Iron Hill Wins Big at World Beer Cup!

Nearly 6,600 Entries from 55 Countries Vied for Brewing Glory at the “Olympics” of Beer

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant won an incredible five times at last nights World Beer Cup in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This edition of the World Beer Cup saw 6,596 beers from 1,907 breweries representing 55 countries—a 38.5 percent increase in the number of entries from the 2014 World Beer Cup, which had 4,754 entries.

Here are the winners from Iron Hill:

• Silver: Overload Stout - Coffee Beer
• Silver: Solzhenitsyn - Aged Beer
• Gold: Bedotter - Belgian-Style Tripel
• Silver: Russian Imperial Stout - British-Style Imperial Stout
• Silver: Valentinus IPA - Double Red Ale

Andrew Johnson, Head Brewer in Media, won three awards. Chris Endrikat, Lead Brewer in West Chester and Justin Rodgers, Lead Brewer in Voorhies, each won an award.

The awards were presented at the conclusion of Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America® in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Entries were judged by an elite international panel of 253 judges from 31 countries. Judges awarded 287 out of 288 total possible awards, reflecting the chance for one gold, one silver and one bronze award in each of 96 beer style categories. A gold award was not presented in the Fresh or Wet Hop Ale category.

A detailed analysis of the entries and awards can be found in the 2016 World Beer Cup Fact Sheet.

“Brewing has no boundaries or borders,” said Charlie Papazian, founder, Brewers Association. “The World Beer Cup recognizes the very best in the global community of brewers—their innovation, creativity and the craft of beer and brewing.”

Category Trends

The average number of beers entered per category was 69, up from 50 in 2014—a marker of the 2016 World Beer Cup’s high level of competitiveness.

The 287 awards were won by 253 breweries, with few breweries earning more than one award.

“This year’s judge panel was our most international ever, with three-quarters of judges travelling to Philadelphia from outside the U.S.,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, World Beer Cup. “Judges commented throughout the week that overall beer quality continues to improve across the spectrum of world beer styles. While breweries may hold the awards, beer drinkers around the world are the true winners.”