International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024 Unveils Esteemed Judging Panels for Beer and Cider Competitions

In an exciting revelation for the brewing and cider industries, The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024 has announced its distinguished panels for both beer and cider competitions, featuring globally acclaimed experts in the respective fields.

Head of Cider Judging Leads Stellar International Cider Panel

Gabe Cook, internationally recognized as The Ciderologist, will once again spearhead the cider judging panel at The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024. With over 15 years of expertise, Gabe has played a pivotal role in the global cider revolution, contributing through writing, teaching, and judging. His leadership ensures a comprehensive assessment of entries, reflecting the diverse and innovative nature of the global cider industry.

The esteemed cider judging panel includes Christine Walter (USA), Takuro Ikeuchi (Japan), Sean Houghton (UK), Dr Amalka Woodall (UK), Olav Bleie (Norway), Tano Collada (Spain), and Maris Plume (Latvia). This collective of industry professionals brings a wealth of experience and a passion for cidermaking, ensuring a thorough evaluation of entries from around the world.

The unique judging process of The International Brewing & Cider Awards focuses on recognizing and rewarding the quality and commercial worth of ciders, whether they are large volume productions or special niche products of excellence. Entries for the awards close on February 1, 2024, and the competition will take place in March 2024 at Depot Mayfield in Manchester, UK.

Gabe Cook, Head of Cider Judging at the International Cider Awards, said: “We have some of the best cidermakers in the world judging this prestigious competition, and it’s their participation which underpins the International Cider Awards’ credibility. The Awards prides itself on the unique judging process which ensures each cider is judged fairly and rigorously on its quality and commercial value, by those practicing within the industry. It is these values that sets us apart. Now is such an exciting time for the industry, and with a whole new world of cidermakers producing innovative products, recognition for the technical skill and taste of your product by commercially practicing cidermakers, will ensure products stand out from the crowd. If you want to showcase your product and see how they fair amongst the best in the world, there is no better competition.”

For more information about the Awards, including categories and entry criteria, visit https://www.brewingawards.org/cider-awards/.

Head of Beer Judging to Lead International Beer Panel

Rob McCaig, with over 42 years of experience, will lead the beer judging panel at The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024. As the former Managing Director at The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre and with significant contributions at Molson Canada, Rob's extensive background positions him as the ideal leader to guide the panel in recognizing and rewarding extraordinary beers.

The stellar beer judging panel includes Bjarke Bertelsen (Denmark), Daniel Carey (USA), Eric Hinrichsen (USA), Genevieve Upton (UK), Jennifer Glanville (USA), Jun Kubota (Europe), Kyle Moskovitz (South Africa), Lara Lopes (UK), Marcio Buffolo (USA), Masafumi Morita (Japan), Matthew Tiplady (UK), Oliver Wesseloh (Germany), Paolo Gugole (Italy), and Paddy Johnson (UK).

Similar to the cider competition, the unique judging process of The International Brewing & Cider Awards emphasizes recognizing and rewarding the quality and commercial worth of the entered beers, irrespective of their volume or niche excellence. Entries for the awards also close on February 1, 2024.

Rob McCaig, Head of Beer Judging at the International Brewing Awards, said: “We have some of the best brewers in the world judging this prestigious competition, and it’s their participation which underpins the International Brewing Awards’ credibility. The Awards prides itself on the unique judging process which ensures each beer is judged fairly and rigorously on its quality and commercial value, by those practicing within the industry. It is these values that sets us apart. Now is such an exciting time for the industry, and as consumers palettes are becoming more discerning, recognition for the technical skill and taste of your product by commercially practicing brewers will ensure products stand out from the crowd. If you want to showcase your product and see how they fair amongst the best in the world, there is no better competition.”

The International Brewing & Cider Awards 2024 will be accompanied by a public festival, offering attendees a rare opportunity to taste a diverse range of local, national, and international products, including entered and award-winning cider and beer from the Awards.

For more information about the Awards, including categories and entry criteria, visit https://www.brewingawards.org/.