The Beer Academy has created a new annual award of “Honorary Beer Academy Sommelier” to recognise people who have made an exceptional contribution to promoting the public understanding of beer.

The two first recipients are Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster at the Brooklyn Brewery in New York  and Bill Taylor, Chief Brewer at Lion Breweries in Australia -  two brewers who have been untiring ambassadors for beer both in their home markets and internationally.   Their biographies are attached below.

Beer Academy Director, Simon Jackson said “The Beer Academy is all about building public knowledge about  beer.  I can safely say that no one in the world has done more to champion beer than Bill and Garrett.  They are brewers with that rare skill of being able to make a very complex subject inspiring to the non-expert. Such is their ability that their influence extends far beyond their home markets of Australia and North America; they are internationally recognised as two of the finest beer communicators of their generation.

The Beer Academy is increasingly acknowledged as the world’s leading provider of consumer beer education and these two exceptional ambassadors will allow us to take the beer message to even more people.”

In a drinks industry first, glass packaging specialist Croxsons has generated QR codes for its full range of promotional bottle designs.

Visitors to Croxsons’ stands at both Packaging Innovations at the NEC and the SIBA Annual Conference in Stratford were the first to test the innovative approach to marketing. By scanning the QR code on bottles with a smartphone, full details of the bottle design can be accessed online.

Tim Croxson, director of the family-run business, said: “Matching the right packaging to the product is essential for food and drink producers, and to meet that need we offer a wider range of designs and specifications than ever.

“Having recently completely updated our website, it made sense to make further investment in new ways for customers to access information about our full range of bottles, jars and closures, as well as our bespoke design services.”

By scanning the codes, stand visitors at Packaging Innovations and the SIBA Conference were able to share information with colleagues, as well as save details of designs on mobiles and laptops. Tim added,  “In a fast-moving industry, quick communication is essential. The combination of our website and the QR codes gives our customers the competitive edge they need.”

Croxsons celebrates 140 years in business in 2012, with Tim Croxson the fifth-generation of the family to work in the company. He said “Our investment in the latest technology demonstrates that it’s possible to combine traditional standards of customer service with cutting-edge marketing.”

Exceptional beers and brewers recognized in the largest global competition

BOULDER, CO • May 5, 2012—Brewers from around the world received awards from an elite international panel of judges in the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup. The ninth bi-annual competition boasted the strongest field of entrants on record, with 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states entering 3,921 beers in 95 beer style categories. A 17.7 percent increase over 2010, the entries were eligible for gold, silver and bronze awards in their respective categories. Judges presented a total of 284 awards.

A detailed analysis of the entries and awards can be found in the 2012 World Beer Cup Fact Sheet (PDF).

“It’s called ‘The Olympics of Beer Competition’ for good reason,” said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, the U.S.-based trade association that has put on the competition every two years since 1996. “The event brings together great brewers from all corners of the globe. Plus, the awards are highly regarded. A brewer who wins a World Beer Cup gold award knows that their winning beer represents the best of that beer style in the world. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2012 World Beer Cup. The Brewers Association and the proud sponsors of our event thank all participating brewers for their involvement.”

Judges

The 2012 judging panel was the largest and most international in the history of the World Beer Cup. Judges from 27 countries conducted blind tasting evaluations of the beers to determine the winners. Drawn from the ranks of professional brewers and brewing industry experts, these 211 judges came mostly from international breweries, with some 67 percent from outside the U.S. In addition to the judging panel, over 250 volunteers helped sort beer entries and steward the competition.

The judging criteria are exacting—some categories are not given the full slate of awards if the panel decides that the entries do not merit recognition.

Award Highlights and Trends

Highlights from the competition:

• The average number of beers entered per category was 41.
• The category with the most entries was American-Style India Pale Ale, with 150 entries. The second most-entered category was Imperial India Pale Ale, with 93 entries. The German-Style Sour Ale category had the fewest number of entries at 11.
• The 2012 World Beer Cup saw substantial growth of entries in the American-Style India Pale Ale category. Category entries grew 41.5 percent over 2010 to make it the largest category of the 2012 competition.
• Additionally, Champion Brewery and Champion Brewmaster awards are given in each of five brewery categories based on the awards won by each brewery in the given size category.

The five Champion Brewery/Brewmaster award winners are:

Small Brewing Company Category
Brauerei Michael Plank, Michael Plank

Mid-Size Brewing Company Category
Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Matthew Brynildson

Large Brewing Company Category
AB InBev, Claudio Ferro

Small Brewpub Category
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant-Media, Iron Hill Brewery Team

Large Brewpub Category
Pelican Pub & Brewery, Darron R S Welch

The complete list of award winners is available for download.

Presenting Sponsor Krones, and Partner Sponsors Ball, Barth-Haas Group, Sahm, Siemens and Verallia, proudly supported the 2012 World Beer Cup.

Found this on the BII website

http://www.bii.org/topical/2012_olympics