When making beer, Flyers Restaurant and Brewery co-owner Tony Savoy, who doubles as a brewer, said he enjoys the creativity he can use in the process.

“I’ve always liked cooking and it’s similar,” Savoy said Tuesday. “I appreciate the science side of it but I love the creative side.”

Savoy’s “strong Scotch ale” won gold honors in the 2014 World Beer Cup, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding brewers and their beers.

Gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition’s 94 beer style categories were presented April 11, 2014 during the World Beer Cup award ceremony at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado.

Flyers won in the “other strong ale” beer style category for its Brouwers 8, a strong Scotch ale brewed to celebrate the eighth Anniversary of Brouwers Cafe in Seattle, Wash.

Flyers Restaurant and Brewery is an Oak Harbor brew pub that specializes in small batch craft beers in many different styles.

“I am really excited for our win at the World Beer Cup,” Savoy said. “To win anything there is amazing, but to win gold puts it over the top. There are so many great beers just in Washington state alone.”

“To have been told you have one of the best in the World? I am honored to be in that conversation.”

Savoy started his career in brewing as a bartender at Skagit River Brewery in Mount Vernon. Savoy became head brewer there in just four years.

“I just really fell in love with the beer part of it,” Savoy said. “I was really in the right place at the right time.”

Savoy said his favorite part about the industry  is the support  and inclusiveness of  brewers.

“It’s a cool group of people,” Savoy said. “We don’t keep secrets. We’re pretty supportive of each other because we all benefit when craft beers gain market share.”

World Beer Cup winners were selected by an international panel of 219 beer judges from 31 countries. Regarded as the “Olympics of Beer,” the World Beer Cup saw an impressive field of 4,754 entries from 1,403 breweries in 58 countries.

Savoy’s strong Scotch ale won out of more than 40 entrants in “other strong ale” category.

This year’s honor marks Flyers Restaurant and Brewery’s second win in the competition.

Flyers’ first was silver at the 2008 World Beer Cup in San Diego, Ca. for their Barnstormer brown ale in the “English dark mild” category.

Presented by the Brewers Association, the World Beer Cup has been held every other year since 1996. It celebrates the art and science of brewing by recognizing outstanding achievement.