Mooresville)

• Bronze: Neoteric Brewing Co., Dawn of the Red and Last Day at the Office (Huntersville); King Canary Brewing Co., Little Wing (Mooresville); Hoptown Brewing Co., Vanilla Cream Java Dream (Mooresville); Lake Norman Brewery, Car Show Cosmo’s Kölsch (Denver)

• Honorable Mention: 760 Craft Works, Yodeling Down Lake Starnberg (Huntersville); Ghostface Brewing, Duckin’ Funkel (Mooresville