Apparently the judges for the Beers of the World World’s Best Beers competition didn’t get the memo from Men’s Journal that Lagunitas Pils is the best lager in the world.
They seem to think it is Budweiser Budvar Dark.
They did almost agree with Men’s Journal on the World’s Best Stout, picking Deschutes Obsidian Stout. The MJ panel thought it was Deschutes The Abyss.
Beers of the World, in case you didn’t know, is a British beer magazine. According to its press release: “An international panel of judges tasted their way through hundreds of entries from the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Australia and beyond to find the winners of each style.
“These style winners then went head to head at a blind tasting event, where the UK’s top brewers selected the best beers in each category.”
They came up with an admirable list, but like the beers ranked in the current Men’s Journal — and let’s be honest, like the ones we’ll be lauding two weeks from now at the Great American Beer Festival — you are best to consider it a collection of really good choices and little more.
It may have come to your attention I am schizophrenic on this matter of competitions/lists, given that I’m immersed in The Beer Mapping Project Fantasy League. I love the lists, but I also love making fun of them and somehow I don’t consider that inconsistent.
I’m not sure what breweries entered this particular competition. Deschutes Brewery from Oregon did quite well, but there were only a handful of other American winners. Obviously the judges were good — Roger Protz was the chairman.
“This is an exciting time for beer drinkers. More and more craft brewers throughout the world are making beers bursting with distinctive and exciting aromas and flavors.,” Protz said. “The judges have been overwhelmed by the quality of the beers entered for the competition and it has been an immensely difficult task choosing the winners.”
So it deserves to be taken seriously — as seriously as you take any such results.
Best of the best:
World’s Best Lager: Budweiser Budvar Dark, 4.7%
World’s Best Ale: Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted, 4.2%
World’s Best Stout/Porter: Deschutes Obsidian Stout, 6.4%
World’s Best Wheat Beer: Grolsch Weizen, 5.3%
Category winners:
World’s Best Pale Ale: Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted, 4.2%
World’s Best Dark Ale: Robinsons Old Tom, 8.5%
Sub-category winners:
World’s Best Standard Lager: Simonds Farsons Cisk, 4.2%
World’s Best Premium Lager: Full Sail Session Lager, 5.1%
World’s Best Dark Lager: Budweiser Budvar Dark, 4.7%
World’s Best Strong Lager: Voll Damm, 7.2%
World’s Best Standard Pale Ale: Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted, 4.2%
World’s Best Strong Pale Ale: BrewDog The Physics, 5%
World’s Best Standard Dark Ale Deschutes Buzzsaw Brown, 4.8%
World’s Best Strong Dark Ale: Robinsons Old Tom, 8.5%
World’s Best Stout: Deschutes Obsidian Stout, 6.4%
World’s Best Porter: Fuller’s London Porter, 5.4%
World’s Best Grain-Only Wheat Beer: Grolsch Weizen, 5.3%
(tie) Meantime Wheat Grand Cru, 6.3%
World’s Best Flavored Wheat Beer: Meantime Raspberry Grand Cru, 6.5%
There were still more trophy winners. Here’s that list.
A final thought: Another a reason to hope that BrewDog finds a U.S. importer.
Let’s see, four US breweries listed, and they’re all from Oregon. This list is obviously definitive. Finally, a little respect over heah.
Of course the judges were good . . . . I was one of them.
The beers in the competition were just what any brewery cared to enter. If there weren’t many American beers in the competition, it’s because not many American breweries chose to enter.
Ron, I know you aren’t the source of this competition, but since you are here and Beers of the World isn’t . . .
It looks as if there weren’t categories that Belgian beers fit neatly in. Am I correct?
Also, and you may not know this, but I suspect there was an entry fee. US breweries likely saw little benefit in being publicized in a publication that is hard to find in the states.
So, shouldn’t this be a list of the World’s Best Beers that Bothered to Enter Our Competition? I mean, really.
Steve, realistically that’s what GABF is – though it gets a good chunk of US breweries (still less than a third).
I think that’s an issue with World Beer Cup, which is about half US entries. The good news is that more of the world’s great breweries choose to participate every competition.
“realistically that’s what GABF is
I wouldn’t disagree, and I’d be as disdainful with them if they were titling the competition “The World’s Best Beers” (are they?). After all, they aren’t hiding the fact that it’s the Great American Beer Festival. Apologies to Stephen too, as I know Canada is part of America too!
Okay — re-reading my post, disdainful is probably too strong a word to have used.
What word(s) would you use for eye rolling? 🙂
I had a few Belgians amongst the beers I judged. They were in the categories Pale and Strong Pale Ale. They weren’t that bad a fit. I could pick them out easily when tasting blind, but then again I could pick out the American beers, too.
Thanks, Ron. I might not be surprised by the answer but what made the American beers easy to pick out?
“I might not be surprised by the answer…”
No? 😉
I picked out the American beers from their hop flavour. Pretty obvious, really.
This is one of the reasons that I don’t want evryone to brew the same kinds of beer everywhere: it’s nice when a country’s beers have a generic character. But if British brewers start hopping like Americans, part of the identity of British beer is lost.
Thanks, Ron.
I agree about the importance of preserving regional differences.