Record in the Champions League of beers

2,344 beers from 51 countries submitted to the European Beer Star 2018

28-Sep-2018 - Germany

This year, for the 15th time already, the best beers in the world will be selected. The competition tasting with 144 jury members will take place on 12 October at the Doemens Academy in Gräfelfing (near Munich).

The European Beer Star of the Private Breweries Association has long been regarded as one of the world's most renowned competitions in the brewing industry. "To receive one of the desired honors has for brewers a comparable value like the stars of Michelin , stresses olive Dawid, managing director of the private breweries Bavaria. However, Dawid and project manager Thomas Buscham were surprised by the new record result: "With 2,344 beers from 50 countries, the 144-strong jury's verdict on 2,344 beers is more than ever before - an increase of 9% over 2017. "In the last few days before the closing date for entries, a real run has begun with the registration," says Buscham.

In the coming weeks, the Doemens Brewing Academy in Gräfelfing (near Munich) will once again be the logistics partner of the European Beer Star, where well over 30,000 beers will arrive in every conceivable container, crate or carton from all over the world. Employees and students take over the commissioning, labelling and sorting of the competition beers in 65 categories for the first time for the blind tasting on 12 October. "Fortunately, we already have years of experience with this, otherwise this effort would hardly be manageable," explains Akademie Managing Director Dr. Werner Gloßner, who, like his employees, is delighted when Doemens becomes the "hotspot of international beer diversity" during the tasting. It was also the aim of the private breweries when the competition was first launched 15 years ago to communicate this diversity of individual, characterful beers of artisan brewing to the general public. Only 271 beers were present at the premiere and when the 2,000 mark was passed for the first time two years ago, the potential seemed almost exhausted. According to Buscham, the tasting manager, it is therefore all the more pleasing that "we have again grown by almost 10 % - across all beer styles and continents".

About 39% of the registered beers are brewed in German brewhouses, almost 11% in the USA, almost 9% in Italy and 34 beers in the People's Republic of China. For the first time, medals will be awarded in 65 categories, including Fruit Beer, Session Beer and New Style Lager. "This is our response to the breweries' desire for even stronger accentuation in the individual beer styles," explains Oliver Dawid.

Due to the record participation, the international team of experts has also been expanded: 144 jury members, 11 more than last year, mainly brewmasters, beer sommeliers and proven beer connoisseurs from 32 countries, will evaluate the 2,344 different beers in a blind tasting on 12 October. The beers will be tasted in the same way as the consumer experiences beer: according to purely sensory criteria such as colour, foam, taste or smell. In small sips the beer is naturally also drunk by the tasters, because only in this way can the "body" of the beer be evaluated in the so-called aftertaste: Rezenz, fullness and hop aroma. "To answer a frequently asked question: our jurors certainly don't drink more than 2 - 3 half drinks throughout the day at the tasting," Dawid affirms.

Gold, silver and bronze are only awarded once in each category at the European Beer Star - unlike at other competitions. This makes the European Beer Star one of the toughest competitions in the world - and the awards, which are usually reflected in the sales figures, are correspondingly coveted, says tasting manager Buscham: "Every year we hear from breweries that a gold award-winning beer was sold out within a very short time.

The winners will be announced on 14 November at the BrauBeviale trade fair in Nuremberg.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1157661/record-in-the-champions-league-of-beers.html