World Beer Cup
The World Beer Cup is claims to be the largest beer competition in the world. It is hosted every two years by the Association of Brewers , the union of small and medium-sized breweries in the United States .
The first competition in 1996 in Vail, Colorado , was attended by 600 beers from 250 breweries. In 2016, 1907 breweries from 55 countries took part with a total of 6,596 beers. The prizes are currently awarded in 96 individual categories and the winners (per category) are awarded a gold, silver or bronze medal .
If certain minimum standards are not achieved in a category, no medals or, for example, no gold medal may be awarded.