World Beer Cup organiser Chris Williams with Lotte Peplow

Judging beer at prestigious international competitions is a real test of knowledge and skill, engaging all the senses. It’s also a unique opportunity to learn from leading brewing experts and network with the ‘rock stars’ of the craft beer world.

I’m often asked how I got into beer judging, and I’m delighted to share the following tips for anyone looking to put their sensory skills and brewing acumen to the test.

Education and knowledge is crucial
Courses are available to learn about beer and brewing, and become qualified. The Cicerone and Wine and Spirit Educational Trust (WSET) programmes both offer a thorough approach to the basics of beer knowledge, and offer different levels, dependent on your requirements.

Know your off flavours!
You won’t get far at the judging table if you don’t know your diacetyl from your DMS. You can buy off-flavour kits yourself, but they tend to be expensive. If you’re able to form a study group with like-minded individuals, practising off-flavours together is a good way to learn.

Learn to brew
Join your local homebrewing club and immerse yourself in the brewing process to better understand the nuances of temperature, time, and flavour. Start small — even a 10-litre kit will enable you to understand the basics of brewing and help you become a better judge.

CAMRA courses
CAMRA offers taste training courses which are accessible and beginner friendly. Those showing aptitude and enthusiasm may have the opportunity to join a regional tasting panel, where the role involves visiting breweries to sample and describe their beers.

Competition style guidelines
Familiarise yourself with these. They may differ according to the competition. Brewers use these guidelines to enter their beers, and judges evaluate and assess according to the style criteria within the guidelines.

Practice, practice, practice
Classic examples of every style are given in the Beer Judge Certification Programme (BJCP) Style Guidelines, allowing you to seek out those beers and practice tasting against the style criteria.

Once you’re confident in your beer judging skills, consider getting involved with the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), which hosts eight regional competitions across the UK for cask, keg, and bottled/canned beers. Regional winners advance to the national competition in March. To participate as a judge, approach the competition organiser, highlighting your experience and qualifications, and express your interest in joining the judging panel. Additionally, your local homebrew club may run competitions and require judges.

Beers submitted to international beer competitions are judged blindly against other entries based on their ability to meet criteria outlined in style guidelines, like those produced by the Brewers Association, BJCP, or those they define themselves.

The number of categories varies according to the competition. SIBA competitions have up to 15 categories, while the World Beer Cup, the largest beer competition in the world, held annually in America, has 110 categories! Style guidelines include the appropriate appearance, aroma, flavour mouthfeel/aftertaste, and overall impression. For bigger competitions (like the World Beer Cup which received 9,300 entries in 2024), beers may be judged against hundreds of other entries in one category, eg American IPA, and go through multiple rounds. Those selected for a medal are deemed to be the most exemplary and outstanding in their style.

Winning beers play a pivotal role in shaping the beer industry, celebrating quality and raising standards for everyone. Judging a competition like the World Beer Cup offers valuable insight into the skill and craftsmanship of brewers worldwide. It’s both a great honour and privilege to be part of such an event.

Tips for brewers

• Be sure to follow the style guidelines when submitting beers to a specific category. Many excellent beers are disqualified because they don’t meet the category criteria. For example, barrel-aged beers are not suitable for the dessert/pastry stout category and should be entered elsewhere.

• It may seem obvious, but always send samples of your very freshest stock. Batches can vary, so taste each batch before submitting samples for judging to ensure you’re entering the best quality beer you can.

• You’ll have a better chance of winning in categories with fewer entries. For example, in the World Beer Cup, classic British styles like English-style brown ale, brown porter, or sweet stout typically receive far fewer entries compared to more popular styles like juicy/hazy IPA or West Coast IPA.

• Most competitions provide feedback from the judges explaining why a beer didn’t advance. Take note of these comments and use them to refine and improve your entry for future competitions.

• Don’t be disheartened if your beer doesn’t win a medal. The more prestigious the contest, the tougher the competition, making it more challenging to secure a win. Keep refining and re-entering.

Breweries are invited to compete on the global stage and register for the World Beer Cup 2025 between 11th November and 13th December 2024. Winners will be announced at the annual Craft Brewers Conference, in Indianapolis, from 28th April to 1st May next year. Find out more at worldbeercup.org.

About the author

Lotte Peplow is the American craft beer ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London. She is a certified Cicerone, BDI accredited Beer Sommelier, beer writer, author, beer communicator, international beer judge, homebrewer, and beer lover.

The post So you want to be a beer judge? first appeared on Beer Today.

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Is beer festival fatigue a thing? Personally, I don’t think so. Certain festivals in the UK were busier than ever this summer, while the Great British Beer Festival is looking to return in 2025.

Over in the States, it’s a similar story. The Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest public tasting event in America, is now in its 42nd year and continues to draw huge crowds. But how?

The secret to GABF’s success lies in its constant reinvention from one year to the next, with new concepts, and new experiences and innovations to entice the beer-loving public to return.

Taking place in Denver, Colorado, from 10-12th October this year, it attracts approximately 40,000 people from all over the world, who flock to the festival every year to celebrate American craft brewing creativity and craftsmanship. They sample thousands of different beers from more than 550 breweries, cideries, distilleries, and other beverage producers. In fact, there are 122 first-time breweries pouring at GABF, an indication of the festival’s enduring value and relevance.

But this year is different. Organiser the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers, is shaking things up with a new layout where breweries are grouped by themed experience of their choice.

These different worlds of immersive experience offer a unique blend of themed décor, specialised beverages, engaging activities, and entertainment. Ann Obenchain, vice-president of marketing and communications at the Brewers Association, says: “Beer is still the star of the show, but we also know our younger customers and younger attendees are interested in an overall experience.”

Themed areas include:

• Prost! A traditional German biergarten where attendees can dance and sing along to live polka bands playing traditional Bavarian tunes, or test their prowess in a stein-holding contest;
• Score! a sports-lovers haven which combines the thrill of sports with the joy of craft brewing; Fright: a Halloween-themed experience that promises a hauntingly good time for all Halloween pre-gamers;
• Blast Off: an ‘out-of-this-world flavour blast’ featuring the Beer & Beyond experience area for liquid innovations and on-trend flavours, from international and domestic breweries;
• Meet the Brewer: a unique, interactive space where attendees can connect directly with their favourite brewers, offering a chance to learn, taste, and engage like never before; and
• Chill: a backyard gathering space with music, lawn games and exclusive brews.

New beverages are making their debut this year. While beer remains centre stage in its many iterations — think pumpkin beer, barrel-aged beers, sour ales, pastry stouts, and the ubiquitous West Coast-style and hazy IPAs — ready-to-drink canned cocktails, hard tea, and hard lemonade will be introduced for the first time. These newcomers will join a diverse line-up that includes cider, hard seltzer, hard soda, kombucha, various malt-based beverages, and an array of non-alcoholic beverages.

While the traditionalists among us may question the relevance of these beverages at a beer festival, it’s worth noting that many American craft brewers are now making ‘beyond beer’ drinks that cater to the increasingly diverse consumer palate. There will be something for everyone at this year’s GABF.

Also new is the first ever Lucha Libre Mexican Wrestling, where attendees can cheer on their favourite wrestlers in the ring and flying off the top ropes from Hugo’s Lucha Libre Live on the GABF festival floor while tasting award-winning Mexican themed beers from sponsors Cerveceria Colorado and Denver Beer Co.

Another unique facet of GABF is Paired, a foodie paradise where acclaimed chefs unite with independent craft brewers from across the States to design unique small bites perfectly paired with craft beer, craft cocktails, and cider, found nowhere else at the festival. Compared to the hullabaloo of the festival floor, it’s an oasis of calm tranquility where the focus is on the interplay of flavour between both beer and food.

And as if that wasn’t enough, there’ll be costume contests, karaoke, a silent disco, an international section, an area serving previous GABF and World Beer Cup award winners, a gluten-free garden and much more. Check back in next month for a round-up of the latest American craft beer trends found at the festival!

American craft beer in the UK

The UK is an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 7.9% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally. Here, American craft beer is available from selected national wholesalers and online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Beer Merchants, and Beers of America, as well as many bottle shops, off licences, online subscription
services, supermarkets, and certain pubs and bars.

The post What’s new at the Great American Beer Festival this year? first appeared on Beer Today.

The post What’s new at the Great American Beer Festival this year? appeared first on Beer Today.

Lotte Peplow. Photographs: Nic Crilly-Hargrave

Most beer drinkers will be aware that fermentation is part of the brewing process through which micro-organisms (like yeast) convert carbohydrates into alcohol or, in the case of food, acids. But at a recent special event, the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers, set out to explore the synergies between fermentation in both beer and food.

Fermented food develops a distinctive tartness. It therefore makes sense that beer and fermented foods should marry well together, with beer adding hop bitterness and flavour to the zingy acidity of the foods.

Taking place at Brat x Climpson’s Arch in trendy Hackney, East London, the event featured two renowned global experts in fermentation: chef Song So Kim, of Super 8 Restaurants in London, and chef Mara King, from Id Est Hospitality in Boulder, Colorado, along with Adam Dulye, executive chef at the Brewers Association, who curated the American craft beer list and is himself an expert in beer and food pairing.

Mara explained that fermentation is having a resurgence within restaurant culture, and one of the reasons is because it reduces waste. Fermentation techniques can be applied to foods that would otherwise be thrown away, such as bread. Mara re-purposes bread by adding Koji, speciality malt extract from Japan, along with salt and chillies, to break down the bread into a delicious umami sauce that can be used in another dish.

The menu comprised four courses paired with a different beer style, each exploring fermentation in different ways. Adam Dulye said: “The menu married fermented flavours together to demonstrate how they can complement and elevate the flavours of American craft beer and explored the highlights of fermentation from spice to salt, sweet to tangy, and to fermentation’s ultimate by-product, alcohol. The flavours of each dish were designed with the respective American craft beer in mind, building to a peak with the squab and finishing gently with a lightly sour beer and ice cream.”

The menu

Welcome beer
Rahr Texas Red, an amber American lager using Tettnang hops.

Amuse bouche
Rogue Honey Kolsch, brewed with wildflower honey, subtle floral notes
Bread and cultured butter, radish and fresno sriracha

The sriracha was made over an approximate seven-day ferment period and incorporated the key elements of this fermented sauce: spicy (fresno chili), sweet (sugar), salty (salt and radish), and tangy (fermentation).

Result: the subtle kiss of sweet honey from the Kolsch tamed the heat of the spice to give a harmonious match.

First course
Paradox Pilsner, old-world pilsner malts and Noble hops creating a golden, crisp, and crushable pilsner
Beef tartare with sourdough gochuchang, new potato chip, and cured egg yolk

Using leftover sourdough bread to ferment into a gochuchang paste, similar to a miso, with huge umami flavours and subtle spice.

Result: the crisp refreshing character and lively carbonation of the pilsner helped cleanse the palate of deep, savoury flavours ready for the next bite.

Second course
Allagash White, Belgian-style witbier brewed with oats, malted wheat, and unmalted raw wheat, spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel
Konbu cured fish with fresh and aged daikon radish with brodo and apricot kosho

This dish showcased the bold vegetal and herb flavours with the brine of sea water. Brodo is a stronger flavour than stock, but has clean notes. Kosho is a fermented sauce made from chillis and, in this case, apricot instead of the traditional yuzu. The flavour was more stone fruit noted than citrus, which was the key focus of the pairing.

Result: the strong saline flavours in this dish were perfectly balanced by the nuanced and gently spiced taste of the beer.

Third course
Alpine Duet, a West Coast-style IPA brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops
Squab (young pigeon), rice and pickles, home-made Worcestershire sauce, and Koda farms rice

Koda farms rice is from a small, family run farm in California that arguably grows the best rice in the world. It takes six years for each harvest from seed to dried.

The squab is dry rubbed, deep fried, then rubbed again, stuffed with herbs and finished in Brat’s wood fired oven. Served over the rice with pickles to cleanse the palate along with the beer.

Result: a blast of resin, pine, cedar and orange zest from this hop-forward IPA was the ideal accompaniment to the powerful combination of squab and flavour-packed pickles

Fourth course
Virginia Beer Co Lovey Dovey, a stone fruit sour beer featuring peach, apricot and mango
Amazake ice cream with faux ‘chocolate’ made from spent brewer’s yeast and fruit.

Amazake is a Japanese beverage made from rice and koji. Koji produces enzymes that break the starch down into sugars and carbohydrates. If left for a few days, lactic acid bacteria will start to turn it sour, then eventually break the sugars into alcohol. If left even longer… it becomes sake!

Result: an ice cream that tasted like beer cried out for a partner with a different taste profile. In stepped a stone fruit sour beer with its tangy, zingy, fruity notes that was a heavenly match for the ice cream and ‘chocolate’.

The broad range of flavour combinations on show illustrated the endless pairing potential of American craft beer and food and demonstrated why beer deserves a prominent place at the dinner table.

The Brewers Association

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from brewersassociation.org.

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer with 7.9% of all exports. It’s the biggest market in Europe and third largest individual market, behind Canada and the Caribbean.

In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, the Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Beer Merchants, and Beers of America, as well as selected bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and selected pubs and bars.

The post What happens when beer is matched with fermented food first appeared on Beer Today.

The post What happens when beer is matched with fermented food appeared first on Beer Today.

Cans are made with recycled aluminium, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 95%.
Photographs: Brewers Association

Brewing beer is an energy intensive, water guzzling, waste producing industry that could, if left unchecked, significantly harm the environment and deplete the world’s natural resources faster than you could say “pass me a beer”.

Fortunately, American craft breweries, being a responsible bunch, are stepping up to protect the environment and adopt more sustainable brewing practices. Balancing sustainability with profitability is no easy feat, but many American craft breweries feel a strong moral and ethical obligation to do the right thing for future generations.

The environmental impact of brewing is highly significant. Brewing typically uses about seven barrels of water for every barrel of beer and generates wastewater equivalent to what 245 people produce daily. This is especially concerning in drought-prone regions like California. Additionally, brewing requires substantial energy for heating and cooling, and produces spent grain and other waste products.

Sustainable brewing practices not only lead to cost savings and efficiencies, but also generate positive brand associations and loyalty among consumers. However, how can the average beer lover determine if a brand is sustainable? Without extensive research before visiting a bar or pub, it’s almost impossible to know if a draught beer is sustainable. Packaged beer, on the other hand, can communicate sustainability information on its label more easily.

American craft breweries like Anderson Valley Brewing Co, from Boonville, California, recognise the vital importance of sustainability. They were was the first US craft brewery to install a solar array back in 2005 and have a self-contained water system on site. Water is drawn from their own wells and, once used for brewing, it is treated and returned to the property making the brewery its own ‘zero waste water manufacturing facility’.

They also use a nitrogen generator to replace up to 80% of carbon dioxide used during the brewing process. Nitrogen is not a greenhouse gas and does not need to be trucked in, benefiting the environment all round. And in a highly collaborative way characteristic of the brewing industry, Anderson Valley advises other breweries how to size, select, and work with a nitrogen generator.

All spent grain goes to feed local cows, and glass packaging is a thing of the past. Now it’s all aluminium cans and cardboard. The brewery was able to reduce trucking by 60% just by shifting from glass to cans.

Kevin McGee, president of Anderson Valley, said: “We’re family owned and view sustainability in the long term. If my daughter takes over the company in years to come, I don’t want her banging her head against a wall in 15, 20, or 30 years’ time and thinking ‘Dad, why did you do that!’

“We don’t see sustainability driving consumer behaviour in a big way, but we do it because it’s a good idea and the right thing to do. We hope the sustainability message will trickle down from brewer to retailer to consumer, and ultimately influence behaviour.”

A brewery like Revolution Brewing, from Chicago, stands on the edge of Lake Michigan, the largest source of fresh water in the world. And Chicago has the largest water filtration system in the world so water is clean and plentiful.

Founder, Josh Deth, said: “We’re tripling the solar panels on our roof to be more efficient in making beer, and adding new equipment to enhance quality and sustainability, and not simply to sell more beer.”

Revolution has invested in sustainability by moving from plastic six-pack rings to cardboard cartons. Cardboard has among the best recycling records of any packaging material. It’s 100% recyclable, and when recycled into new products, those products see a 70% reduction in energy use.

Cans are good for the environment because:

• They are made with recycled aluminium, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 95%.
• Nearly 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today.
• 68% of cans are recycled — the highest rate of any beverage container.

What’s more, cans are better for preserving beer flavour and quality because they are 100% airtight and block harmful UV-rays from light, both of which can degrade a beer’s life over time.

Deschutes Brewery is based on the beautiful Deschutes River that runs through Bend, Oregon, but despite being so near a natural source of water, the brewery’s objective is to reduce water usage.

Scott Mellinger, plant engineer at Deschutes, said: “We are constantly looking to enhance our efficiencies with water, for example through optimisation of our CIP (cleaning) process and minimising water usage to only what is strictly required. A reduction in cleaning water needs almost always correlates to a reduction in natural gas requirements for heating the cleaning water, as well as a reduction in chemical needs.” A win, win for the environment then.

American craft brewers are renowned for their ground-breaking creativity, relentless innovation, and unswerving commitment to quality, but are also blazing the trail for sustainability and environmental stewardship to ensure future generations continue to enjoy the same high quality American craft beers as we do today.

Big news…

Iconic American craft brewery Sierra Nevada Brewing Co is expanding its UK presence with a new partnership through distributor Cave Direct.

From July the core range will comprise:

• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, California IPA, and Crisp Little Thing permanently available on draught.
• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, California IPA, Torpedo, Trail Pass Golden Non-Alcoholic and Trail Pass IPA Non-Alcoholic permanently available in packaged format.
• A wide range of Sierra Nevada specials will be available on a pre-sale basis to ensure freshness.

Dates for your diary

The Brewers Association will be showcasing a mouth-watering range of UK-rare, high-quality, innovative American craft beers at London Craft Beer Festival, Tobacco Dock, on 9th and 10th August

And, don’t miss the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, from 10th-12th October, the largest public beer tasting in the States and dubbed by Thrillist as “the one beer festival to try before you die”.

The Brewers Association

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from brewersassociation.org.

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer with 7.9% of all exports. It’s the biggest market in Europe and third largest individual market, behind Canada and the Caribbean.

In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, the Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Beer Merchants, and Beers of America, as well as selected bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and selected pubs and bars.

The post US craft brewers are stepping up sustainability first appeared on Beer Today.

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A new UK report looking at women’s attitudes and behaviours towards beer — The Gender Pint Gap: Revisited — has recently been published by Dea Latis, a collective of women working in the beer industry. It follows on from an original report published in 2018.

Britain has one of the lowest percentages of female beer drinkers in the world, so it’s good to see research being undertaken in this subject. But the latest findings make for grim reading because only 14% of women drink beer at least once a week (compared to 50% of men), down from 17% since the 2018 survey, and 70% of women perceive beer to be highly calorific and link its consumption with negative health benefits.

Other key challenges include the way beer is advertised to women — it is perceived as a barrier with women being under-represented in marketing campaigns. Beer is thought to be complicated for the occasional drinker, with glassware and presentation still problematic, and for women lager is still the default choice.

While other beverage sectors have focused on premiumisation since the pandemic, beer has remained static and women are under-represented in managerial and brewing roles, with only 3% of women being brewers.

Personally, these latest findings make me very disheartened. As a beer-loving woman I find it almost implausible that other women are not enjoying the amazing flavour spectrum of beer as much as me.

Photographs: Brewers Association

I believe more gender-neutral advertising, combined with more sampling, trial, and better education, both among bar staff and the public, is necessary for women to understand and appreciate beer. Today’s new juicy/hazy IPAs, for example, entice new drinkers into the sector with their fruit-forward flavours, soft mouthfeel, and restrained bitterness, that are less of a challenge for palates unaccustomed to drinking beer than other styles.

There are many American craft beers available in the UK with just such flavour characteristics, and I have converted many a non-beer drinking female friend with a few sips of a tropical, hop-forward, lush, juicy American IPA.

“What makes American craft beer different?” I hear you ask. In America, brewers have easy access to some of the best hop-growing regions in the world, in Yakima, Washington, and Idaho, and are able to hand-select the hops they require, giving them first dibs on the newest, freshest, and most innovative flavour varieties available. Brewers can touch, feel, and smell the hops due to their proximity to the hop fields, giving them a distinct advantage over the rest of the world. This use of high-quality raw materials, combined with technical expertise and never-ending innovation, produces incredible-tasting beers that women should potentially enjoy as much as men.

And while on the subject of America, you may be interested to know that our friends across the pond do not have the same gender disparity as the UK. Consumer research from a Harris Poll commissioned by the Brewers Association, the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, in 2022, revealed that females are increasingly interested in craft beer, rising from 29% in 2015 to 35% in 2021. Crisp was the unanimously favoured style by both male and female, but fruity and juicy/hazy styles were more popular with women.

In this survey from Scarborough, USA, commissioned by the Brewers Association, note how the gender index for craft beer in America has stayed relatively stable from 2012 to 2021.

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer with 7.9% of all exports, the biggest market in Europe and third largest individual market behind Canada and the Caribbean. In the UK, American craft beer is available from on-line retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Beer Merchants, Beers of America, selected bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and selected pubs and bars.

So let’s all drink more American craft beer, responsibly of course, and enjoy the broad diversity of styles and ground-breaking flavours whether you’re male or female, but especially if you’re female!

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge here.

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World Beer Cup winners celebrate

There are many international beer competitions around the globe, all purporting to find the best beers in the world. This is a bold claim to make if the competition itself does not attract a truly international list of entries, or is not judged by an international jury with eclectic palates and different perspectives.

The World Beer Cup, organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft breweries, which took place last week in Las Vegas, is one such competition that stands apart as a genuinely global contest.

Its goal is to identify up to three world class beers that best represent each beer style category according to the Brewers Association style guidelines. It is the one competition that brewers the world over want to win. New styles may be added (or deleted) from the guidelines according to relevance, and this year West Coast IPAs and pastry stouts were new additions. Last month’s World Beer Cup saw them judged for the first time.

Some World Beer Cup facts

• The World Beer Cup is the biggest and, therefore, the most competitive beer competition in the world. It attracts 9,300 entries from 2,060 breweries across 50 countries, 25% of which were international breweries this year.
• There were 280 judges, of whom 103 were from overseas, spanning 37 countries.
• Awards were judged in 110 categories, covering 172 beer styles (including all sub-categories) with the total number of possible awards at 330.
• Judging took place over seven days, four in the first phase in Colorado, and three in the second phase in Las Vegas. Winners were announced on the final night of the Craft Brewers Conference and Brew Expo America.
• The World Beer Cup started in 1996 and took place bi-annually until 2022 when it became an annual event.

In 2024, the styles with the most entries were:

• Juicy/hazy India Pale Ale (326 entries)
• West Coast-style India Pale Ale (281)
• German-style pilsner (221)
• American-style India Pale Ale (213)
• Wood- and barrel-aged strong stout (198)

The World Beer Cup offers a unique benefit to overseas entries by providing a series of consolidation hubs throughout the world in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, UK, Japan, and Mexico. The Brewers Association arranges for beers to be air-freighted from the consolidation hubs to the USA and covers the cost. A level playing field for all entries is provided, for example by judging more delicate beer styles that might degrade rapidly in the first phase of judging to ensure overseas entries are not disadvantaged. Winning breweries are free to use the World Beer Cup logo on their packaging and website to promote their success.

“Winning a medal at the World Beer Cup gave my salesman a great talking point and product to promote with our distributors,” said multi-award-winner Fred Karm, founder/brewmaster of Hoppin’ Frog Brewery, in Akron, Ohio. “And it gave our distributors a great talking point and product to promote with our vendors, and our vendors to our consumers. As saturated as the craft beer market has become, that’s increasingly helpful.”

Alesmith Brewing Co, from San Diego, regularly celebrates World Beer Cup success. President, Brandon Richards, said: “Winning at the World Beer Cup signifies a pinnacle of success for AleSmith Brewing Company. It signifies our relentless pursuit of quality and innovation, reinforcing our position as a trailblazer in the craft beer industry.

“These victories not only boost sales by increasing consumer confidence and interest, but also uplift team morale, motivating us to continue producing exceptional brews. Furthermore, these accolades elevate our reputation worldwide, attracting new patrons and solidifying our image as a brewery renowned for excellence and creativity in the brewing community.”

Business and networking taking place at the Craft Brewers Conference

For any brewery, winning a medal at World Beer Cup is huge, but for international entries from little known corners of the brewing world it is gargantuan. They may be competing with internationally- or regionally-focused styles and win success in unexpected categories. For example, this year a brewery from Seoul, Kore,a won gold in the speciality saison category, a Brazilian brewery won gold in contemporary gose and old/strong ale styles, and there was an Australian win in gluten-free beer.

Fortunately for American craft beer lovers around the world, many US winning craft breweries export overseas. So look out for medal-winning American craft beers from Coronado Brewing Co, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co, Deschutes Brewery, Reuben’s Brews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, and many more in your market. If you come across such beers, try them!

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer, with 7.3% of all exports, the second largest individual market behind Canada. In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Beer Merchants, selected bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and certain pubs and bars.

Next year, the World Beer Cup and Craft Brewers Conference will be held in Indianapolis, from 28th April to 1st May. Registration opens in November. The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from brewersassociation.org.

The post Global brewers gather for the World Beer Cup first appeared on Beer Today.

The post Global brewers gather for the World Beer Cup appeared first on Beer Today.

Photographs: Brewers Association

You’d be forgiven for thinking that chocolate, marshmallow, pecan pie, blueberry cheesecake, or peanut butter were flavours more associated with desserts than beer. But in the United States craft brewers have been pushing the creative envelope once more by developing a whole new style of beer more akin to liquid dessert in a glass.

Termed pastry stouts, these typically sweet, lactose-heavy, usually high-alcohol beers have even gained their own entry into the much-coveted Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines to “reflect the increased commercial availability of these beers”.

What exactly is a pastry stout, and how did it all begin?

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact genesis of the style, but many point to Southern Tier’s Blackwater series in 2004. From the 2010s onwards, beers like Cigar City’s Huhnapu imperial stout became widely known, and soon the idea took root across the Atlantic, particularly among Scandinavian brewers. The term pastry stout is thought to have originated around 2014.

Pastry stouts are almost always strong, sweet beers, made from a dark beer base that incorporates culinary ingredients to create a sweet, rich flavour profile that mimics flavours found in pastries or desserts. Subtle they are not!

Pastry stouts are extreme in alcohol and flavour, with a full body and smooth, creamy mouthfeel, due to residual sugars from a heavy malt bill. They can be barrel-aged and made with adjuncts, extracts, purees, or with natural ingredients deconstructed from well-known desserts. A Snickers-inspired beer may include cocoa nibs, vanilla, peanuts, and almonds. Sometimes they may include oats to boost the body further or nitro to enhance the creamy mouthfeel. The end result is undoubtedly a delicious, decadent, show-stopping beer, with undeniable ‘wow’ factor.

Pastry stouts have the ability to get the whole taproom or bar talking. When one’s mind is blown by the first sip of a breakfast stout tasting of chocolate, nut, maple syrup and blueberry pancake, it’s almost impossible not to share the experience with fellow beer-lovers. They are inclusive, accessible beers that invite new audiences into the fold who love not only the sweet, dessert-like profile, but the nostalgia and comfort created by flavours evoking childhood memories.

What makes a good pastry stout?

A well-made, well-balanced base beer is a good starting block on which to build the sweet flavour profile. High alcohol helps amplify and balance the flavours, while adding to the intense, indulgent feel associated with these beers. Simply throwing a tonne of lactose and Oreo cookies into any beer is not going to cut it. Here, three American craft brewers give their expert opinions on the style.

Kyle Fjalstad, barrel-programme manager at Craft ‘Ohana, San Diego, won a silver medal for Modern Times Beer’s Mega Devil’s Teeth: Double Dutch S’mores edition in the first ever pastry stout category at last year’s Great American Beer Festival. He says: “A good pastry stout needs to be sweet and high in alcohol, but not taste overwhelmingly alcoholic. It should lend itself well to adjuncts and be less acrid than its imperial stout counterparts. In my opinion, the best pastry stouts are barrel-aged to give a touch of oak and spirit character and provide more nuance overall.” The award-winning version of Mega Devil’s Teeth is a 14.4% ABV imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, with vanilla, cocoa nibs, and vegan stroopwaffles.

Where do you get your inspiration for pastry stouts?

Barry Homes, chief executive of The Bruery, Placentia, which makes a range of ever more innovative, creative, and diverse pastry stouts, says: “We take inspiration from all things that have an interesting taste. We usually start with real ingredients, including cookies, Oreos, strawberries etc, and if flavourings will make the beer taste better we use those, too.”

Who is drinking pastry stouts, and are they a passing trend or here to stay?

Jeremy Roberts, founder/brewer at 903 Brewers, in Sherman, Texas, renowned for its fruit-forward slushies and adventurous pastry stouts, says: “Pastry stouts are extremely popular. We’re releasing two to four pastry stouts a month, even in the summer, and they appeal to a wide consumer profile from 35 to 55 years old, both male and female. While they’re popular now, consumers’ palates and preferences are constantly changing, so we hope they stick around, but you never know.”

Barry Homes echoes these sentiments and says pastry stouts are not as popular as a few years ago, but still fairly desirable. At The Bruery, pastry stouts are popular among regular supporters who enjoy discovering how the brewers interpret a particular taste profile.

Craft ‘Ohana releases three different varieties of pastry stouts a month, which are typically limited to 300 to 500 bottles each, and they sell out most months. Kyle Fjalstad adds: “I think that the style will endure, similarly to other styles that have come into the craft beer zeitgeist. I think that people are often surprised when they try a pastry stout for the first time. The appearance can be off-putting for some, but after the first sip they realise just how approachable the style is.”

What’s the future for pastry stouts?

Pastry stouts are ideally suited to sharing and sparking conversations but will they last?

Kyle says: “Popularity will ebb and flow, but the breweries making the best versions of them will have drinkers to consume them.” Barry adds: “It’s a style that can fade if we don’t continue to innovate around it.” American craft brewers are renowned for their ground-breaking creativity, relentless innovation, and unswerving commitment to quality, and as such are well placed to continue pushing the boundaries of flavour and creating excitement with new ingredients and new taste experiences. Is it only a matter of time before we see pastry lagers?!

Look out for award-winning beers in the UK from American craft breweries such as Athletic Brewing Co, DC Brau, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, and many more.

In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Beers of Europe, and Beer Merchants, select bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and select pubs and bars.

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org.

A date for your diary

Don’t miss Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, from 21st-24th April, in Las Vegas, the largest industry-only gathering in the States. The conference features more than 60 educational seminars spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business, and more than 650 exhibitors displaying the latest and greatest product innovations, suppliers and services. The conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.

The post Strong, sweet, and dark: the world of the pastry stout first appeared on Beer Today.

The post Strong, sweet, and dark: the world of the pastry stout appeared first on Beer Today.

March is an exciting month in the beer calendar due to two significant events that are close to my heart — International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) and Mother’s Day.

Both fall on the same weekend (8th and 10th March respectively) and both present unique opportunities to broaden the appeal of American craft beer and introduce new flavours, new styles, and new experiences to women who may not be aware they even exist!

Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to introduce your mum to the wonderful world of American craft beer, if she isn’t a fan already. Whether your mum is a beer fanatic or hardly touches the stuff, there’s a beer style for every palate and it’s simply a case of experimenting until she finds her favourite. It’s never too late to start. My mum was in her 80s when she was blown away by the incredible aroma and flavours of high-quality American craft beer! After that, there was no stopping her.

Many years ago — approximately 7,000 BC — women were the original brewers. Beer was considered a nourishing, inexpensive beverage back then, and making it was a normal household task for a woman. But gradually, as brewing became more commercial, more professional and more governed by men, female brewsters began to disappear. 

Nowadays, I’m glad to see more women enjoying beer than ever before and discovering a new world of flavours. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2022, in America young women are drinking more beer than young men, with 51.8% of females aged 18 to 25 drinking beer in the last month compared to 48.6% of 18- to-25-year-old men.

But with so many styles on the market where do you start? Here are three ideas:

• Lager: An easy-drinking, clean, crisp Helles lager that’s highly refreshing and sessionable is a good entry level beer. Hop bitterness is minimal and alcohol by volume is usually 4.5-5.5%. Lagers make great food accompaniments and pair well with lighter, delicate flavours, such as fish and chips — the high carbonation helps cleanse the palate of fatty residues and leave the mouth refreshed. Curries and spicy foods also make good partners for lager because it can help calm the heat of fiery spices, leaving the diner feeling refreshed.
• Hazy/juicy IPA: In America, this style of beer has been winning converts with its low level of bitterness, juicy flavours, and soft, velvety mouthfeel. If the high levels of bitterness associated with a classic, hop-forward American IPA is too assertive for some palates, the tropical juicy, fruit-forward flavours of a hazy IPA are a good alternative.
• Sours, smoothie sours and fruited sours: Sours come in many iterations, from low-alcohol, refreshing Berliner weisse, with a clean lactic sourness, to beers using wild yeast or mixed fermentation, like lambics or geueze, to give funky flavours of barnyard, horse blanket, hay or oak. Sour beers can be flavoured with fruit or sweeteners and may look and/or taste like a fruit smoothie. In America, brewers like to push the envelope and experiment with ingredients, flavours and brewing techniques. This creativity and innovation is the hallmark of American craft brewing and what sets it apart from other brewing nations. For example, one American craft brewery I know produces a fruited sour with a 15% ABV containing 600lbs freeze-dried raspberries and 400lbs of freeze-dried blackberries per 1,000-gallon batch. It’s delicious!

Later in March (13th and 14th), Bob Pease, chief executive/president of the Brewers Association, will deliver the keynote speech at SIBA’s BeerX in Liverpool on the theme of Brewing Resilience, where he will be looking at a business-oriented approach to the new era. He’ll talk about how the prevailing economic pressures are demanding a strategic shift for independent brewers, emphasising the necessity of operating a brewery with a business mindset. On the second day of BeerX, he’ll deliver a seminar on Emerging Trends from the US Beer Market. Delegate passes are available on the SIBA website free of charge.

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer with 7.3% of all exports, the second largest individual market behind Canada. In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Beers of Europe, and Beer Merchants, select bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and select pubs and bars.

Dates for your diary

Don’t miss Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, from 21st-24th April, in Las Vegas, the largest industry-only gathering in the States. The conference features more than 60 educational seminars spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business, and more than 650 exhibitors displaying the latest and greatest product innovations, suppliers and services. The conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org.

About the author

Lotte Peplow is the American craft beer ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London.  She is a Certified Cicerone, BDI accredited Beer Sommelier, beer writer, author, speaker, educator, international beer judge, homebrewer, and beer lover.

The post Mum’s the word: It’s a big month for women in brewing first appeared on Beer Today.

The post Mum’s the word: It’s a big month for women in brewing appeared first on Beer Today.

Alex Spencer, of DC Brau Brewing Co, with collaboration host Sam Wright, of Howling Hops

Collaboration brewing has fast become a hallmark of American craft beer culture. It’s an opportunity for breweries around the world to come together and create unique and innovative new beers. They also learn and discover from each other, foster a sense of community, and build brand awareness.

The results are often one-off brews that showcase the skills and talents of both parties. They use unique ingredients or flavour combinations, different brewing techniques, and new ways of pushing the envelope in order to craft innovative beers.

Back in the 1980s, American craft brewers pioneered the craft beer world that we see today with their groundbreaking flavours, brewing techniques, and ‘can-do’ attitude. Collaborative brewing takes these approaches and doubles them to the benefit of both the brewery and the beer drinker. Last summer, seven American craft brewers travelled to the
UK to brew collaboration beers.

Why collaboration beers are worth seeking out

Innovation and creativity
American craft brewers are renowned for pushing the envelope. By partnering with other like-minded brewers they combine perspectives, talents, and flavours to challenge the status quo and create original, one-of-a-kind brews. Such innovation and creativity has helped maintain American craft brewers’ global reputation as leading-edge trailblazers. The fact that American craft brewers regularly gain top honours for their beers in international beer competitions is testament to the brewing skills and precision of the brewers.

Learning and discovery
Collaboration brewing is a good way to share knowledge and learn from other brewers. Last year, Alex Spencer, head brewer at DC Brau Brewing Co, Washington DC, visited London to brew an American brown ale with Sam Wright, head brewer at Howling Hops, in Hackney Wick. Later that year, Sam made the return trip to DC to brew a hazy IPA with
DC Brau.

“Collab brewing is a blast!,” said Alex. “It’s a good way to brew beers we might not normally do, like our American brown ale with Howling Hops, and to discuss various techniques and the differences in our brewing processes. In the hashing out of recipes we can learn things from each other’s experiences.”

Sam said: “There are a few differences I noticed between US and UK brewers. When talking about recipes we constantly need to translate from imperial versus metric units, and subtle nuances like that, and it’s more common for American breweries to receive their malt unmilled and have to mill it themselves. DC Brau has their own mill and this extra process step and control is not something we see in small UK breweries. Conveniently, lots of roasted malts are both malted and milled locally to London, England, so the American brown ale we brewed was a showcase of UK malts.

“We generally have access to some of the same types of ingredients as US craft breweries such as DC Brau (eg hops — which the whole world seems to source from the Yakima Valley, Washington). But they’re buying yeasts from specific yeast labs to which we don’t have access, so the type of yeast is slightly different. Specific equipment like the yeast brink that they use to dose the yeast into the beer is also something I’d never seen before, and this was very helpful.”

Brand building
Taking the outreach and marketing clout of two breweries is greater than one and creates a wider audience. A limited-edition collaboration beer may generate hype and excitement, leading to greater sales and brand engagement. Some breweries collaborate with businesses in different sectors, such as music, coffee or food — another effective means of
expanding an audience.

Fostering community
Brewing is a uniquely friendly and collaborative industry where brewers see each other as friends rather than competitors, and everyone is keen to uphold quality and produce the best beer possible. Collab beers are a good way to share a sense of time and place between two breweries, particularly if they are on different continents.

A good example of this was in 2022, when Sierra Nevada Brewing Co collaborated with Adnams to craft a beer in celebration of Adnams’ 150th anniversary. Called Eastern Edge, the 4.8% ABV pale ale used both US and UK varieties of Cascade and Chinook hops.

Steve Grossman, Sierra Nevada’s brewery ambassador, said: “Finding like-minded brewers, sharing stories, and
collaborating on a new beer recipe over a pint is truly one of the most unique and amazing things about the craft beer industry.”

Collaboration beers are a good way to discover new breweries and sample diverse, limited- edition craft brews. To find out more about last summer’s US and UK craft brewery collaborations, click here.

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer, with 7.3% of all exports, the second largest individual market behind Canada. In the UK, American craft beer is available from on-line retailers such as Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Beers of Europe, Beer Merchants, selected bottle shops, off-licences, on-line subscription services, supermarkets, and many pubs and bars.

A date for your diary

Don’t miss the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, in Las Vegas from 21st-24th April, the largest industry-only gathering in the States. The Craft Brewers Conference features more than 60 educational seminars spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business, and more than 650 exhibitors displaying the latest and greatest product innovations, suppliers, and services. The conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from brewersassociation.org.

About the author

Lotte Peplow is the American craft beer ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London. She is a certified Cicerone, BDI-accredited beer sommelier, beer writer, author, speaker, educator, international beer judge,
homebrewer, and beer lover.

The post Why transatlantic collaboration brews work so well first appeared on Beer Today.

The post Why transatlantic collaboration brews work so well appeared first on Beer Today.

As the craft beer industry matures and becomes ever more competitive on both sides of the Atlantic, the beer drinker is faced with a plethora of choice in both beer and alternative alcoholic beverages.

In America, 2023 proved a challenging year for independent craft brewers, with all signs pointing to production being down — a first (excluding a unique 2020) for independent craft brewers. The main reasons are slowing demand growth, competition from across beverage alcohol, and a retail environment marked by declining draught sales and reduced shelf space for craft beer.

But the overall popularity of the craft beer category continues. In the US, independent craft brewers still sell more than one out of eight beers, and consumers spend roughly a quarter of their beer dollars on a beer from a small and independent brewer.

In 2024, will they spend their hard-earned cash on independent beer or some new-fangled, hyped-up beverage alcohol either in the UK or US? In my opinion, quality always rises to the top, which is why it’s worth seeking out American craft beers that have medalled at high-profile, international beer competitions, and proved themselves on the world stage.

American craft brewers closed out 2023 with a string of medals and awards from three highly competitive international competitions, garnering 93 medals in total. No mean feat by anyone’s standards. The success of American craft beer at prestigious global beer competitions is testimony to the skill, creativity, and all-round excellence of America’s small
and independent craft breweries, who continue to lead the field in quality, consistency, innovation and style diversity.

In 2024, American craft beer fans in the UK can look forward to a couple of key events.

BeerX

SIBA’s flagship brewery gathering will be staged in Liverpool on 13th and 14th March. It will feature Bob Pease, chief executive/president of the Brewers Association, as the keynote speaker. He will be talking about salient points in the
US brewing industry that are bound to resonate with UK brewers.

London Craft Beer Festival

The Brewers Association will return to this popular London beer festival (on 9th and 10th August) with a mind-blowing line-up of UK-rare, innovative, and top-quality American craft beer, as part of its signature showcase. This attracts the discerning and the curious beer drinker and is always one of the most heavily trafficked bars of the festival.

Up to 25 American craft breweries will be represented, showcasing more than 60 craft beers, many of which are unavailable in the UK. The uniquely style-diverse range demonstrates the skill, expertise, and creativity of America’s pioneering and modern craft brewers and is a go-to destination for all beer lovers.

The UK remains an important export market for American craft beer, with 7.3% of all exports. It is the second largest individual market behind Canada. In the UK, American craft beer is available from online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, the Sierra Nevada shop, Beers of Europe, and Beer Merchants, as well as selected bottle shops, off-licences, online subscription services, supermarkets, and many pubs and bars.

A date for your diary

Super-earlybird pricing is open until 8th January for the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, which is staged between 21st and 24th April in Las Vegas. It’s the largest industry-only gathering in the States.

The Craft Brewers Conference features more than 60 educational seminars, spanning eight areas critical to running a successful business, and more than 650 exhibitors displaying the latest product innovations, suppliers, and services. The conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.

• The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from brewersassociation.org.

The post What’s 2024 looking like for US craft beer in the UK? first appeared on Beer Today.

The post What’s 2024 looking like for US craft beer in the UK? appeared first on Beer Today.