<p>News brewed on 28/06/17 And the winner is: BrewDog launches ‘Beer Geek Awards’ to toast the craft beer community and reward beer geeks’ impact on the burgeoning craft beer scene.</p><p>BrewDog launches search to find Europe’s biggest beer geeks, with prizes including trips to San Diego and Stockholm.</p><p>Independent Scottish craft brewer, BrewDog, today launches its search to find Europe’s most passionate beer fans as part of its inaugural Beer Geek Awards. The awards are the latest initiative in BrewDog’s mission to make other people as passionate about craft beer as they are, by shining a light on those beer-obsessed individuals who make a selfless impact on the craft beer revolution. The beer category is known for crediting the advancement of craft beer from within the industry, but the Beer Geek Awards are the first to recognise the impact of those outside the industry. </p><p>BrewDog’s founder, James Watt, commented: </p><p>“The UK’s craft beer scene has come a long way since we brewed our first Punk IPA back in 2007, and continues to grow at breakneck speed. Every beer geek in the country has played a role in building this movement to get it where it is today. They’ve been the real driving force enabling craft brewers of every shape and size to redefine what beer is, so we’re giving the beer geeks a platform to do what they do best, celebrate craft beer”. </p><p>The Beer Geek Awards has seven categories that acknowledge exceptional individuals across the UK and Europe’s entire craft beer scene including ‘Beer Bar Hopper Geek’, ‘Beer Blogging Geek’, ‘Beer Social Media Geek’ and ‘Beer Scholar Geek’, which will be a decided through an online beer quiz. Craft beer aficionados can enter from today until 18th July, with special prizes available including rare beers, breaks in Sweden to the Stockholm Beer & Whisky festival, and a grand prize of a holiday to the beery destination of San Diego.</p><p>To qualify, entrants must not earn their primary income through the beer industry. Whether it is spending their weekends visiting breweries, always being the first to seek out new or rare brews or sharing beer reviews on a craft beer blog, the new awards are about celebrating those beer fans driven by pure passion for craft beer. </p><p>James Watt continued: </p><p>“Craft beer is all-inclusive and doesn’t start and stop with the brewers. As an industry, we are great at recognising the work of the people who make and sell amazing craft beer, but without the beer geeks on the ground who act as ambassadors for great beer, we’d quickly stagnate. The beer geeks play a major role in developing the industry by helping us to push the perceptions of what great beer can be. These awards will acknowledge those who live and breathe craft beer, and will aim to elevate their position in the community.”</p><p>An awards ceremony will be held later this summer at BrewDog Clerkenwell in London, where a judging panel of beer experts will select the winners of each category. The judges for The Beer Geek Awards will include James Watt – Captain & Cofounder of BrewDog, Ray Daniels – Founder of the Cicerone Certification program, Pete Brown – presenter, and author of some of the world’s best beer books, Jonny Garrett – founder and presenter of The Craft Beer Channel on YouTube, Claire Dodd – drinks writer and judge for the International Beer Challenge, and Nicole Erny, beer consultant and the world’s first female Master Cicerone. </p><p>Ray Daniels, Founder of the Cicerone Certification and judge for The Beer Geek Awards, commented: </p><p>“The craft beer community has flourished across the UK and Europe over the past ten years and become a force to be reckoned with. Beer drinkers are constantly redefining what great craft beer is through their thirst for new styles and flavours, and they demand the best from their favourite brewers. The Beer Geek Awards will be an integral part of recognising the community’s hard work in elevating beer to where it is today. At its best, beer brings people together, and on the 26th July, beer geeks across the UK and Europe will be united in a tasting session that transcends both borders and language barriers.”</p><p>Geek out</p><p>Forming one category of the awards, BrewDog will be hosting a beer tasting in every one of its UK and European bars from 6pm-8pm on 26th July. Entrants can enter by buying a £5 flight consisting of eight beer samples of different beer styles, all widely available according to the Beer Judge Certification Programme (BJCP). Entrants must simply identify the style of each sample, note these on a score card obtained from the bar, and submit to BrewDog bar staff. The top 8 scores will be invited to the awards ceremony in London for a final, live taste-off.</p><p>The Grand Prix of the Awards will be the ‘World’s Biggest Beer Geek’ award, selected from across all the other categories, and awarded to the beer geek who displays the utmost passion for all things beer. </p><p>Other categories include: </p><p> Brewery Hopper Geek – the beer geek who has visited the most independent craft breweries in the last 12 months. </p><p> Beer Bar Hopper Geek – the beer geek who has visited the most craft beer bars in the last 12 months. </p><p> Beer Scholar Geek – the beer geek to get the highest score in the Beer Scholar Geek online quiz, which can be taken on The Beer Geeks Awards website. </p><p> Beer Blogging Geek – the best amateur beer blogger. </p><p> Beer Social Media Geek – the beer geek who shares their passion best on social media. </p><p> Beer Review Geek – the beer geek with the most impressive beer reviews. </p><p>Winners of each category will receive a selection of exclusive and rare beers and a weekend trip to Sweden to attend the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival. The winner of the World’s Biggest Beer Geek award will receive a week-long trip to beery paradise San Diego to immerse themselves in the local craft beer scene. </p><p>Success for the community</p><p>The Beer Geek Awards is the latest initiative from the maverick brewery, aiming to celebrate and expand the global beer community and accelerate the craft beer revolution. Having recruited an army of over 55,000 investors through its record-breaking crowdfunding scheme ‘Equity for Punks’, garnering a social media following of well over 250,000, as well as the local communities who make up the BrewDog bars’ customer base, BrewDog is keen to recognise the people who make craft beer such an exciting, eclectic space in which to exist.</p><p>James Watt continued:</p><p>“BrewDog would never be where it is today without the support of the kickass craft beer community. Whether investing their hard-earned cash in crowdfunded breweries, or spending their time spreading the craft beer message, we want to show our gratitude for their ongoing support and dedication to our shared mission of getting more people drinking great beer.”</p><p>--- ENDS ---</p><p>About BrewDog plc Since 2007, BrewDog has been on a mission to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they are. From the Headliner series, which includes bold, uncompromising pack leaders like the flagship Punk IPA, to the Amplified range (beer, but turned up to 11), BrewDog creates beer that blows people’s minds and has kick- started a revolution.</p><p>Cofounders James Watt and Martin Dickie shook up the business world in 2009 with the launch of pioneering crowdfunding initiative Equity for Punks, an initiative that has seen the company raise £40m since 2009, taking more money through crowdfunding than any other on record. The funds, and the army of punk shareholders (55,000) enabled the Scottish craft brewery to scale up without selling out. </p><p>With almost 50 global bar launches, export into 60 countries, and a brand new brewery in Ohio opening in 2017, BrewDog continues to take the craft beer revolution stratospheric, whilst continuing to push the boundaries, invest in people, put the beer first, and champion other small breweries in its venues.</p><p>For more information, please contact: </p><p>Aaron Maughan & Elly Barham-Marsh t: 0203 1379 270 m: 07718 5781 76 e: [email protected] </p>