9th EDITION

23 MARCH

2026

St. Mary's
LONDON

The goal of the London Beer Competition is to provide trade buyers and consumers a valuable benchmark for understanding which beers would make a compelling addition to a bottleshop, supermarket, or the restaurant list, and for end consumers, it is to buy beers that offer the best quality for the price it sells for with great packaging. Medals will be awarded to those beers that meet very specific judging criteria which is a) Quality b) Value and c) Package.

SCORING SYSTEM

Q (Quality Score), Value Score (V), and Package Score (P) are used to calculate the London Beer Competition score.

A separate weighted score is given for each of the three parts of the judging process, with Quality receiving twice the weight.

• Quality Score: will be marked out of 100
• Value Score: will be marked out of 100
• Package Score: will be marked out of 100

Scoring & Consensus: Each beer is evaluated by multiple expert judges, and every judge independently scores the beer on Quality, Value, and Packaging. The final result is based on the average of all judges’ scores, ensuring balance and consistency. Where needed, judges engage in panel discussions to align and refine their evaluations, helping bring scores closer together and ensuring a fair consensus. This process ensures that the final score reflects a well-rounded and agreed view of the beer’s performance across all key criteria.

JUDGING PROCESS

At the London Beer Competition, beers are evaluated in two stages to ensure both fairness and real-world relevance. First, Quality and Value are assessed through blind tasting, where judges evaluate the beer without seeing any branding or packaging, focusing purely on taste, structure, style accuracy, and how well the beer is priced relative to its quality.

Once this stage is complete, the beers move to a non-blind packaging review, where judges assess label design, format, closure, and overall shelf appeal. This two-step approach ensures that winning beers are not only excellent in the glass but also positioned to succeed in the marketplace.

BLIND TASTING AND PACKAGING SCORE

Please taste the products blind and start with the quality score. Once you enter your quality score out of 100, please review the price to consumer displayed on the screen to assign your value score. Complete all beers in your flight with quality and value scores and leave the package score empty.

Once your quality and value scores are completed, call your steward to receive the packaged products. You will then review the packaging for the beers you scored blind. Please complete your package score and click all done to finalize your flight.

DEFINITIONS

Quality: Quality is assessed based on how well the beer meets its style expectations and appeals to its target consumer. Judges consider characteristics such as appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, flavor, balance, and finish.

Value: The objective is to determine how well a particular beer is priced. The greater the quality offered for the price, the higher the value score.

Packaging: Packaging is evaluated based on how well judges believe the beer will be perceived by consumers. This includes label design, clarity of information, format (can, bottle, etc.), and overall shelf appeal. Secondary packaging such as cartons or outer cases is not considered.

HOW MEDALS WORK

Double Gold: 96–100 points
Exceptional beers that stand out across all judging criteria.

Gold: 90–95 points
Excellent beers with strong quality, value, and packaging.

Silver: 85–89 points
Very good beers with solid quality and commercial appeal.

Bronze: 80–84 points
Good quality beers that meet key standards and show market potential.