Craft Maltsters Guild To Announce 2026 Malt Cup Winners at Virtual Awards Ceremony on February 26 – Winners Announced

NATIONAL— The Craft Maltsters Guild will present the winners of the 2026 Malt Cup awards at a virtual ceremony on Thursday, February 26. 

Now in its eighth year, the Malt Cup competition is the only internationally recognized competition for the craft malting industry. Malt entries are evaluated by industry experts through a rigorous multi-round judging process spearheaded and managed by Hannah Uhlmann, Director of the Barley, Malt & Brewing Lab at Montana State University. 

The 2026 Malt Cup Competition is the largest yet, with eight categories that now welcome collaboration malts crafted by more than one maltster. “We want to see what this community can do when they all get together,” says Craft Maltsters Guild Executive Director Steve Kurowski. “Last year we also saw great success with our Unique Malt category, which is for those standout malts that embody the spirit of craft malting but don’t fit into the Malt Cup’s current style lineup. These categories and this competition in general showcase the teamwork and craftsmanship in every corner of our community.” 

Uhlmann will announce the winners of the Caramel Malt, Light Munich, Pilsen, Pale Malt, Vienna, and Wheat Malt, Unique Malt, and Distillers Malt in this ceremony, as well as the Best In Show malt entry based on overall scoring. 
The 2026 Malt Cup Awards are open to the public. All are welcome to join at this link on Thursday, February 26 at 5pm ET. 

The virtual 2026 Malt Cup Awards Ceremony is made possible by generous sponsors Ackermann, Bratney, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, the National Barley Growers Association, New Glarus Brewing Co., and Promalting; as well as our AV partner Empowered Streaming. 
 
Media inquiring about the Craft Maltsters Guild can contact Emily Hutto at [email protected]. 

ABOUT THE CRAFT MALTSTERS GUILD 

Formed in 2013, the Craft Maltsters Guild’s mission is to promote and sustain the tradition of craft malting in North America, provide services and resources to the Association’s members, and uphold the highest quality and safety standards for Craft Maltsters. Learn more about the Craft Maltsters Guild at www.craftmalting.com.

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