Alejandro Ancona

Quintana Roo, Mexico

Wie sind Sie in die Bierbranche gekommen? Warum ist Bier für Sie wichtig?

I was always attracted by the science behind food, drinks and flavors. My journey began when I discovered wine, but I soon found out my personality has much more in common with the beer world. Living in a place with scarce beer culture, being a homebrewer and my passion for education, eventually got me to open a beer school in 2017, where today we train beer professionals around Mexico and Latin America. (@beerschoolmx)

Beer matters to me because it’s the perfect blend of ingredients provided by the earth and the passion of the human hand, to create a beverage that has been making people happy for over 10,000 years. That’s just amazing.

Warum richten Sie beim World Beer Cup? Was bedeutet das Richten beim World Beer Cup für Sie?

Judging beer professionally is one of the things in life I enjoy the most, and the World Beer Cup is the biggest competition in the planet. Being a part of such a global and amazing panel of brewers, judges and beer professionals is of course a great learning opportunity, but most importantly a great source of lifetime beer friends from many different countries.

Jesse Brown

Washington, United States

Wie sind Sie in die Bierbranche gekommen? Warum ist Bier für Sie wichtig?

I was a bartender in Wyoming who wanted to understand more about the production of beer, whiskey, and all things drink. Around 2006, while studying at the University of Wyoming, my friends and I would drive down to Fort Collins for weekends to visit breweries. New Belgium had a big impact on my early craft beer journey. Fast forward to January 2009—one semester from graduating—the economy had collapsed.

I moved to Lander, Wyoming, to climb and bartend. I convinced the new head brewer at Lander Brewing Co. to give me a job washing kegs. I self-studied all the brewing books I could afford, soaking up as much knowledge as possible. Ten years later, I love making craft beer more than ever in the Seattle area.

Beer matters to me because what I create brings communities together. Anywhere in the world, beer serves as a social conduit. It always brings me joy to see people gathered in the taproom.

Warum richten Sie beim World Beer Cup? Was bedeutet das Richten beim World Beer Cup für Sie?

I deeply care about the sensory aspect of beer, and I judge at the World Beer Cup for many reasons. One reason is my love for the qualitative experience—everything that goes into judging a beer is shaped by personal history and knowledge of styles. I’m constantly challenged by other world-class judges and always return home inspired with new perspectives.

Judging at the World Beer Cup is an honor. It allows me to have deep conversations with some of the best brewers and judges in the world.

Chris Hotz

Kalifornien, Vereinigte Staaten

Wie sind Sie in die Bierbranche gekommen? Warum ist Bier für Sie wichtig?

Ich habe 2004 mit dem Heimbrauen begonnen. Ich gewann einige Medaillen bei nationalen Heimbrauwettbewerben und engagierte mich in meinem örtlichen Heimbrauclub QUAFF. Im Jahr 2013 schrieb ich mich an der University of California San Diego (UCSD) für das Brauzertifikatsprogramm ein. Im nächsten Jahr wurde ich bei Ballast Point Brewing als Qualitätsanalytikerin eingestellt. Ich wurde zum F&E-Brauer in der Little Italy F&E-Einrichtung befördert. Im Jahr 2019 unterrichtete ich im Rahmen des UCSD-Zertifikatsprogramms für Brauereiwesen die Kurse für Veredelungsverfahren und Rohstoffe. Im Jahr 2022 verließ ich Ballast Point und wurde Qualitätsmanager bei Societe Brewing.

Seit ich mit dem Heimbrauen begonnen habe, ist Bier ein wichtiger Teil meines Lebens. Ich liebe die Kreativität und die analytische Seite des Brauens sowie alle Freunde, die ich in der Branche gewonnen habe.

Warum richten Sie beim World Beer Cup? Was bedeutet das Richten beim World Beer Cup für Sie?

Seitdem ich 2014 Richter des Beer Judge Certification Program geworden bin, genieße ich die Richtergemeinschaft und die Teilnahme an lokalen/nationalen Wettbewerben sehr. Ich habe Freunde in der Gemeinschaft gefunden und viel über die täglichen Abläufe hinter den Kulissen eines Wettbewerbs gelernt. Die Teilnahme an Wettbewerben hat mich zu einem besseren Verkoster und Brauer gemacht.

Kevin Ashford

Kalifornien, Vereinigte Staaten

Wie sind Sie in die Bierbranche gekommen? Warum ist Bier für Sie wichtig?

I discovered craft beer in college while bartending at a restaurant in Harrisonburg, VA. We had about 100 rotating bottles and cans, and I was able to try one at the end of each shift. I was amazed at the variety in beer, and became fascinated by its history and regionality. After getting my degree in international affairs, I discovered I really just liked people and wanted to learn of ways to bring them together. Beer seemed like a good way to do that. I decided to forego my opportunity to work on Capitol Hill in D.C. to fall back on bartending and learn more about beer. One of my regulars at this bar in Maryland was a seasoned brewer at our midsized regional brewery. When I asked him one day if any floor sweeping jobs were available, his ears perked up. He set me up with an interview with the Brewmaster and I was hired on the spot. I fell in love with beer making, and the rest is history. Beer matters to me because it has withstood the test of time. It is a champion of bringing us all together.

Warum richten Sie beim World Beer Cup? Was bedeutet das Richten beim World Beer Cup für Sie?

I judge at the WBC to honor brewers past, present, and future. I believe consumers have the right to enjoy high quality beer, and WBC challenges brewers to provide beer of the highest quality. Judging at the World Beer Cup is so important to me, because I really care about beer and its history. I want to ensure that classic styles remain abundant for generations to enjoy. It is an honor to adjudicate beers from all over the world and share the enthusiasm for the past time of beer making.