Our (taste) experience at Meiningers International Craft Beer Award

Neustadt, a small town in the heart of the wine-growing region of Rhineland-Palatinate, may not top your list of places famous for craft beers. But look closer, and you´ll see that this is the home of publishers Meininger, the organizer of the annual Meiningers International Craft Beer Awards.

This year for the first time drinktec is the sponsor of the awards and so we had the privilege of being at the tastings of the samples submitted for the 2016 competition. In this case “we” means Nicole van Passen, Exhibition Assistant at drinktec and our resident beer expert, and myself, Inna Wiedmann, Marketing Manager. Together with our partners at publishers Meininger, plus jurors/presenters Dirk Omlor and Klaus Artmann, we entered into the wonderful world of colour and aroma that is craft beer.

Rubbing shoulders with MDs of large breweries, owners of family-run brewing companies, young craft beer bloggers and a vintner we listened, tasted and felt our way into what makes this business tick. And what is the secret? Answer: They are all passionate about the quality of the end product!

A big thank you to Meininger for allowing us this insight into the process. Excitement is definitely mounting ahead of the publication of the results—and the craft beer brewers and their fans will have lots to look forward to at drinktec!

Inna Wiedmann, drinktec Marketing Manager, Daniela Hartl, Mareike Hasenbeck and Nicole van Paassen, drinktec Exhibition Assistant