Scan Magazine
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Columns
Why beer competitions are important By Malin Norman
Once again, my social media feed is filling up with photos from beer competitions, such as Copa Tayrona in Colombia and Birra dell’Anno in Italy. Many more will follow: SIBA Awards in March, Barcelona Beer Challenge in April and, of course, the World Beer Cup in May. Not only is WBC considered ‘the Olympics of beer competitions’, it has a waiting list for judges of around five years (yes, I’m still waiting). But why are beer people such as myself so interested in competitions? And why do brewers enter their beers? Simply put, beer competitions are an excellent way for brewers to get feedback and recognition from well-trained tasters. Competitions are also a good opportunity for judges to network, extend their experience and, hopefully, to taste some excellent beers. “It looks so serious,” my partner told me when I showed him a photo from a recent competition. Yes indeed! Each beer is carefully judged for appearance,
aroma, flavour and mouthfeel, but also drinkability and often commercial potential. Judges are provided with style guidelines, to see if the beer meets the style criteria. Basically, does it present the way the brewer intended? Judges then provide feedback, both good and bad, which is shared with the brewer. Some brewers tell me that this feedback is in fact more important than winning, so that they can perfect the beer. Often, competitions take place and winners are announced in relation to a festival, which is clever timing; brewers are presented with their trophy on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience, and afterwards curious consumers can be first in line to try the award-winning beers. The competition’s photographer makes sure that all winners get their picture taken – great for sharing on social media. It creates a buzz and might help breweries reach more consumers and enter new markets.
Malin Norman is a Certified Cicerone®, a certified beer sommelier, an international beer judge and a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers.
A summer vacation close to home By Alejandra Cerda Ojensa
Growing up, we never had a summer house, as many Swedish families do. Neither did we have a lot of money to buy one. Instead, my dad and his wife rented a little one-room cabin outside Stockholm with no electricity or running water. Every summer, we would spend weeks in our little summer house. We celebrated midsummer with the other families, and I loved helping to carry buckets of water from the well. This might sound like it was hundreds of years ago, but this was the late ‘90s. During those summers, my best friend and I spent most of the time outdoors. We caught butterflies, read books, picked flowers and spent time with the other members of the community. Because the whole 26 |
Issue 152
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March 2023
site was car-free, we gladly ran around without fear of anything besides snakes or drowning – but we had our rubber boots on, and obeyed the adults’ rules of never swimming in the lake by ourselves. Despite this picturesque childhood memory of playing outdoors, I wouldn’t consider myself a nature-lover – but it did teach me that a happy summer doesn’t have to be spent in exotic places. Of course, I went abroad a few times and loved it, but I enjoyed the Swedish summers just as much. As an adult responsible for my own summers, I still seek out holidays that don’t include airplanes, that keep costs down and will give me time to rest. That’s what the summer vacation is for, isn’t it?
Sustainability columnist Alejandra Cerda Ojensa is a Swedish sustainability blogger based in Copenhagen. She loves sustainable fashion, plant-based food, natural wines and music. Instagram: alejandracerda.co