Breweries from five continents won awards in the 2014 World Beer Cup, collecting their commemorative plaques when the winners were announced in Denver. The competition drew 4,754 entries from 1,403 breweries in 58 countries.
“Brewers from around the globe participate in the World Beer Cup to win recognition for their creativity and brewing skills,” said CharliePapazian, president of the Brewers Association, which organizes the bienniel event.
The complete list of winners is available from the Brewers Association. Here are some of the highlights:
Chances of winning
The proportion of winning breweries winning one or more awards was 18 percent, compared to 27 percent in 2012. There was a 75.6 percent increase in breweries competing this year versus 2012, which had 799 breweries that entered beers in the competition. A total of 253 breweries took home awards in 2014, a 16.6 percent increase over 2012.
U.S. breweries accounted for 72 percent of the entries (3,403) and won 73 percent of the medals (205) — meaning 6 percent of entries won medals. German breweries entered 249 beers and won 27 medals (11 percent). El Salvador (4 entries/2 medals) and Tawain (2/1) had the best entry-to-medal percentages.
Judges
A panel of 219 judges from 31 countries participated in this year’s competition, working in teams to conduct blind tasting evaluations of the beers and determine the awards. Drawn from the ranks of professional brewers and brewing industry experts, 76 percent of the judges came from outside the United States.
Category Trends
* The average number of beers entered per category was 50, up from 41 in 2012.
* The category with the most entries was American-Style India Pale Ale, with 223 entries.
* The second most-entered category was American-Style Pale Ale, with 121 entries.
* The third most-entered category was Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, with 111 entries.
Award Highlights
The 281 awards were won by 253 breweries.
* 226 breweries won one award.
* 26 breweries won two awards.
* Coors Brewing was the only brewery to win three awards.