According to the Brewer’s Association (BA), the 2018 edition of the World Beer Cup was the largest competition to date, with over 8,200 entries from 66 countries. The awards were announced on the final day of the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN. 2,515 breweries from across the globe submitted beer to the competition and a panel of 295 judges from 33 countries evaluated the entries.
Each entry was placed in one of 101 beer style categories and judges award gold, silver, and bronze to the three best beers in each category. Only one style, International-Style Pilsener, did not see a gold medal winner.
According to the BA, the categories with the most entries were American-Style India Pale Ale (377), Imperial India Pale Ale (196), Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer (196), and Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout (190). This seems to correlate with the increased popularity of IPAs, DIPA, and Barrel-Aged Stouts among craft beer fans.
The BA reports that, as of 2017, there were 6,372 breweries operating in the country — including breweries that are not deemed craft. Of that number 5,814 breweries participated in the awards and came away with 242 medals. After the United States, Canada, Germany, and the U.K., Belgium earned the most awards and Panama came away with its first medal.
Click here for the full list of winners.