The Barcelonan brewery of American origin Edge Brewing has been chosen among 245 brewers around the world as the Best Brewery 2020 in the Barcelona Beer Challenge 2020. This year the contest for the first time in its history, due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19, has been held in the digital environment. Here we talk in depth about the beer contest that usually welcomes the county capital and its prizes!
Brief summary of the gala
Upon cancellation of the IX edition of the Barcelona Beer Festival, frame of the celebration of the XNUMXth Barcelona Beer Challenge, the organizers of the contest did not want to postpone the presentation of the prestigious awards any longer. In this way, it has been performed in an unprecedented double gala broadcast in youtube live yesterday Wednesday and today Thursday April 16. The gala has been seen by more than 12.000 spectators, between the two days.
In this gala it has also been known that the young company Cierzo Brewing Co. has risen like the Best Novel Brewery 2020. mustache He has obtained the Molina for Brewing Innovation Award, award that is premiered in this fifth edition of the Barcelona Beer Challenge. Likewise, throughout the two days of broadcast, the rest of the prizes of the 62 categories have been awarded. The Steve Huxley Award to a whole trajectory this year he has received it Albert Barrachina.
The ceremony also had the participation of a hundred personalities from the sector. They have wanted to give their support to the world of Craft beer, greatly affected by crisis of coronavirus. And it is that, as the organizers of the Barcelona Beer Festival they assure, “we are convinced that the scene will need all the pieces of the gear to recover. As a piece that we are, we want to be here. So, we have decided to invest again in the project and recover to celebrate, all together, in autumn, the best BBF that he will never have ever done ”.
Barcelona Beer Challenge, international prestige
El Barcelona Beer Challenge It is considered one of the most prestigious international craft beer competitions in the world. In its fifth edition, the committee of judges, meeting at the end of January, tasted 1.251 beers from 245 breweries. 11 panels of judges were necessary, who evaluated the beers in 19 rounds, each one of about 8 beers, approximately.
Both the contest and the categories are structured according to the division of styles of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) 2015. Thus, the awards ceremony has revealed the winners of the 62 categories (list attached), in addition to the special prizes.
- Best Brewery. Reward the brewer with the most medals.
- Best Novel Brewery. An award that recognizes newly created breweries (the brewery that has been marketing its beer since January 1, 2018, maximum).
- (NOVELTY 2020) Innovation Award Molina for Brewers, which recognizes innovation in the creative process of brewing.
- Steve Huxley Award to the path.
- Best beers by styles. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the three best beers by category (pdf with prizes is attached).
Edge Brewing, American heart, Barcelona soul
Edge Brewing was established in the neighborhood of Poble Nou in Barcelona in 2013 by the hand of two Americans, Scott Vanover and Alan Sheppard, so eager to join the craft beer revolution in Europe that they brought in a brewery. By combining highly engineered American brewing equipment, the best ingredients and many years of experience, they became, in record time, one of the industry's leading brewers.
So much so, that this year it has won the Best Brewery Award at the Barcelona Beer Challenge, The Edge Brewing team is currently made up of seven people of four different nationalities, who brew fresh and genuine craft beer. They already export to more than 20 countries.
Cierzo Brewing Co, Award for the Best New Brewery 2020
Cierzo Brewing Co. is a craft brewery founded in 2018 in Zaragoza. However, its origins go back 15 years, when Sergio Ruíz, brewmaster, was already making his first recipes at home. In 2011 he founded Populus, a project that his friend would later join and also homebrewer, David Laguarda. After a few years as nomads, they set up their own factory in Caspe (Zaragoza). After a few years of success, progression and improvements in their processes, in 2018 they decided to join two other Aragonese companies, Hoppy and Gourpass, with the aim of creating a great craft beer brand Cierzo Brewing Co. It has been awarded as Best New Brewery in the Barcelona Beer Challenge 2020.
Mustache, Molina for Brewing Innovation Award
In this fifth edition of the Barcelona Beer Challenge a new category has been added, the Innovation Award sponsored and powered by Molina for Brewing with the aim of motivating the sector to innovate. The award is premiered mustache, a Galician brewery founded in 2015. In their own words, they create “a range of sophisticated craft beers. A range designed so that you can pair with all cuisines ”. But the award comes to him for his large doses of innovation, twists and turns shown in creations such as the first lager beer of punt, made with seawater from the Rías Baixas and fermented at the bottom of those same waters.
Albert Barrachina, the great beer student
“He is one of the people who has contributed the most to the development of sensory analysis and beer tasting. In addition, it has helped us to better understand beer, because without it, we still would not know or classify the styles ", they have highlighted from Barcelona Beer Challenge. For these and other reasons, Albert Barrachina, great scholar and popularizer of beer, has received the Steve Huxley Award 2020. An award that recognizes professionals who stand out for their career and for their contribution to the universe of craft beer.
Barcelona Beer Festival 2020, in autumn
Last Wednesday, March 11, at the gates of inaugurating the craft beer festival most important in southern Europe, the bbf, the event organizers were forced to postpone the event, following the instructions of the authorities, who canceled all events with more than 1.000 participants, because of the global crisis of COVID-19.
Since then the team has continued working for and for the sector, one of the most affected by the effects of the pandemic. But the good news will come shortly. Well, the organizers of the Barcelona Beer Challenge confirm that they are already working to mark an exact date on next fall to celebrate the great feast of the craft beer.
