sometimes referred to as the “Olympics of Beer,” is the world’s biggest international beer competition, typically featuring well over 3,300 beers entered by some 650 breweries from almost 50 countries. The competition was founded in 1996 by the Brewers Association and takes place every other year in parallel with the Association’s Craft Brew Conference and BrewExpo America, which moves from city to city on an annual basis.

Brewers enter their beers in one of over 90 beer style categories to be judged by an international panel of experts in blind tastings. The judges award gold, silver, and bronze medals in each category, whereby the principal criterion for evaluation is the beer’s adherence to its style definition. The judging is highly technical and discussions among judges are often spirited.

World Beer Cup judges are selected based on their demonstrated knowledge of beer styles, the brewing process, and sensory aspects of beer, as well as on their experience in judging. Peer recommendations are also given consideration. Considering the large number of beers that need to be evaluated, as of 2010 World Beer Cup competitions required close to 200 judges working over more than 2 days. In recent World Beer Cup competitions, the judges hailed from almost 30 countries. Roughly half came from countries other than the United States.

In addition to selecting individual beers for medals, the judges also honor breweries with Champion Brewers Awards in the five categories of small and large brewpub as well as small, mid-size, and large brewery. These awards go to the companies that garnered the most overall medal points with their beer entries. Because of the high quality of the judging, World Beer Cup awards are widely respected and coveted by brewers.