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Ill Have Another: 2012 World Beer Cup Winners Crowned
May 7, 2012
2 Min Read
BOULDER, Colo.Just days before Ill Have Another sprinted to his first Kentucky Derby win, the 2012 World Beer Cupthe worlds largest commercial beer competitionwas held in San Diego where brewers from 21 countries ranging from Argentina and Haiti to Iceland and Japan earned top honors from an elite international panel of judges.
This years competition boasted the strongest field of entrants on record, with 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states entering 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories. The entries in each category were eligible for gold, silver and bronze awards. Judges presented a total of 284 awards.
It's called 'The Olympics of Beer Competition' for good reason," said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, which puts on the competition every two years since 1996. "The event brings together great brewers from all corners of the globe. Plus, the awards are highly regarded. A brewer who wins a World Beer Cup gold award knows that their winning beer represents the best of that beer style in the world. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2012 World Beer Cup."
While overall beer sales have remained flat over the past few years, craft brewers saw volume rise 13%, with a 15% increase in retail sales from 2010 to 2011, representing a total barrel increase of 1.3 million. Sales of craft beers reached $8.7 billion in 2011, up from $7.6 billion in 2009. Increased retails sales represented 9.1% of the $95.5 billion U.S. beer market.
Highlights from the ninth biannual competition include:
The average number of beers entered per category was 41.
The category with the most entries was American-Style India Pale Ale, with 150 entries. The second most-entered category was Imperial India Pale Ale, with 93 entries. The German-Style Sour Ale category had the fewest number of entries at 11.
The 2012 World Beer Cup saw substantial growth of entries in the American-Style India Pale Ale category. Category entries grew 41.5% over 2010 to make it the largest category of the 2012 competition.
Champion Brewery/Brewmaster award winners were:
Small Brewing Company CategoryBrauerei Michael Plank, Michael Plank
Mid-Size Brewing Company CategoryFirestone Walker Brewing Company, Matthew Brynildson
Large Brewing Company CategoryAB InBev, Claudio Ferro
Small Brewpub CategoryIron Hill Brewery & Restaurant-Media, Iron Hill Brewery Team
Large Brewpub CategoryPelican Pub & Brewery, Darron R S Welch
Click here for a complete list of winners.
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