Brewing Excellence Shines at 2026 World Beer Cup®, Marking 30 Years of Global Competition®

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. • April 22, 2026—The World Beer Cup® (WBC), the world’s most prestigious beer competition, today celebrated three decades of brewing excellence by awarding 353* medals to breweries and cideries across the globe.

Organized by the Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers—the 2026 World Beer Cup®, now in its 30th year, recognized the very best in beer and cider across 118 categories, while continuing to set the global standard for technical excellence, innovation, and creativity rooted in both tradition and progress.

“Thirty years in, the World Beer Cup remains a powerful reflection of how far global brewing has come—and where it’s headed,” said Chris Williams, World Beer Cup competition director. “Even in a  year that challenged beverage alcohol producers to evolve, this year’s winners demonstrated that innovation, precision, and passion for craft are stronger than ever.”

An international panel of 255 judges from 50 countries evaluated 8,166 entries using rigorous, blind-tasting protocols. The 2026 competition brought together 1,644 breweries representing 50 nations, underscoring the event’s role as a truly global benchmark for quality.

The World Beer Cup awards ceremony capped off the Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where between 7-8,000 brewing, fermentation, distilling, and packaging professionals gathered for education, collaboration, and connection across the beverage alcohol industry.

View the 2026 winners [LINK] [PDF]

WORLD BEER CUP COMPETITION STATISTICS

• 17th competition (skipped 2020; annualized starting 2022) 
• Entries: 8,166
• Breweries: 1,644
• Countries: 50
• Top 5 entering countries: United States, Japan, Canada, China, Brazil
• First-time brewery entries: 295
• Judges: 255
• International judges: 128
• Judge countries: 37
• Judging sessions and days: 14 sessions and 7 days
• Style categories: 113 beer | 5 cider
• Beer styles: 186 (includes all subcategories) 
• Avg number of beers in each category: 69

Winners in Top 5 most entered style categories:

Category 114: West Coast-Style India Pale Ale, 293 entries

• Gold – Project Alpha 81, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden, CO
• Silver – Mosaic Madness, Crystal Springs Brewing Co., Louisville, CO
• Bronze – Electric Eagle, Firestone Walker Brewing – Propagator Marina del Rey, CA

Category 113: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale, 274 entries

• Gold – Because Science, Bend Brewing Co., Bend, OR
• Silver – Bolo Season, Zilker Brewing Co., Austin, TX
• Bronze – Shifted Visions, everywhere, Orange, CA

Category 112: Classic India Pale Ale, 205 entries

• Gold – Immutable Dawn, ISM Brewing, Long Beach, CA
• Silver – Hop-Fu!, North Park Beer Co., San Diego, CA
• Bronze – Shred IPA, Shred Beer Co., Rocklin, CA

Category 43: German-Style Pilsner, 201 entries

• Gold – 801 Pilsner, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
• Silver – Southern German Style Pilsener, Craft Beer Base, Osaka, Japan
• Bronze – Pilsner, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Half Moon Bay, CA

Category 45: Munich-Style Helles, 156 entries

• Gold – Wander Back Lager, Wander Back Beerworks, Vineland, NJ
• Silver – Lager, Noble Twist, Saugatuck, MI
• Bronze – Kirkland Signature Helles Lager, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

*Out of a total possible 354 awards, 353 were awarded. A bronze was not awarded in Category 75, Belgian-Style Witbier.

The 2026 World Beer Cup competition was made possible by the generous support of its sponsors: Fermentis, First Key, John I. Haas, Jenrey Ltd., Rahr Malting Co., Sahm Glass, and Siemens.

About the Brewers Association    

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 9,300 small and independent American brewers, their beverages, and the community of craft beer enthusiasts. The BA champions the independent craft brewer seal—a trusted symbol that helps consumers identify beer brewed by small and independent producers. 

The BA organizes some of the industry’s most influential events, including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®,  Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, and American Craft Beer Week®.  It also publishes The New Brewer® and through Brewers Publications®, remains the country’s leading publisher of brewing literature. Beer lovers can explore the world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and follow the BA on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

About the World Beer Cup®

Known as “the Olympics of beer,” the World Beer Cup^® is the most prestigious beer competition in the world, held annually by the Brewers Association (BA) in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference^™ & BrewExpo America^®. Hundreds of judges from across the world assess entries by category, and award beers and ciders on how accurately they exemplify the specified style, and how they display the proper balance of taste, aroma, and appearance. Developed in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing, this global competition continues to raise greater consumer awareness about various beer styles and flavor profiles, while promoting international brewing excellence. 

The Brewers Association is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 13672 and the Secretary of Labor’s rules, regulations, and appropriate orders. 

zzubreebym