{"id":19803,"date":"2026-07-06T14:53:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestmalz.de\/?p=19803"},"modified":"2026-07-07T09:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T07:21:10","slug":"the-dark-side-of-beer-blind-tasting-at-the-bestbrewchallenge-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestmalz.de\/en\/news\/the-dark-side-of-beer-blind-tasting-at-the-bestbrewchallenge-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dark Side of Beer: Blind Tasting at the BestBrewChallenge 2026!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In early July, the BESTMALZ showroom<\/a> in Heidelberg was all about sensory beer evaluation: At the official tasting for the BestBrewChallenge 2026, a high-caliber jury sampled the beers submitted to this year\u2019s brewing competition. The focus was on the dark wheat beer style, this year\u2019s challenge for the international BestBrewChallenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the global brewing week in April and the submission deadline in mid-June, the submitted beers were evaluated according to sensory criteria during a blind tasting. For years, the BestBrewChallenge has brought together brewers from all over the world and is considered one of the largest simultaneous collaborative brewing events globally. The competition is organized by Palatia Malz GmbH, owner of the BESTMALZ brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jury consisted of experienced beer sommeliers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jutta Knoll<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Meinhard Wicht<\/a>\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Brian Schlede<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Helga B\u00e4uerle<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Maik Schneckenberger <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using their trained senses, they evaluated the beers in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and stylistic characteristics. Since the tasting was conducted as a blind tasting, the focus was exclusively on quality and sensory impressions. The overall impression was positive, but there were also numerous \u201cBrett\u201d beers. This refers to the beer flaw known as \u201cBrett,\u201d which relates to a typical brewing problem caused by the yeast Brettanomyces. This yeast can produce odors reminiscent of horse or leather. In addition, many beers lacked the aroma of wheat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s BestBrewChallenge challenged participants to develop and brew a dark Hefeweizen using BEST Wheat Malts and BEST Roasted Malts<\/a>. This resulted in numerous individual interpretations of the traditional beer style \u2014 ranging from classic to creative \u2014 that impressively reflect the diversity and innovative spirit of the international brewing scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBESTMALZ sends a great thanks to all participants for their beer submissions, as well as to the jury for their professional and meticulous evaluation of the beers submitted. I also extend a heartfelt \u2018thank you\u2019 to the team that made the tasting possible,\u201d says Katharina Stiller, who coordinated and organized the BestBrewChallenge. \u201cThe winners of the competition will be announced in a few weeks. But we can already reveal this much: They come from Slovakia, Lithuania, and Germany.\u201d The beer from the first-place winner will be brewed on a larger scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on the BestBrewChallenge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

www.bestbrewchallenge.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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