Brewery registration for the World Beer Cup® — known as “the Olympics of beer” — is now open. Breweries looking for a chance at gold are encouraged to enter the competition at WorldBeerCup.org. Registration will close November 13.

Since 1996 the biennial World Beer Cup has recognized the creativity of the world’s brewing community, proving that brewing excellence knows no borders. At the last Cup, held in Nashville, Tenn., in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, more than 8,000 beers were judged during six sessions over a period of three days by an elite panel of 295 judges from 33 countries — 72 percent of whom were from outside the United States. Of the 2,515 participating breweries, 807 were from outside the United States. In total, breweries from 66 countries — from Argentina to Vietnam — competed for top honors.

Awards Philosophy

The World Beer Cup recognizes brewing excellence in more than 100 categories but does not automatically award the top three entries in a particular category. When judges determine that a category contains three excellent examples of the style, they present gold, silver, and bronze awards for the first, second, and third place beers, respectively.

“Evaluating beer happens on many levels,” says Chris Swersey, World Beer Cup competition manager. “On a professional level, beer evaluation is a form of peer review. The results are public, so consumers can learn what beers meet a high level of quality and what beers exemplify certain styles as interpreted by the judges.”

Judges may grant an award in any one or more of the three award places without granting awards in all three places. For example, judges may recognize a beer as a silver or bronze award winner yet not grant a gold award.

2020 Competition

The Brewers Association invites all members of the international brewing community to participate in the 2020 World Beer Cup. With nine consolidation points throughout the globe, participation is easy and convenient. More information can be found at WorldBeerCup.org.

The 2020 awards ceremony will take place on April 22 in San Antonio, Texas, at the conclusion of the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America. Learn more.

Industry Support

The World Beer Cup is made possible through the generous support of its sponsors, including 2020 presenting sponsor Siemens and partner sponsors ABS Commercial, Barth-Haas Group, First Key, MicroStar Logistics, Sahm, and White Labs. 

Additionally, the competition welcomes support from endorsing organizations—brewing associations, educational institutions, and trade publications—who help promote the event to new and established breweries around the globe.