Meininger's Craft Beer Award 2021: The best craft beers and breweries of the Year

Awards for the best craft beers and breweries of the year //
Prestigious awards go to Hoppebräu, Brauhaus Faust, Doppelleu Boxer (Switzerland) and NBeer Craft Brewing (China)

This year, a total of 1,111 beers from over 20 countries, divided into eleven themed tastings, were evaluated by a distinguished jury of experts consisting of 83 tasters from breweries, the trade, the press as well as research and science within the framework of Meininger's International Craft Beer Award.

"It was an exciting and varied tasting year that once again showed how diverse and high-quality the international beer scene is today," tasting director Christian Wolf sums up the International Craft Beer Awards 2021, which, due to the pandemic, took place in monthly, seasonally oriented themed tastings. "Thanks to the concept that was adapted this year, we were able to guarantee safe and professional execution at all times," Christian Wolf continued.

From pilsner and lager beers in January to barrel-aged specialities and green-hopped beers in November, the range of beer styles extended, some of which could be tasted freshly brewed for the first time in a beer competition. In the course of the year, the jury awarded special prizes to the best beers in 34 particularly strong categories.

Based on the results of the monthly tastings, there are also awards for the best beers and the best breweries in the competition, the highlight of each year and the accolade for the award-winning breweries. 

Craft beer of the year 2021 national*:
Hoppebräu Slyrs Oak Aged Imperial Stout (Edition 2021)

The highest-rated beer of the entire year 2021 comes from Waakirchen in Upper Bavaria and is brewed by Markus Hoppe. The Hoppebräu Slyrs Oak Aged Imperial Stout (Edition 2021) won a platinum medal in November and was awarded the title "Wood-Aged Beer of the Year". Among other things, this Imperial Stout matures for four months in whisky barrels from the Bavarian Slyrs distillery. A very special beer experience with aromas of whisky, wood, dried fruit and smoke.

Craft beer of the year 2021 international*:
NBeer Wine Barrel Aged Mulberry & Cranberry Niubic Sour (China).

The best international beer of the 2021 competition comes from Chengdu in China. With its Wine Barrel Aged Mulberry & Cranberry Niubic Sour, the NBeer Craft Brewing Company has created a barrel-aged sour beer that elicited top marks from the jury. Using their own wild yeasts on fresh mulberries and cranberries in selected wine barrels from Chinese wine producers, they have created a very special wild and sour beer pleasure.

* The title "Craft Beer of the Year (national/international)" is awarded to the beer that received the highest rating from the jury over the entire competition.

Craft Brewer of the Year 2021 national**:
Brauhaus Faust, Miltenberg

It has been a constant at Meininger's International Craft Beer Award for years and was already able to bring the title of best craft brewery to Miltenberg in Lower Franconia in 2016. Brauhaus Faust achieved this feat again this year. With a total of 2 platinum medals, 6 gold medals, one silver medal and the special awards for the best wheat beer, the best pale beer and the best festival beer, the family-owned brewery with over 360 years of tradition has once again proven that it has mastered both the classic beer styles and innovative creations to perfection.

Craft brewer of the year 2021 international**:
Doppelleu Boxer, Winterthur, Switzerland

Doppelleu Boxer AG from Winterthur in Switzerland was also able to repeat its title as Craft Brewery of the Year International. After 2019, the year 2021 will now also go down in the success story of the brewery, which was launched just over ten years ago. The experimental Swiss brewers can add a total of 7 gold and 3 silver medals to their gallery, as well as the two particularly valuable special awards for the best dark beer of the year and for the best freestyle beer of the year. This title was won by Citra Double Wit, which symbolises the brewery's creativity.

** Craft Brewer of the Year (national/international)" is awarded to the brewery that has at least five award-winning beers (platinum/gold/silver) over the course of the year and has achieved the highest average score within these award-winning beers.

In 2022, the competition will return to the tried and tested format of previous years with a big tasting in mid-April. Then a good 100 tasters from all over the world are expected in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, to taste and evaluate beers in over 70 different beer styles.

An overview of all themed tastings in 2021 can be found here: www.meininger.de/en/beer/tastings/international-craft-beer-award/results

About Meininger's International Craft Beer Award:
Meininger's International Craft Beer Award was launched in 2014 by Meininger Verlag. Until 2020, the competition took place once a year, with up to 1,200 beer specialities from all over the world being tasted blind by almost 100 national and international beer experts. Due to the pandemic, in 2021 the tasting was divided into eleven theme-specific tastings, which, among other things, also enabled the tasting of seasonally brewed beer stems for the first time.

Eight years after its premiere, Meininger's International Craft Beer Award is one of the most important beer competitions. With its tasting methodology, the competition sets new standards in the field of beer evaluation. Based on the international 100-point scheme, the beers are not evaluated comparatively, but individually according to appearance, smell and taste by a jury of experts without knowledge of the producer. In addition, the competition describes each beer tasted sensorially in terms of the aromas and attributes typical of the respective beer style. From this, an aroma diagram is created that is comprehensible and understandable for brewers and consumers and gives a first impression of the taste of the beer.

Meininger Verlag is the publisher of numerous beverage publications such as the magazine for beer culture "Meininger's Craft". The media company has demonstrated its tasting expertise for more than 20 years with numerous internationally recognised wine and spirits competitions.

Press contact:
Nicole Zeisset
Meininger Verlag GmbH
Maximilianstr. 7-15
67433 Neustadt/Germany
Phone: +49 6321 89 08 94
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.craft-beer-award.com