European Beer Star 2014: The success story continues

The 11th edition of the European Beer Star was a huge success: 1613 beer samples from 42 countries had been sent in to be evaluated by the jury consisting of 105 international brewing experts – a new record. The award ceremony took place on 12 November 2014 during BrauBeviale in Nuremberg.

The international tasting panel consisting of master brewers, beer sommeliers and specialist journalists from 25 countries met in October to chose the best beers in the world in a blind tasting. "Breweries in Germany and abroad understand the importance of winning a medal at the European Beer Star", states Dr. Werner Gloßner, Managing Director at Private Brauereien Bayern, which initiated the competition ten years ago. "It is like being knighted, and therefore has a huge impact on the consumer."

Initially the European Beer Star was strongly dominated by German breweries, but today over 50 percent of the beers submitted come from abroad. When it comes to the awards, however, German beers were clearly in the lead in 2014: German breweries head the list, with 18 gold, 22 silver and 19 bronze medals – three more than in the previous year. Runner-ups were the U.S. brewers with 39 awards (among them 12 gold medals). Italy came in third place with four gold medals. The biggest surprise of the 2014 European Beer Star: The world’s most successful beers came from breweries in Israel and Australia. The Alexander Brewery from Emek Hefer, Israel, received two gold medals in the categories Porter and Golden Ale, while the Redoak Brewery from Sidney, Australia, received two gold medals in the categories Ultra Strong Beer and Bottom Fermented Beer with Alternative Cereals. "Winning a large amount of medals at the European Beer Star is getting increasingly difficult for the participants", Glossner explains. "The competition has become rather fierce in all categories".

The European Beer Star has grown to encompass 52 categories ranging from widely known beer styles such as Pilsener and wheat beer to more unusual types such as Stout, Triple or smoked beer. The old-established brewery Aying from Upper Bavaria became the most distinguished brewery in Europe in 2014 with one gold medal in the category South German-Style Hefeweizen Bernsteinfarben, two silver medals and one bronze medal.

While in the previous year medals were awarded to breweries from 15 different countries, this year the number increased to 24 countries from all continents. Kazakhstan, Greece, Iceland, Norway and Cambodia appear on the winners list for the first time. The share of international beers increased by about 7 percent compared to 2013.

In addition to winning gold in their category, the following beers were awarded the much sought-after "Consumers` Favourite" prize during the "Winners’ Night":

Consumers’ Favourite 2014 in Gold: "Stickee Monkey" of Firestone Walker Brewery, USA;

Consumers’ Favourite 2014 in Silver: "Urweisse" of Brauerei Aying, Germany;

Consumers’ Favourite 2014 in Bronze: "Re Ale Extra" of Birra del Borgo, Italy.

A list of all European Beer Star winners 2014 can be found at the BRAUWELT Download area.