The Estonian small craft beer brewery, Hopster, was selected among the best of a thousand beers at the European Beer Challenge, one of the world’s most important beer competitions, held in London.
Kristjan Peäske, the founder of Hopster Brewery, said they were delighted the brewery’s beers received excellent prizes at the competition. The brewery’s Belgian witbier Frida and English IPA Pearu received gold medals and saison beer Vidrik got a silver medal. In November, Frida was also voted the best beer by the Estonian Sommelier Association.
Peäske said the main purpose of participating in the competition was to compare their craft beers with other European brewers and to introduce Hopster’s products to European buyers.
At the European Beer Challenge, a thousand beers from more than 38 countries were judged by Europe’s leading brewers, who make choices for retail chains, hotels, restaurants and clubs, the Estonian Association of Small Brewers said in a statement.
Great potential
According to Tanel Nurmeots, a member of the board of the Estonian Association of Small Brewers, receiving this recognition is a sign that the quality of Estonian craft beers is very good and Estonia has great potential to export its production to international markets.
The European Beer Challenge is Europe’s leading beer competition aimed at providing professionals and consumers with information on the highest quality beers on the market. This year, more than 1,000 beers from 38 countries participated. The competition will evaluate the different elements of beer – appearance, flavour profile, aroma and structure.
The Estonian Association of Small Brewers was established in 2013 with the aim of developing the Estonian tradition of handmade beer, wine and cider production and furthering the Estonian alcohol culture by providing quality products and educating the consumer. Today, it is made up of the majority of small beer, cider and wine producers operating in Estonia, whose annual production does not exceed five million litres (1.32 million US gallons; 1.1 million imperial gallons).
Cover: Hopster Brewery founders celebrating their success (photo by Lauri Laan).
