The European Beer Star, one of the international brewing community’s most coveted awards recognizing original, innovative beers, has been awarded today. For the first time in the 17-year history of the European Beer Star, the awards were digitally presented.
After the World Beer Cup, another prestigious beer competition, which usually takes place every two years and which was scheduled for this year’s Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in March in San Diego, California had to be cancelled on short notice due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (inside.beer, 13.3.2020) the European Beer star is this year by far the most important contest for beers.
Breweries from 42 countries handed in their beers to the Doemes Academy in Gräfelfing near Munich, where – like every year – the testing took place, this year on October 8-10. Due to the strict hygiene requirements and travel restrictions the international jury was this year only half the size of 2019. Therefore testing was extended from two to three days. The 74 experts came mostly from Germany, but also from Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Sweden and Liechtenstein.
In each of the 70 categories the experts awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. In total 2,036 beers were handed in, thereof slightly less than two thirds (61%) from breweries outside of Germany. As expected, the record of last year with 2,483 beers from 47 different countries (inside.beer, 6.11.2019) could not be met.
However, the organizers, the Association ofPrivate Breweries in Germany and the Association of Private Breweries in Bavaria were very satisfied with the feedback to the competition. Already in July, the organizers had received “significantly more than a thousand registrations”, a number they expected to reach not before the end of the registration period due to the adverse circumstances (inside.beer, 23.7.2020).
In the past, the traditional award ceremony always took place on the second evening of the Brau Beviale trade fair. But because this event had to be canceled due to official requirements to contain the COVID-19 pandemic (inside.beer, 16.10.2020), the award ceremony took place online for the first time this year.
The winners were still very happy, even if they were unable to receive the prizes personally this year. The list of winners can be found by clicking here.
