Entries from around the globe received for International Brewing Awards and Cider Awards
Championship winners from the 2013 competition with chair of judges Bill Taylor (middle row, right)
The International Brewing Awards and International Cider Awards are living up to their name, with entries to the 2015 competition already received from brewers and cider makers on all five continents in the month since registration opened.
Awards organisers Brewing Technology Services (BTS) are confident of exceeding the level of entries received to the last competition, held in 2013, when medals and trophies were presented to winning brewers and cider makers from 25 countries.
BTS director Ruth Evans said, “Once again, we are witnessing the international appeal of our awards, which attract one of the most globally diverse set of entrants of any international brewing competition.
“We’re especially pleased to see entries coming in from brewers who haven’t participated before, and from several countries which don’t have a long tradition of brewing. The fact that both new and established brewers and cider makers want to benchmark the quality of their products in our competition speaks volumes for its reputation globally and particularly the integrity of our judging process.”
The International Brewing Awards and International Cider Awards are unique in requiring that all judges are commercially active brewers or cider makers. A panel of around 40 judges is currently being recruited to assess the entrant beers and ciders in Burton-upon-Trent next February.
The cider awards have been expanded for 2015. Included in the 2013 event for the first time in many decades, the cider competition attracted a healthy response from cider makers, prompting the organisers to make it a standalone event. Next year, judges will make awards in 10 cider categories, with one overall cider Championship winner, as well as the nine Championships in the brewing competition.
Evans added, “We’re pleased with the level of entries coming in from cider makers, particularly from outside the UK. We learned a lot about cider judging from our expert judges in 2013 and, with the additional categories introduced for next year, we’re confident that the International Cider Awards will become one of the leading platforms for cider makers around the world.”
Entries to the International Beer Awards and International Cider Awards 2015 close on 31 December. The entry fee for 2015 is £160 (+VAT at UK rate) per beer or cider, with no duty payable on entries due to duty suspension.
INTERNATIONAL BREWING AWARDS AND INTERNATIONAL CIDER AWARDS 2015
KEY DATES
31 December 2014: entries close
30 January 2015: deadline for beers and ciders to arrive in Burton-upon-Trent
10-12 February 2015: competition judging
12 February 2015: medal winners announced
29 April 2015: Championship Beer & Ciders announced, Guildhall, London
To enter and for more information, visit www.brewingawards.org
