Kundmüller Brewery brews Kellerbier of the Year //
Hoppebräu awarded for "Märzen of the Year" //
Best Oktoberfest-Style Lager comes from Brauhaus Faust //
Other special awards go to Doppelleu Boxer and Kaiserdom Klosterbräu
Autumn is folk festival time - even if many of the big festivities have to be cancelled again due to the pandemic, the breweries focus on drinkable varieties such as Kellerbier, Oktoberfest-Style Lager and Märzen at this time of year. In line with the seasonal concept, Meininger's International Craft Beer Award in September also focused on these beer styles. "With all the currently popular hop experiments - brewing perfectly harmonious, bottom-fermented beers with high drinkability continues to be the supreme discipline among brewers," says Benjamin Brouër, beer expert of the organising Meininger Verlag.
A total of 123 beers were hoping for one of the coveted awards. At the end of the tasting day, the expert jury, composed of beer sommeliers, brewers and other experts from research and teaching, awarded 22 x gold and 9 x silver.
The following beers received special awards as the highest rated representatives of their style:
The Kellerbier of the Year comes from the Craft Brewers of the Year 2020, the Franconian brewery Kundmüller. Their Weiherer Bio-Zwickerla dunkel, an amber-coloured cellar beer from 100 per cent organic cultivation with 5.4 % alcohol by volume, convinced the jury with its malty and drinkable character.
The traditional beer style Märzen, which used to be brewed at the end of March and then stored in wooden barrels in cool cellars until summer, was implemented by no one as convincingly as Markus Hoppe from Waakirchen in Upper Bavaria. His Hoppebräu Märzen was named Märzen of the Year by the jury. The beer with a volume of 5.6 % presents itself as a stylish amber-coloured, malty, fresh and drinkable beer.
The jury of experts also named Michelsmess Festbier from Brauhaus Faust in Miltenberg, Lower Franconia, Oktoberfest-Style Lager of the Year. Once a year at the Michaelismesse Miltenberg, the largest folk festival on the Bavarian Lower Main, the successful brewery produces a limited edition of this golden-coloured, drinkable speciality with 6% alcohol by volume.
(Munich) Dark of the Year 2021:
Doppelleu Boxer Edition Brunette, Switzerland.
The beer in the style of a bottom-fermented Munich dark impressed the jury with its aroma of malt, roasted notes and subtle hints of caramel. At 5.2% by volume, the chocolate-brown beer comes up trumps with a round, soft body and a gentle finish.
Schwarzbier of the year 2021:
Kaiserdom Klosterbräu Bamberger Schwärzla, Bamberg.
This deep black speciality from Bamberg with 5.0% by volume is characterised by strong, yet harmoniously balanced roasted aromas full of hints of coffee, dark chocolate and caramel. A mild refraction supports the malty, aromatic and soft mouthfeel.