Beer sommeliers search for the new German champion

Beer experts from all over Germany compete for the title

06-Sep-2024

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Preparations for the German Beer Sommelier Championships are in full swing. The best beer sommeliers in Germany will compete against each other in Munich on Saturday, September 14. In the competition, participants will have to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in front of a panel of experts in order to become the German Beer Sommelier Champion and secure a place at the 2025 World Beer Sommelier Championships. The beer sommelier movement has set itself the task of celebrating beer as a diverse and traditional drink and focusing on the appreciation of beer. The championship is organized by the Doemens Academy in Gräfelfing near Munich with the ideal support of the Association of Beer Sommeliers. There are already around 3,000 experts throughout Germany who have completed training as beer sommeliers.

In the preliminary rounds of the German championship, the focus is on sensory skills and specialist knowledge. The participants must first recognize ten different beer styles as well as various typical beer aromas ("flavours"). These sensory challenges require maximum precision and comprehensive specialist knowledge. The 15 best in the preliminary round automatically qualify for the World Beer Sommelier Championships, which will take place in Munich in September 2025, and form the national team. The ten best applicants in the preliminary round will compete against each other in direct duels in the semi-finals. In this round, they have to present a selected beer within three minutes. The challenge is to describe an unknown type of beer in front of a jury, name the beer style and convince the judges of their passion for beer during the presentation. The six best beers in the semi-finals then go through to the final. Here they have to give a comprehensive presentation of a beer that is unknown to them and chosen by lot. In addition to technical criteria, the presentation of the finalists also plays a decisive role in the evaluation by the expert jury.

The German Brewers' Association has been promoting the beer sommelier movement for many years. "Beer has always been a cultural asset in Germany. We are very pleased that the number of beer sommeliers has been steadily increasing for years, because the sommeliers are ambassadors of our beer culture who make a valuable contribution to the conscious and responsible enjoyment of beer," emphasizes Holger Eichele, Managing Director of the German Brewers' Association. Together with the FORUM BIER sponsorship association, the German Brewers' Association supports the German team of beer sommeliers who qualify during the championship and accompanies the participants on their way to the World Championships in September 2025. Glass manufacturer Rastal and the Bavarian Brewers' Association also support the German Championships as sponsors.

The Association of Graduate Beer Sommeliers is an ideal supporter of the German Championships. For Nicola Buchner, Managing Director of the association, the competition is always a highlight: "The German Beer Sommelier Championship promises to be an exciting event in which the participants impressively demonstrate their passion and knowledge of beer."

Training to become a beer sommelier is still a relatively young profession, but one that is increasingly becoming the focus of public attention. The beer sommelier movement is growing from year to year and is accompanied by a growing appreciation for the art of brewing and quality beers. There are currently around 4,000 beer sommeliers in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Some have completed the training out of private interest, but many work in breweries or restaurants, where the presentation of the art of brewing and the variety of beers is playing an increasingly important role.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1184372/beer-sommeliers-search-for-the-new-german-champion.html