Brewers and cider makers from 21 countries have received accolades in the International Brewing & Cider Awards 2017, as the winners of 125 medals were announced after three days of judging in Burton-upon-Trent.
Medals were awarded to beers and ciders from all over the world - Europe, Australasia, the Far East, North and South America - and to producers from a broad spectrum, from regional microbrewers and artisan cider makers to multinational companies.
The 45 judges assessed more than 1,100 beers and ciders – an uplift of 15% on the last competition, held in 2015. The Awards are unique in requiring that all judges are currently working as brewers or cider makers, who select the winners through a consensus approach.
One of the medal winners in the cider competition, Greg MacNeice of Macivors Cider, said, "After winning the Cider Championship two years ago, we were keen to benchmark our ciders again in an international arena. These awards attract a diverse range of high quality ciders and are judged by professional cider makers who command huge respect, so we were delighted to win three Gold medals at this year's competition.
The Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners announced in Burton will collect their medals at an Awards luncheon held at London Guildhall on 26 April, when the 10 overall Championship winners – nine beers and one cider – will be unveiled.
The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2017 are supported by headline sponsors Barth-Haas Group and Krones. Trophy sponsors include: Brauwelt, Brewers' Guardian, Institute of Brewing & Distilling, BeerQX, drink Technology + Marketing, British Guild of Beer Writers and the Morning Advertiser. Molson Coors provided support in consolidation and dispense.