The World Beer Cup® (WBC), called the world’s most prestigious beer competition, celebrated three decades of brewing excellence by awarding 353 medals to breweries and cideries across the globe. The announcements took place in Philadelphia yesterday.
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.
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)
Average number of beers in each category: 69
Winners from Around Our Region
While no West Virginia-brewed beers made the list this year, numerous beers from breweries around West Virginia and the Appalachian region were honored. Here are many of them.
