The Brewers’ Exhibition Hosts an Early Professional Beer Competition

In 1886, more than one hundred brewers entered a competitive exhibition of beers held at the Agricultural Hall in Islington, London, alongside the Brewers’ Exhibition. The beers were divided into two competition classes, creating an early organized setting in which commercial breweries submitted their products for comparative assessment and prizes. Beer competitions became a regular part of the Brewers’ Exhibition from 1889 and developed over subsequent decades into an important professional showcase for British breweries. The competition tradition eventually evolved into the International Brewing Awards, but the early contests were national rather than international.