The World Beer Awards (WBA) were started in 2007 by tastingbeers.com, an international publication and online site devoted to beer. Roger Protz, a British author who has published numerous articles and books on beer including The Complete Guide to World Beer and The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Beer, is the International Chairman of the awards. An international panel of judges tasted their way through hundreds of entries from the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Australia and beyond to find the winners of each style. The panel of judges is comprised of leading journalists, retailers, buyers, brewers and brewing marketers and expect to taste competing beers .
All bottled or canned beers are tasted blind and judged on strict, accepted criteria for aroma, flavor, appearance, and finish with special attention to balance, character, complexity and quality. There are four stages to the competition in which an extensive selection of beers are awarded. There are seven different categories (ale, pale ale, dark ale, lager, new release, stout & porter and wheat beer) for the World Best Beers and over 50 different styles are eligible to receive the World’s Best Style award.
Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale World's Best Dark Beer 2014
