{"id":3635,"date":"2019-05-27T13:58:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T11:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bierversuche.ch\/blog\/?p=3635"},"modified":"2021-02-01T15:48:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T14:48:45","slug":"the-champions-of-the-swiss-craft-beer-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bierversuche.ch\/blog\/en\/2019\/05\/the-champions-of-the-swiss-craft-beer-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"The champions of the Swiss craft beer scene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B&R Beer Contest establishes itself as the largest beer award in Switzerland.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Swiss craft beer scene has experienced an almost incomparable boom in recent years. But as not only quantity but also quality counts, quality control with constructive and expert feedback is needed. At the Brau- und Rauch Beer Contest, the Swiss Beer Award with the most entries, an expert jury judged the submitted beers independently and impartially using the „Double Blind“ method. This year, Torkelbr\u00e4u lager from Niederlenz impressed the jury the most and was the overall winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whoever wants to keep track of all beer festivals, beer markets and beer hikes in Switzerland has had a strenuous life in the last few years: they are springing up like mushrooms. That may bother some. But it is merely a sign of the momentum and importance craft beer has gained in Switzerland over the past few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it’s this gained importance, maybe it’s the more than 1000 registered breweries in Switzerland<\/a>, which led to a new record of 335 beers submitted to the fourth Brau & Rauch (B&R) Beer Contest this year. This makes the competition the largest beer contest in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Judging<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One overall winner was chosen from all entries. Torkelbr\u00e4u from Niederlenz was able to secure this prestigious award in 2019 with its lager beer. In addition to fame and honour, the winner will receive a personalised Lindr beer cooler worth almost 800 francs. Sven Heider of Torkelbr\u00e4u was also invited participate at the next edition of the beer festival „Wordspiele“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only three winners per category<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the fourth edition, the B&R Beer Contest can be considered a veteran of the Swiss craft beer scene. There are other beer awards on the calendar, but the B&R Beer Contest differs from other awards in important areas, such as the Swiss Beer Award by the Swiss Brewery Association. „With our contest, we are specifically addressing craft breweries of the size Micro, Nano or Pico as well as home brewers who still brew beer as a craft and who do not have the financial means for internal quality control and expensive laboratory analyses,“ says organizer Silvia from Brau & Rauch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to other awards, where almost all submitted beers walk away with a gold or silver award or contest where anyone can buy a place on the jury, this contest only awards first, second and third place in each category and one overall winner. Plus the jurors are invited to participate. „Anyone who wins can be certain that their beer meets a high standard,“ says Laurent Mousson, an independent beer expert and head of the judges at the B&R Beer Contest, „but even those who don’t finish at the top of the categories will get something from their submission.\u201d He alludes to the fact that each beer is not only graded, but that the brewer also receives detailed feedback on the taste profile and, if there are brewing errors, a hint as to how to avoid them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n