Did you know that Rogue Dry Hopped Red is the World’s Best Pale Ale?
That Waldhaus Diplom Pils is the World’s Best Lager?
Or that Samuel Adams Imperial White is the World’s Best Flavoured Wheat Beer?
Until I received a press release from the Brunhaut Brewery about its two awards I hadn’t seen the World Beer Awards 2009 results. How did that happen?
This is the competition organized by Beers of The World, the UK publication that recently ceased its print edition. Obviously a well conceived way to judge the beers with excellent judges (Roger Protz headed it up), but of course the winners are really “World’s Best [Fill In The Category] That Paid To Enter Our Contest.”
The best reason to give these a look is they aren’t organized like the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, United States Beer Championship or your basic American homebrew competition.
Not to pick on any of those — I’ll be judging in a homebrew competition this weekend — but the notion that the United States might write the beer style guidelines for the world should at least make you pause.
Things that make you go, hmmm.
Can a Red, be a Pale? Hmmm.
Steve, the Red did also win as a Red. Rumor has it, Rogue’s Dry Hopped Red was making a big push to win the lager category and also plans to enter into cola and juice competitions as well.
Kinda weird, I agree, lol!
“…making a big push to win the lager category and also plans to enter into cola and juice competitions as well.”
Heh — sounds like how I would enter home-brew contests! 😉