The World Beer Cup (WBC), billed as the world’s most prestigious beer competition, is now an annual affair showcasing the best beers from around the world. A handful of those beers come from Japan, as results prove with each WBC; Japan’s brewers have consistently taken home medals since the competition was first launched in 1996. Will you be one of those breweries taking a medal or even a few home, as breweries like Minoh, Coedo, Harvest Moon, Fujizakura, Baird, and many others have?

At WBC 2023, more than 10,000 beers were entered from 2376 breweries spanning 51 countries. This year there are 110 categories, ranging from traditional styles popularized in European stalwarts like Belgium, Germany, and the UK, to more recent styles developed in the U.S. and other parts of the world. There are also unusual categories like experimental and historical beers. In 2023’s competition, there were an average of 99 beers entered in each category, making it rather competitive, especially popular categories like American-Style India Pale Ale, with a whopping 412 entries.

A total of 272 judges hailed from 26 countries in 2023, a handful of them professionals from Japan. A table of judges evaluates entries and leaves valuable feedback for brewers. A select few from each round are advanced to the next until a final round where judges award a gold, silver, or bronze medal (unless they feel that none are worthy–it happens sometimes!). Judges are carefully chosen and are trained in sensory analysis, whether professionally through their jobs or in workshops.

This year, registration runs until December 7th. Details for entering are on the WBC website.
Brewers will not have to ship their beers until March of 2024, and consolidated shipping is handled by professionals via cold reefer containers. The awards ceremony will be held April 24th in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas. You don’t have to visit the casinos to win big. A WBC medal can be quite a boost for breweries, whether that be for morale or PR purposes. At the very least, it’s fun to compete!

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.