Record attendance at European Beer Star 2013

The European Beer Star (EBS), Europe's leading beer competition, keeps on breaking one record after another. This year's EBS saw another significant increase in popularity with 1,512 beers entered from 40 different countries, up from 1,366 last year. In late August an international consortium of connoisseurs consisting of 102 master brewers, beer sommeliers and expert journalists from 25 countries gathered for a blind tasting held at the Doemens Akademie, Gräfelfing, Germany to select the best beers in the world, now in 51 separate beer categories (previous year 50).

This year's medalists come from 22 different countries, ranging from Australia to Belarus.

Top performers from Germany, USA, Belgium and Italy

Looking at the winners' list, it is striking how for the first time gold medals went to beers from all five continents, a group of 15 nations. Despite intensifying competition every year, German breweries still fared the best, comprising 44 % of competing beers this year. To be precise however we are talking mainly about "South German breweries", as 45 of 56 medals went to Bavarian beers (12 gold/17 silver/ 16 bronze) and the other nine to Baden-Wurttemberg (5 gold/2 silver/2 bronze).

Europe's top brewery at the European Beer Star was Brauhaus Riegele of Augsburg, Germany, which took two golds in the categories Heller Bock and Doppelbock, and three silver medals for Export, Dark and Light Wheat.

The United States was second in number of medals earned at European Beer Star 2013. Producers from the country's innovative brewing scene again captured 37 medals as last year, including 11 gold. The brewery to receive the greatest accolades at European Beer Star 2013 is from the United States: Firestone Walker Brewery of Paso Robles, which earned three gold medals for its Pale Ale, India Pale Ale and Imperial Pale Ale – a truly astounding feat, as these categories are packed with a large number of competing American craft breweries.

More than half the medals conferred on the US went to beers made by the Boston Beer Company, Firestone Walker, Odell's Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, Fifty- Fifty and Pelican Pub & Brewing – all of which are located between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains, and have for years successfully competed in the European Beer Star.

Breweries from Belgium, a country rich in beer tradition, went home with nine medals (last year eight). Four gold medals (last year three) were awarded for the Belgian-style beers Triple (Brouwerij der Ryck), Fruit Sour Ale (OUD Beersel), Sour Ale (Palm Breweries) and Belgian Style Ale (Brouwerij Huyghe).

The biggest up-and-comer of the year however was undoubtedly Italy. The seven gold medals the Italians won out of a total of thirteen (previous year: 9) show what incredible dynamics and what a strong spirit of experimentation are alive on that country's brewing scene. Italian beers not only won awards in the primary European beer categories – Birrificia del Ducato making the best smoked beer, Birra Peroni earning gold for its red and amber lager, Fabricca della Birra Perugia taking gold for English-style golden ale and Doppio Malto Brewing Gold winning accolades for English-style bitter. At this year's EBS Austrian brewers secured two medals, one gold for the amber wheat beer crafted by Brauerei Gusswerk.

Breweries of all sizes are found on the winners list, including many smaller owner-operated firms. "That's no surprise," says Gerhard Ilgenfritz, President of Private Brauereien Bayern: "The European Beer Star is really not about promoting mainstream products, it's about promoting innovation and creativity around the globe." As if to underscore that this is the case, the gold medal for Bohemian Black Beer went to the Australian Redoak Brewery. And the world's best Düsseldorf Alt is not brewed in the Rhine Valley, but rather in Japan, made by Warabiza Brewery.

European Beer Star (in cooperation with the Association of Small and Independent Breweries in Europe) is supported by the Barth-Haas Group, BayWa Agrar, Brauakademie Doemens, Fachverlag Hans Carl, drinktec, MicroMatic, NürnbergMesse and Rastal. A listing of all winning beers is available on www.european-beer-star.com.