What is the European Beer Star?

Around the world, there are competitions for all sorts of things. Whether it's eating the hottest peppers or wearing the most bees, you can't imagine it. Of course, there are also sensible competitions, such as those for brewing the best beer within specific beer styles. But there are huge differences in such beer competitions. So you need to pay close attention to which golden medal sticker on a bottle or can of beer is valuable, and which is not.

In Europe, the EBCU (European Beer Consumers Union) has established guidelines on which beer competitions can be trusted: so we can follow those stickers. The EBCU has recognised twelve beer competitions as fair competitions that award objective prizes, with no more than three winners per category. This list includes the Dutch Beer Challenge, the Brussels Beer Challenge, World Beer Cup, and the European Beer Star. These competitions are known for their transparent judging procedures and anonymity of the submitted beers, encouraging brewers to submit their best beers for a chance to win awards.

European Beer Star

In Europe, the European Beer Star is the most highly regarded beer competition. Since its inception in 2004, the competition has attracted more beers, judges, and participating countries each year. Beers are judged by beer style over multiple rounds, with tasters in each round evaluating a selection of beers and forwarding the best ones to the next round. Winning a medal means your beer has distinguished itself among many competitors.

We also like to test our beers in various beer competitions, and so we submit our beers to the European Beer Star every year. And not without success, we might add. In 2023, we won bronze in the Hazy IPAs category with Hazy Weekend, bronze in the New-Style Non-Alcoholic Ale category with Fun House. While in 2022, we even won gold in that last category with Playground! A great appreciation for how we think about the flavours we want to get into your glass.

Dutch Beer Challenge

It's great to score in a worldwide competition like the European Beer Star, but secretly it's even better to see how you score against your compatriots. The Dutch Beer Challenge is a good competition for that. And guess what, we also won prizes there last year! Gold in the Innovation/Special Low-Alcohol category with, yes, Fun House again! We also picked up a nice bronze medal in the Amber Ale Double/Imperial IPA category with Cheers To The Next 10 Years. That made the beer even more festive than it already was. Unfortunately, this beer is sold out, but we still have plenty of tasty hoppy alternatives for you in our webshop.

That Fun House is a medal magnet, we already knew from the Dutch Beer Challenge of the previous year: in 2022, the beer still won the silver medal in that low-alcohol category. In the Innovation/Special Fruit category, the Grapefruit Non-Alcoholic IPA took home the bronze medal. And in the Amber Ale Double/Imperial IPA category, we had gold with Power Move. A special that is no longer available, looking for a beer like Power Move? Then try Hoolah Hop, which is also a West Coast Double IPA.

Choice stress?

The real reason we, as a brewery, participate in these competitions is, of course, to show beer drinkers which beers are objectively good. There is so much choice on the shelves of supermarkets and liquor stores that we are happy to help you choose.

The small disadvantage of these beer competitions is that the beers are tasted in a specific beer style. If your beer deviates from the style in which it is entered, you have no chance. The beer judges look, smell, and taste based on the style description. You can have brewed a beautiful beer, but if it doesn't fit the style, you won't get any medals.

So if you don't know which beer you would like to drink, but you do want an objectively good beer? Check the website of the European Beer Star and the Dutch Beer Challenge; there you will find in each category which beers received a medal in which year. Large breweries, and small ones; only smell and taste in that style were considered. And if you then see that a brewery regularly scores in, for example, (Non-Alcoholic) IPAs, just to name something, then you can blindly buy those beer types from that brewery. And in other beer styles, they are probably good too.