2027 World Beer Cup Registration Opens With New Styles and a World Cider Cup

2027 World Beer Cup registration is open, with early-bird entry available through Dec. 16, 2026. The Brewers Association (BA) announced the opening Nov. 5, alongside new beer styles, two new champion awards and a separate competition for cider.

Winners will be announced April 7, 2027, in San Antonio, Texas, during a live awards ceremony at the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America. Both the World Beer Cup and the new World Cider Cup will share that ceremony.

2027 World Beer Cup key dates

• Early-bird registration: Nov. 5–Dec. 16, 2026
• Regular registration: Dec. 17, 2026–January 2027, subject to availability
• Awards ceremony: April 7, 2027, in San Antonio during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America

Breweries can find registration information at WorldBeerCup.org. The BA announcement gives January 2027 as the end of regular registration, without specifying a day; entry during that period is subject to availability.

New beer styles for 2027

The BA lists these additions to the style guidelines:

• Alsatian-Style Pilsener, as a subcategory of International-Style Pilsener
• Czech-Style Dark Lager, a new award category
• Italian-Style Grape Ale, with Red, White and Sour subcategories
• New Zealand-Style Pilsener
• Distinct gluten-free categories: Classic Ale or Lager, Hoppy, and Specialty
• Multi-Adjunct Beer or Hybrid/Crossover Beer, as subcategories of Specialty Beer

The organizers also added two new champion awards: Champion Brewery and Champion Cidermaker.

Cider gets its own World Cider Cup

Cider categories move to a new standalone World Cider Cup, judged by dedicated Certified Pommelier judges, with award categories created with the American Cider Association. New cider styles are Low & No Alcohol Cider, Natural Cider, and Ice Cider or Fortified Cider. Winners of both competitions will be announced at the same April 7 ceremony.

An international competition since 1996

Established in 1996, the World Beer Cup features more than 100 beer style categories evaluated by international judges. The BA says the 2026 competition brought together 1,644 breweries from 50 nations.