GLINTCAP 2026: A Historic 20th Anniversary Crowns the World’s Best Ciders and Perries
The Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition celebrates two decades of raising the bar for craft cider — here are all the medal winners.
The cider world turned its eyes to Grand Rapids, Michigan in May 2026 for a milestone edition of one of craft beverage’s most prestigious events. The 20th Annual Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) drew over 1,100 commercial and noncommercial entries from producers spanning the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond — making it not just a birthday party, but the world’s largest cider judging.
What Is GLINTCAP?
GLINTCAP, organized by the Michigan Cider Association and held annually each May in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has spent two decades doing something few competitions bother with: giving entrants honest, actionable feedback alongside their medals. Rather than just handing out hardware, GLINTCAP pairs its awards with detailed scoresheets from some of the most experienced palates in the industry. That commitment to craft elevation — not just celebration — is what has made it the GOLD: standard for cidermakers at every scale.
Entries are judged across three style groups — Standard, Specialty, and Intensified & Distilled — spanning everything from bone-dry heirloom single-varietals to hopped perries, ice ciders, and apple brandies. GOLD: medals and Best in Class recognition carry the most weight; scoring runs 10 points for Best in Class GOLD: , 4 for Silver, and 2 for Bronze.
Producers of the Year
The Producers of the Year awards recognize cumulative excellence across all entries in a given size category.
International Producer of the Year
🥇 Alde Sider (Norway)
Runners-up: Valle; Ballina Y Fernández Sa; Sodo sidrine
Canada Producer of the Year
🥇 Annapolis Cider Company — Wolfville, NS
Runners-up: Thornbury Craft Co.; Cambium Cider Co.
Large Producer of the Year (500,001+ gallons)
🥇 2 Towns Ciderhouse — Corvallis, OR
Runners-up: Schilling Cider; Angry Orchard Hard Cider Company
Midsize Producer of the Year (25,001–500,000 gallons)
🥇 Snow Capped Cider — Austin, CO
Runners-up: Bauman’s Cider; Tandem Ciders
Small Producer of the Year (5,001–25,000 gallons)
🥇 Haykin Family Cider — Aurora, CO
Runners-up: Endless Orchard Cider; Cider Hill Cellars
Micro Producer of the Year (5,000 gallons or fewer)
🥇 The Cider Farm — Madison, WI
Runners-up: Empyrical Orchard & Cidery; Mount Diablo Cider Company
Noncommercial Producer of the Year
🥇 Patrick McCauley (@thefauxfarmhand)
Runners-up: Scott Harring; Jeff Clarkson
Best in Show Winners — Full Results by Category
Fruit Cider – Sweet (104 entries)
GOLD: Sled Zeppelin – 2 Towns Ciderhouse – Corvallis, OR
SILVER: Rhubarb – Cambium Cider Co. – Vernon, BC, Canada
BRONZE: Cranberry – Beak & Skiff Apple Farms – Lafayette, NY
Heirloom Cider – Dry (95 entries)
GOLD: Sip Society Heirloom ApplecSchilling Cider – Auburn, WA
SILVER: Ashmeads Kernel – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
BRONZE: Du Nouveau Monde Hidden Cave Cidery – Middleton, WI
Tannin Forward Cider – Dry (62 entries)
GOLD: Herefordshire Redstreak – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
SILVER: Harrison 2024 – Eden Specialty Ciders – Newport, VT
BRONZE: Yarlington Mill – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
Modern Cider – Dry (59 entries)
GOLD: Dryabolical – Schilling Cider Auburn, WA
SILVER: Ashmead’s Kernel – Townline Ciderworks – Williamsburg, MI
BRONZE: BrightCider – 2 Towns Ciderhouse – Corvallis, OR
Modern Cider – Sweet (51 entries)
GOLD: Porter’s Pride – Porter’s Hard Cider Company – Goodrich, MI
SILVER: Original – Beak & Skiff Apple Farms – Lafayette, NY
BRONZE: Midwest Nice – Farmhaus Cider Co. – Hudsonville, MI
Unlimited Cider and Perry (43 entries)
GOLD: Sweet Traditions – Apple Barn Cider House – Sevierville, TN
SILVER: Sweet Heat – Smokin Banjo Wine Co. – Gatlinburg, TN
BRONZE: Pip Hop Seyval Jr. – Annapolis Cider Company – Wolfville, NS, Canada
Wood Aged Cider (41 entries)
GOLD: Bbl Aged Kingston Black – Snow Capped CiderAustin, CO
SILVER: Brandy Barrel Aged Cider – Porter’s Hard Cider Company – Goodrich, MI
BRONZE: Pear Co-ferment – Bauman’s CiderPortland, OR
Specialty Cider and Perry – Sweet (39 entries)
GOLD: Sparrow’s Song – Farmhaus Cider Co. – Hudsonville, MI
SILVER: Magna Vino – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
BRONZE: Blackcurrant Cardamom – Cambium Cider Co. – Vernon, BC, Canada
Fruit Cider – Dry (37 entries)
GOLD: Sour Cherry – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
SILVER: Cran-Cucumber – Endless Orchard Cider – Chelan, WA
BRONZE: Quinde – Mount Diablo Cider Company – Lafayette, CA
Botanical Cider (37 entries)
GOLD: Boundless Blueberry-Basil – Endless Orchard Cider – Chelan, WA
SILVER: Spiced – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
BRONZE: Oolong Cider – (collab with Drafter’s Tea)Bauman’s Cider – Portland, OR
Rosé Cider (28 entries)
GOLD: Rosé – The Cider Farm – Madison, WI
SILVER: Scarlett Rosey Cider – Aeppeltreow Inc. – Burlington, WI
BRONZE: Mountain Rose – Haykin Family Cider – Aurora, CO
Heirloom Cider – Sweet (26 entries)
GOLD: Gravenstein – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
SILVER: Chisel Jersey – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
BRONZE: Harrison Reserve – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
Specialty Cider and Perry – Dry (23 entries)
GOLD: Hopped Framboise – Annapolis Cider Company – Wolfville, NS, Canada
SILVER: Yuzu Ginger Cider – Elder Piper Beer & Cider – Petoskey, MI
BRONZE: Rose Cider – Michigan Wine Company – LLC – Fennville, MI
Fortified Cider (22 entries)
GOLD: Pommeau ’24 – Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery – Callicoon, NY
SILVER: Traditional Apples in American Oak – Haykin Family CiderAurora, CO
BRONZE: Maine Pommeau – Fogtown Brewing Company – Ellsworth, ME
Spirits (22 entries)
GOLD: Akane Eau de Vie – Haykin Family Cider – Aurora, CO
SILVER: Le Saint-Pomme – Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau – Saint-Pierre-Île-d’Orléans, QC, Canada
BRONZE: Apple Brandy – BIB Copper & Kings – Louisville, KY
Tannin Forward Cider – Sweet (18 entries)
GOLD: Binet Rouge – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
SILVER: Little Green Apples – Bauman’s Cider – Portland, OR
BRONZE: Elevee – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
Ice Cider (16 entries)
GOLD: Heirloom Blend Ice Cider 2024 – Eden Specialty Ciders – Newport, VT
SILVER: Honeycrisp Ice Cider 2024 – Eden Specialty Ciders – Newport, VT
BRONZE: Cuvée Spéciale de Cidre de Glace – Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau – Saint-Pierre-Île-d’Orléans, QC, Canada
Hopped Cider (16 entries)
GOLD: Hopped – Snow Capped Cider – Austin, CO
SILVER: Hopped Pippin – Annapolis Cider Company – Wolfville, NS, Canada
BRONZE: Hoppy Opus – Snowbird Farm & Cidery – Montesano, WA
Low & No Alcohol Cider (10 entries)
GOLD: Clear View Rose – Beak & Skiff Apple FarmsLafayette, NY
SILVER: Non-Alc Pacific Pineapple – 2 Towns Ciderhouse – Corvallis, OR
BRONZE: Non-Alc Guava Get Down – 2 Towns Ciderhouse – Corvallis, OR
High Tannin Perry (10 entries)
GOLD: Perry – Windswept Cider – Meaford, Ontario, Canada
SILVER: Principle – Empyrical Orchard & Cidery – Snohomish, WA
BRONZE: Paradigm – Empyrical Orchard & Cidery – Snohomish, WA
Natural Cider (8 entries)
GOLD: Girl Named Sue – Mount Diablo Cider Company – Lafayette, CA
SILVER: Ribston Pippin – Mount Diablo Cider Company – Lafayette, CA
BRONZE: Heritage Dry – Grey & Gold Cider – The Blue Mountains, ON, Canada
Low Tannin Perry (7 entries)
GOLD: Sparkling Perry – Snow Capped CiderAustin, CO
SILVER: Par Amour – Empyrical Orchard & Cidery – Snohomish, WA
BRONZE: Foxview Perry – Tandem Ciders – Suttons Bay, MI
Standout Stories from GLINTCAP 2026
Snow Capped Cider (Austin, CO) was the undeniable star of this year’s competition, taking home an extraordinary number of Best in Class GOLD: s across categories — from heirloom varieties to barrel-aged ciders to perry. Their sweep of the entire Heirloom Sweet podium (Gravenstein, Chisel Jersey, and Harrison Reserve) is a remarkable achievement.
2 Towns Ciderhouse (Corvallis, OR) continued its dominance at the large-producer scale, winning the Fruit Cider Sweet category with Sled Zeppelin and claiming the Large Producer of the Year title. Their non-alcoholic offerings also shined, with two podium finishes in the growing Low & No category.
Annapolis Cider Company had a banner year, claiming the Canada Producer of the Year title and showing up multiple times on the Best in Show podium across Specialty, Hopped, and Unlimited categories.
Haykin Family Cider secured Small Producer of the Year while also collecting individual medals including a Best in Class GOLD: for the Akane Eau de Vie — proof that a cider producer can also make world-class apple spirits.
The Cider Farm (Madison, WI) earned Micro Producer of the Year along with a Best in Class GOLD: for their Rosé — a strong result for a small-batch Wisconsin operation.
Empyrical Orchard & Cidery (Snohomish, WA) continued its sterling streak in the perry categories, taking silver and bronze in both High Tannin and Low Tannin Perry — and landing as a runner-up for Micro Producer of the Year.
Why GLINTCAP Matters
In a craft beverage landscape crowded with competitions, GLINTCAP earns its reputation by being genuinely useful to producers and genuinely meaningful to consumers. Twenty years in, it remains one of the few competitions where a small-batch farmstead cidery in Wisconsin can stand on equal footing with a large regional producer — and win. The medals here are a reliable signal of quality worth seeking out on a bottle.
For full commercial and noncommercial results, visit the Michigan Cider Association.
About the Michigan Cider Association
Founded in December 2014 as a state-recognized 501(c)6 nonprofit organization, the Michigan Cider Association (MCA) serves as the unified voice for cidermakers across the Great Lakes State — which boasts the highest number of hard cider businesses in the United States. Established to bring cidermakers together, advocate for legislative needs, and expand consumer awareness, the MCA today supports producers at every level of the industry through education, research, and promotion. A cornerstone of that mission is the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP), the world’s largest cider competition, which the MCA organizes each May in Grand Rapids. Recent initiatives have included partnering with the Cider Institute to offer subsidized cider education and transitioning GLINTCAP to fully digital judging to improve feedback delivery and expand international accessibility. From orchard to glass, the Michigan Cider Association is dedicated to growing a thriving, world-class cider industry rooted in Michigan’s rich apple-growing heritage. Learn more at michiganciders.com.
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