The Finest Beer Selection by Meininger & Doemens 2024 in Gräfelfing near Munich, not only saw 267 beers receive Finest Beer Scores of 90 or more points, but also awards for Beers and Breweries of the Year.
The second edition of this tasting saw 825 beers from nearly 200 breweries and 16 countries compete over three-day expert tasting.
"Dr. Werner Gloßner, CEO of Doemens, summarized, 'We not only confirmed the level we set in the first round, but exceeded it in 2024.' Christian Wolf, a member of the Meininger Verlag management board, added, 'This achievement brings us closer to our goal of creating a neutral and universally understandable quality seal for beers.'"
The expert tasters even awarded 20 beers with a world-class rating of 95 or more points. Two beers particularly distinguished themselves: the Nordik-Porter from Störtebeker Braumanufaktur in Stralsund, Germany, achieved the highest Finest Beer Score of 97 points, earning the title of "National Beer of the Year." Similarly, the Vatgerijpt Mezcal from the Dutch brewery Hertog Jan also scored 97 points and was named "International Beer of the Year."
Seven other beers from Hertog Jan made it into the Finest Beer Selection 2024. With an average score of 94 points, the Dutch brewers from Arcen near Venlo secured the title "International Brewery of the Year."
In addition to the Dutch breweries, Gebr. Maisel from Bayreuth once again demonstrated very high beer quality. Twelve beers made it into the Finest Beer Selection, including three classic wheat beers and nine modern brews under the brand "Maisel & Friends." With an average Finest Beer Score of 93 points, Gebr. Maisel also earned the title of "National Brewery of the Year" for 2024.
"After being named Brewery of the Year last year, we were already completely thrilled. Many can brew beer, but consistently producing excellent beer that earns high acclaim is an art that our brewers seem to have mastered. A huge thank you to my team," said brewery chief Jeff Maisel after the awards ceremony. He expressed particular pleasure in the recognition given to the three Maisel's Weisse classics: non-alcoholic (96 points), Original (94 points), and Leicht (92 points). "We are truly proud," Maisel continued. "Wheat beer doesn't have it easy, but we know we have an incredibly good beer. Being honored like this gives us goosebumps."
All award-winning beers of the Finest Beer Selection 2024 can be found at www.finest-beer-selection.com
