Asia Beer Awards 2010

Fact Sheet

 

 

Synopsis:

The inaugural Asia Beer Awards will be held in conjunction with Beerfest Asia 2010, 16th-20th June at the Singapore Formula 1 pit lane. The purpose of the awards is to highlight the variety of beers now available in the region as well as those looking to penetrate the lucrative Asian market.

Traditionally lager and pilsner beers have dominated the Asian beer market, however over the past decade Asian consumers have displayed a greater desire for diversity in their favourite brews. As a reaction to this maturing market importers have improved the availability of artisan and craft beers from around the world significantly. The annual Asia Beer Awards aims to showcase the best beers available in the region and in partnership with Beerfest Asia will provide guests at the festival with the opportunity to explore for themselves the rich diversity of flavours found in the world of beer.

Also, for the first time, we shall be holding the SE Asia Microbrewery Awards (please see below) to highlight the range and availability of beers now being brewed within the South East Asia region by smaller, independent organizations.

 

Event Date.

The Asia Beer Awards 2010 will be held June 14th-16th 2010, with the winners announced during the trade event at this year’s Beerfest Asia on Wednesday 16th June.

 

Location.

Judging will be held at “Malted Milk” at the Studio M Hotel, Mohd. Sultan Road. Judging will not be open to the public; as such we would appreciate if the location was not divulged in the media until after the event to avoid any unnecessary distractions on the days of the judging. Media will be invited to attend a judging session at 1-3pm Tuesday 15th June.

 

Categories.

Entries into the Asia Beer Awards 2010 will be split into eighteen (18) Categories (listed below), each category will be judged according to the corresponding technical specifications for its style as outlined by the Brewers Association* (please see attached list for technical specifications).

 

-          Wheat Beer (Hefeweizen or Wit)

-          Dunkel Weizen

-          International Lager

-          Seasonal Ale

-          Pilsner

-          Porter

-          Golden Ale

-          Stout

-          Belgian Blonde Ale

-          Strong Ale/Lager

-          Pale/Amber Ale

-          International Pub Ale

-          India Pale Ale

-          Low Carbohydrate Lager

-          Brown Ale

-          Flavoured Beer

-          Belgian Dark Ale

-          Cider

 

(*The Brewers Association is the largest organization of brewers in the United States of America (with over 1000 US brewery members) and they are the organizers of the World Beer Cup ®  – for more information please see their website www.brewersassociation.org. Please note their official title is not The Brewers Association of America.)

 

 

How will the beers be judged?

Each beer will be blind judged (in an unlabelled glass so the judges have no idea of the origin/brand of the beer they will be tasting) and will be awarded marks based on a strict five (5) point  marking system covering appearance, aroma, flavour & body, style and technical quality with a maximum of 20 points available (outlined below). The points awarded for each criteria will be added together to provide a score for each beer. The beer with the highest points in each category will be awarded the Gold Medal for its class, with the two runners up being awarded the Silver Medal and Bronze Medal respectively. In the event of a tie, the chairman of the judging panel will decide which beer is the winner (again, after a blind tasting). There must be at least 6 entries per category for all three medals (Gold, Silver & Bronze) to be awarded

In the case where there are several different beer styles in the same category, for example Wheat Beer where there will be  Hefeweizen (German Style) and Wit/White (Belgian Style), the beer will be judged and receive a score according to its specific style. The scores will then be compared with the winners medals going to the beers with the highest points. 

 

 

The 5 Point Judging System Points Allocation

 

Character

 

Points

1

Appearance

-          Colour

-          Carbonation/foam

-          Characteristics

Maximum 3 points

2

Aroma

-          Positive characteristics

-          Aroma faults

Maximum 5 points

3

Flavour & Body

-          General characteristics

-          Bitterness

-          Fermentation products

-          Flavour faults

Maximum 6 points

4

Style

-          Appropriate for its class

Maximum 3 points

5

Technical Quality

-          Absence of major faults

-          Balance

-          Drinkability

Maximum 3 points

 

Total

 

Maximum 20 points

 

Who can enter?

Anybody who brews or distributes beer commercially may enter their product. We are expecting an international field in excess of 300 beers for the Asia Beer Awards 2010.

 

How to enter?

Entry is via online registration on our website www.beerfestasia.com (note: we will need to supply the direct link to the Asia Beer Awards section of the website once it is up and running).

 

Closing date for entries.

            All entries must be registered via our online registration by 15th May 2010.

 

What does it cost to enter?

Entry is free for all exhibitors at Beerfest Asia 2010 with the submission of twelve (12) bottles for judging per beer entered. Entry for non exhibitors is S$50 per beer entered plus twelve (12) bottles per entry for judging. Beers must arrive in Singapore no later than 31st May 2010 (payment for non exhibitors must also be made by this date). Shipping details can be provided if required.

 

 

Who are the judges?

The panel will consist of 8 judges, of which at least three will be accredited international beer judges and brewmasters, and a chairman. So far judges confirmed are:

 

Judge

Company

Fal Allen

Brewmaster, Archipelago Brewery Singapore

Alexander Buchner

Brewmaster, Paulaner Brauhaus Singapore

Dick Cantwell

Brewmaster, Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, Washington USA

Gerry Yeo

Director, Beer Importers & Distributors Singapore. The first Asian to be inducted into the Chevalerie du Forguet des Brasseurs (the inner sanctum of the Belgian brewers guild).

Media Rep

Singapore Press Holdings

Raymond Lee

Director, iBrew Singapore – distributing homebrew systems & ingredients in Singapore.

Stuart Mort

Oracle, Asia Pacific

TBA (poss. Australian brewmaster)

Austrade to revert

Note: Any judge who has products competing in the awards will not be allowed to judge the categories in which their beers are competing.

 

Chairman

Company

Charles Guerrier

Euro Bar Concepts & Consulting Pte Ltd, Singapore

 

SE Asia Microbrewery Awards.

These inaugural awards will be judged at the same time as the Asia Beer Awards. The aim of the awards is to highlight the growing diversity of beers being produced and appreciated in the SE Asian Region. In Singapore alone there are now 7 microbreweries, mostly with more than one outlet each, there are also many successful microbreweries in Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam.

The beers from these microbreweries will be judged in eight (8) categories:

 

-          Wheat Beer (Hefeweizen or Wit)

-          India Pale Ale

-          Pilsner

-          Dunkel Weizen

-          Golden Ale

-          Stout

-          Pale/Amber Ale

-          Flavoured Beer

 

As with the Asia Beer Awards, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the top three beers respectively in each category. It is hoped that success in the competition will help the microbreweries promote their beer to a greater audience.

 

Who can enter?

Any SE Asian Microbrewery that commercially brews less than 18,000 Hectolitres of beer a year may enter their products.

 

How to enter?

Entry is via online registration on our website www.beerfestasia.com (note: we will need to supply the direct link to the Asia Beer Awards section of the website once it is up and running).

 

Closing date for entries.

            All entries must be registered via our online registration by 15th May 2010.

 

 

What does it cost to enter?

Entry is free for all exhibitors at Beerfest Asia 2010 with the submission of twelve (12) bottles for judging per beer entered. Entry for non exhibitors is S$50 per beer entered, twelve (12) bottles per entry for judging plus S$1 per bottle shipped to Singapore to cover import duty. Once the beer arrives in Singapore all costs will be borne by the organizers. Beers must arrive in Singapore no later than 31st May 2010 (payment for non exhibitors must also be made by this date). Details of our handling agent can be provided if required.

 

Who to contact?

For further details regarding the Asia Beer Awards 2010 or the SE Asia Microbrewery Awards 2010 please contact Charles Guerrier at charlie@beerfestasia.com