World Cider Cup
The World Cider Cup celebrates excellence in cidermaking, showcasing the skill, creativity, and diverse traditions of cider producers from around the world. While cider has been part of World Beer Cup® since 2024, beginning in 2027 that commitment takes on a distinct identity as World Cider Cup, giving cider producers a dedicated spotlight within the Brewers Association’s established global competition.
Cider Expertise. World-Class Recognition.
The World Cider Cup brings the rigor and respected judging process of World Beer Cup to cider, with dedicated cider categories and judges.
All cider entries are evaluated exclusively by American Cider Association (ACA) Certified Pommelier™ designees, in competition style guidelines developed in partnership with ACA.
Through this expert evaluation process, the World Cider Cup helps consumers discover exceptional ciders while honoring the producers behind them.
Awards Philosophy
The World Cider Cup recognizes brewing excellence in eight cider categories but may not automatically award the top three entries in a particular category. When judges determine a category contains three excellent examples of the style, they present gold, silver, and bronze awards to the first-, second-, and third-place ciders, respectively.
“Evaluating beer and cider happens on many levels,” says Williams. “On a professional level, beer and cider evaluation is a form of peer review. The results are public, so consumers can learn what beverages meet a high level of quality and what beverages exemplify certain styles as interpreted by the judges.”
Judges may grant an award in any one or more of the three award places without granting awards in all three places. For example, judges may recognize a beer or cider as a silver or bronze award winner yet not grant a gold award. Learn more.
Detailed Judge Feedback
Recognition is rewarding—and so is insight from cider experts. Every World Cider Cup entry receives detailed sensory feedback from ACA Certified Pommeliers™ that include judge perception on technical quality and fidelity to style. These comments give cidermakers valuable insight to help refine their products for their consumers.
Entries that advance beyond the first round also receive panel-summary feedback for each subsequent round they reach, offering a closer look at how their cider performed alongside other leading contenders.
