Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group – once again receives international recognition for world-class quality. Its premium beer brand, Windhoek Draught has been awarded a bronze medal at the annual 2018 European Beer Star Award ceremony that took place recently in Nuremberg, Germany. The European Beer Star Awards by the Private Brauereien Association is one of the most coveted trophies in the international brewing world.
2,344 beers (39 % German, 61 % international) participated in the 2018 European Beer Star Awards competition. In total, 51 countries from across the globe took part, which represents a 9 % increase compared to 44 countries in 2017. The winners of the different beer categories were announced on the 14th of November 2018 which saw Windhoek Draught walk away with a bronze medal in the category ‘European Style Mild Lager’. NBL Head Brewer, Christian Müller: “This competition celebrates breweries around the globe that are committed to the traditional European art of brewing and is limited to beer-categories which originated in Europe. It also celebrates authenticity, distinctive beers of an impressive taste and quality that fulfill the criteria of the particular type in the best way possible. It evaluates the beers on the basis of purely sensory criteria, and is one of the most challenging competitions worldwide. The European Beer Star Award is an amazing recognition of our commitment to the art and craft of brewing and using the best raw ingredients.”
The countries that participated this year were: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, El Salvador, Finland, France, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldavia, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and USA
The beers were tasted by an international expert panel at the Doemens Brewing Academy in Gräfelfing near Munich, with 144 beer and brewery experts from 32 countries all over the globe. The panel included master brewers, beer sommeliers and proven beer connoisseurs who judged entrants based on criteria reflecting what all consumers value in a good beer: appearance, foam, smell, taste and varietal characteristics. Managing Director of Private Brauereien Bayern, Oliver Dawid: “The goal of the competition is to demonstrate the diversity of flavours in craft-brewed beers. The European Beer Star has long been a showcase for the best beers in the world and its reach is constantly growing.”
The European Beer Star tasting and award ceremony took place for the 15th consecutive time this year.
