World Beer Cup 2022 Recap; Full of surprises
Nancy Johnson, the Senior Vice President of Professional Brewing Division of the Brewers Association took the stage at the 2022 World Beer Cup on Thursday, May 5th with big news, and it wasn’t just who won this years competition.
After thanking sponsors, Johnson announced that the previously biennial World Beer Cup competition would become an annual event starting in 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. But that wasn’t the only big news; longtime Brewers Association competition director Chris Swersey is stepping down to move with his fiance to Australia. This will be his last year.
Johnson then took the opportunity to surprise Swersey with a tribute video featuring familiar faces from across the industry thanking him for his dedication to the craft. Standing in front of a blue and gold version of the World Beer Cup logos sporting the colors of Ukraine, Swersey composed himself after the surprisingly emotional moment to begin announcing the 2022 awards winners. He would later get booed in jest when no Silver or Gold medal was awarded in the Belgian-style Witbier category, Swersey responded ‘that’s the last time you guys get to do that to me.’
The Brewers Association developed World Beer Cup Competition was last held in 2008 thanks to the pandemic. First founded in 1996, the WBC has been held every other Craft Brewers Conference and often referred to as “The Olympics of Beer Competitions,” because it’s an international competition unlike the similarly prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF) which is U.S. brewers only.
This years winners held both throwbacks and surprises as well as knowing nods that seemed preordained. For example; German breweries completely swept the German-style Wheat Ale category, and southern California brewers completely swept the American-style IPA category, and east coast breweries did the same in the Hazy or Juicy IPA category. Of note: the American-style IPA category overtook the Juicy or Hazy category with 384 compared to 343 entries this year, perhaps signaling that the world is ready to go back to clear beer.
As he began to read off the first categories, Swersey noted that this years World Beer Cup was the biggest yet at 10,542 beers entered from 2,493 breweries, and the first time that either WBC or GABF reached five digits. Clearly knowing their audience, the ceremony was soundtracked by 90’s and early aughts hits from the likes of U2, Blink 182 and Crazy Train, and in a seriously meta moment a beer actually called “Crazy Train” won a silver medal while the song “Come My Lady” by Crazy Train was actually playing.
Entries were evaluated by an elite panel of 226 judges from 28 countries. Competition judging took place in 18 sessions over nine days. Judges bestowed 307 out of 309 total possible awards, reflecting the opportunity for one gold, silver, and bronze award in each of 103 beer style categories. No gold or silver was awarded in Category 68: Belgian-Style Witbier.
“The World Beer Cup showcases the incredible breadth and talent of the global brewing community,” said Chris Swersey, competition director, World Beer Cup. “Winning an award at this extremely competitive event symbolizes one of the greatest accomplishments in the art of brewing. Congratulations to this year’s winners on their outstanding achievements.”
Historically a biennial event, the World Beer Cup competition will move to an annual event beginning in 2023, it was announced. Brewery registration for the 2023 World Beer Cup will open in October 2022, with the awards presented May 10, 2023 at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, Tenn.
COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
Average number of beers entered per category: 102
Most entered style categories:
American-Style India Pale Ale: 384
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 343
German-Style Pilsener: 254
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout: 237
International Pilsener or International Lager: 231
Munich-Style Helles: 202
Number of countries represented: 57
Countries with the most awards:
United States: 252
Canada: 14
Germany: 11
Country with the highest winning rate: Ireland (16.67%)
First-time country winner: Colombia, Pola Del Pub, Bogotá, for its “Saison Con Miel" Specialty Saison entry
Access a full list of the winners here
Read the full list of Oregon’s 2022 World Beer Cup Winners here.
