MillerCoors currently holds the record for most beer awards coming in at over 160. I believe AB/Inbev comes at about 90-120? Sam Adams doesn’t have the portfolio currently to catch up to either company. I don’t know which particular beer holds the title for most awards though.
I know I’m a little late on the conversation but there are some steps of evaluating beer and they’re done in a particular order. First is the appearance (color, clarity, effervescence,head), aroma (hops,malt), mouthfeel and taste (balance, conditioning, hops, malt, and aftertaste).
There are 11 different styles of glassware and they are used to help enhance the various styles of beer when evaluating the beer on the above characteristics. For example, a snifter is good for well carbonated beers and holds the aroma right at the lip of the glass.
Aroma is a huge component in how you taste/experience beer. And yes, you lose some of that when you drink directly from a can/bottle. Also, you should never drink from a frosted glass because it negatively affects carbonation, aroma and taste.