Champions announced for the International Brewing and Cider Awards 2015

On the evening of April 29 at London’s Guildhall, nine beers and one cider were awarded Championship titles and trophies at the International Brewing and Cider Awards 2015. Earlier in the year, more than a hundred brewers—from macrobreweries like Miller to craft microbreweries and cider makers representing 23 countries around the globe—were honored with gold, silver, and bronze medals under several divisions within each of the ten beer and cider categories. At this week’s biennial event, IBCA judges singled out the best of the best.

“Close to 1,000 beers and ciders were judged at Burton-upon-Trent earlier this year, so to be chosen as one of just 10 Championship winners is a tremendous accolade and the brewers and cider maker who are lifting trophies today should be very proud of their achievement,” said Chair of judges Bill Taylor. “We are pleased to see the wide range of beer styles winning Championships and medals today.  One of the strengths of the International Brewing and Cider Awards is its capacity to embrace real diversity, thanks to its broad, style-based categories which mean there is a place for every beer and cider.”

The biggest winner of the night by far was Deschutes Brewery, who walked away with a “hat trick” of three Championship titles. The Oregon-based craft brewery was honored for its Armory XPA (Champion Smallpack Ale), Black Butte Porter (Champion Dark Beer), and Red Chair NWPA (Champion Specialty Beer).

Another notable winner is UK-based Marston’s PLC, picking up two titles for its Revisionist Rye Pale Ale (Champion Keg Ale) and Manns Brown Ale (Champion Non and Low Alcohol Beer). UK-based Oakham Ales also stands out for its Green Devil IPA, scoring a repeat turn as Champion Cask Conditioned Ale—the IPA was named top Cask Conditioned Ale in 2013 as well. Meanwhile Northern Ireland’s Mac Ivors Cider Co. took home the relatively new title of Champion Cider, just recently introduced in 2013 to address the growing popularity and diversity of the cider sector.

“At the end of this, our third competition since bringing the Awards back to the UK in 2011, we can confidently claim to have established it within the global brewing and cider making community,” said Ruth Evans, director of Brewing Technology Services, who organized the event. “The fact that we again received beers and ciders from producers all over the world, including several first-time entrants, shows how they value the International Brewing and Cider Awards as a forum where they are able to benchmark their products internationally.”

Here are the ten Championship-winning beers and ciders of the International Brewing and Cider Awards 2015. Registration for the next round begins in August 2016.

Champion Smallpack Lager:  Riegele Feines Urhell, Brauhaus Riegele, Augsburg, Germany

Champion Smallpack Ale: Armory XPA, Deschutes Brewery Inc., Oregon, USA

Champion Keg Lager: Clonmel 1650 Irish Lager, C&C Ireland, Clonmel, Ireland

Champion Keg Ale: Revisionist Rye Pale Ale, Marston’s PLC, Wolverhampton, UK

Champion Non and Low Alcohol Beer: Manns Brown Ale, Marston’s PLC, Burton, UK

Champion Dark Beer: Black Butte Porter, Deschutes Brewery Inc., Oregon, USA

Champion Strong Beer: Brugse Zot Dubbel, Brouwerij De Halve Maan, Bruges, Belgium

Champion Speciality Beer: Red Chair NWPA, Deschutes Brewery Inc., Oregon, USA

Champion Cask Conditioned Ale: Green Devil IPA, Oakham Ales, Peterborough, UK

Champion Cider: Traditional Dry Cider, Mac Ivors Cider Co., County Armagh, Northern Ireland