Well, that’s the first phase of the International Brewing Awards and the International Cider Awards over for another year. And we couldn’t have done it without a lot of help!
This year, our judges sampled a huge 1,000 products, which was no small undertaking! The care and attention that goes into ensuring all the entries are judged fairly is simply astounding.
We’re proud that every brewer who enters the awards know that their product is in safe hands as we ensure that each sample submitted is served in its optimum condition, exactly as the brewer or cider-maker intended.
Our headline sponsors, Barth-Hass Group, Krones AG, Matthew Clark and BFBi, are also all integral to putting on the world’s longest running brewing and cider awards, and they all bring their expertise to the table.
Keeping drinks cool is vital to the judging process and MF Refrigeration – the UK’s leading independent manufacturer of refrigerated cooling equipment to the beverage, vending and industrial industries – help us ensure each submission is kept in perfect condition.
When it comes to actually serving the product the support from our keg dispense partner Molson Coors and our cask cooling partner Beer Engines, is invaluable. Molson Coors ensured that all keg beers and ciders were dispensed exactly as they were intended. A special mention too to BevEx, Boc Sureserve and MicroMatic for their support.
Coordinating all the entries for judging is no mean feat – Trade Team, our logistics partner, handles all submitted products with military precision, ensuring that samples are delivered securely, on time, and in excellent condition. And Anton Paar, a business with decades of experience, provides technology that our judges use for essential beverage analysis (such as testing ABV, or colour).
There could be no judging without an appropriate venue, and we are grateful to NBC, our venue partner for that. As for the winners well-deserved trophies and medals, these were supplied by Fattorini.
We’d also like to say a huge thank you to AB Vickers, Murphy & Son and Charles Faram for support with the supply of judges’ bags, clothing and lanyards.
The awards couldn’t happen without our many volunteer stewards. A crucial part of the awards process – their dedication and hard work is a real reflection of the great industry we are so proud to be part of.
We feel so lucky to have been supported by the industry and look forward to the next phase of activity – the trophy winners announcement at the prestigious Guildhall, London on 1 May.