World Class Judges

Silvia De Tomas Ayllon

Lima, Peru

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

I am part of the second generation of a brewing family in Peru that started in 2003. My parents taught me the art of making beer when I was 9 years old, studying and learning from it. This is how I fell in love with that passion, with its community, and everything that revolves around it. Over the years I have founded projects such as the Latin American Craft Beer Cup, Peruvian Beer Cup, Brewmart school, Brewpub Cebichela and my Two Broders Brewery. I also became a beer judge in 2014, participating in multiple competitions in Latin America. Beer matters to me, because it is part of the story of my family, of my life and it has taught me a lot over the years. I feel respect, admiration and I work hard to share with others how important it is, that they learn to value it, but above all to understand it.

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

I always dreamed of being part of the World Beer Cup, ever since I was young I always admired everyone who was part of it, and the experience one must have to be chosen for this great competition. I always followed in detail each event organized by the Brewers Association, learning from it and using it as a reference for the Peruvian market.

I judge beers in this competition, because it brings together the best beers and breweries in the world into one place. The level of analysis and professionalism that exists in each tasting session is incredible. Since beers are of a high level, it allows you to have different points of view and understanding about the every beer. You get to meet judges from all over the world! This is a very reason important reason for me to be part of it, get to know different cultures, exchange ideas, they make me personally a better person every day.

I am very happy to be part of this great competition that marks important milestones in the history of beer worldwide.

Sebastian Hohentanner

Tokyo, Japan

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

I was born and raised in Munich, Germany, so good beer was always a given for me—available almost anytime, anywhere, especially in our beautiful beer gardens. However, while studying in Japan, I learned that this wasn’t the case everywhere. Searching for a good Bavarian-style hefeweizen in Japan started my journey into the world of craft beer. It led to a career in the Japanese beverage industry, supplying breweries with brewing equipment, ingredients, and education to create some of the best beers we have in Japan today.

In my daily work, I am truly grateful for the opportunity to connect the brewing culture of my birthplace with the brewing culture of the place I choose to live. Nothing brings people together like beer!

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

The World Beer Cup is the most prestigious and well-established beer competition—a model for beer competitions worldwide. Therefore, it’s an honor and a privilege to judge at the World Beer Cup. Judging beers with industry veterans and colleagues from around the globe in such a well-organized, professional setting creates a unique opportunity to continuously learn about beer and sharpen sensory skills. I especially appreciate the discussions with fellow judges during and after the competition. Everyone’s openness to share knowledge and experience, help one another, and enjoy beer in a friendly and collegial atmosphere is amazing. I hope to participate in and contribute to the World Beer Cup for many years to come.

Geoff Deman

Kansas, United States

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

My interest in brewing began in college when I took a semester off and stayed with friends in the Bay Area, one of whom had taken up homebrewing. I helped him with a few batches and then dove into the deep end when I returned to school at the University of Kansas, where a homebrew supply shop had just opened in Lawrence. Many batches later, with a bachelor’s degree in art history in hand, I moved to Seattle hoping to land a brewing job. That first job paid me $6 an hour. Needless to say, I wasn’t into beer for the money—I was into it for the people, the community, the creativity, and the camaraderie.

I was fortunate to have amazing mentors, peers, and colleagues during my time brewing at Pike Brewing Company in Seattle, and later at Free State Brewing when I returned to Lawrence. Beer matters to me—or I should say, good beer matters to me. To borrow the words of Brother Epp of Capuchin Monastery in Munjor, Kansas, written in 1906 during Prohibition: “Because, without beer, things do not seem to go as well.”

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

Every time I judge the World Beer Cup, I learn something new and gain perspective from a diverse group of judges who may not speak the same language I do on a daily basis, but certainly speak the language of beer. It’s great to judge with German judges in German beer categories or Belgians in Belgian beer categories and get their perspective on the nuances of a classic style originating from their home country. It’s equally interesting to hear the perspective of an Argentinian or Japanese judge on these styles and learn more about the growing beer culture in their countries.

I’ve made new friends that I look forward to visiting in their home countries someday and seeing when they visit us during the World Beer Cup. Good beer brings good people together.

Phil Joyce

Colorado, United States

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

I got into beer as a homebrewer and a founding member of the Avery Brewing Company’s “Homebrewers and Bottle Collectors Support Group,” as well as the homebrew club Hop Barley and the Alers in Boulder, Colo. After homebrewing for a few years, I was the founding head brewer of Powder Keg, which was my first opportunity to make brewing my career.

Beer matters to me because of the community of people that it brings together. I have always found a group of people that have supported me, and provided me with opportunities to express myself technically and artistically. The beer industry has provided me with lifelong friends and an opportunity to learn from a diverse group of people.

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

I judge because I want to continuously learn and expand my palate and give back to the community that has given me so much. It’s wonderful to network and meet other beer professionals and support the Brewers Association through judging every year. This past year I had the opportunity to judge with a number of international judges and their shared insights provided incredible education outside the style guidelines and brought unmatched validity to the competition that I haven’t experienced elsewhere.

Carl Kins

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

My interest in beer started at an early age. In Belgium you are allowed to drink beer at 16, and I did so, visiting my first brewery at age 17. I always had an interest in all aspects of beer—the history, ingredients, production, styles, etc. My knowledge is built on reading a lot about beer and on visiting hundreds of breweries around the world. I started writing about all this a few decades ago for various international magazines. Next to that, the demise/takeover of a lot of small breweries in the 1970s and 1980s incited me to get involved in consumer action groups in order to fight for diversity, fair taxation, etc., both on national and European level.

Beer matters because it is the best social lubricant there is. It is affordable and has the largest taste universe of any alcoholic beverage.

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

The World Beer Cup can be considered the Olympic Beer Games. Not only the participants but also the judges have international backgrounds, and this helps and continues to improve my knowledge of the beer world greatly, through tasting, talking and discussing.

Markus Raupach

Bavaria, Germany

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

I was born and raised in Bamberg and practically imbibed our beer culture with my mother’s milk. As I grew older, beer first became my passion and then my profession, not only in Germany but all over the world. I am the author of over 60 books and games about beer, including the chronicle of the German Brewers’ Association, host Germany’s most successful beer podcast with over 250 episodes, am a beer judge at the most important competitions worldwide and train beer sommeliers and beer judges throughout Europe with the German Beer Academy. As a Nominated Beer Educator, I have also recently started doing this for WSET. And it’s really funny to see what has become of the first sips of Bamberg Rauchbier…

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

Judging at the World Beer Cup is special for me in many ways. For one, I get to learn about many different parts of U.S. beer culture and have already made many new friends across the U.S. Of course, I also learn a lot about the current and historical beers of the USA. On the other hand, I can bring my European-influenced, but also very extensive international experience to the table and share it with the judges. This results in exciting discussions, which are always enriching for everyone involved thanks to the different perspectives. I also really enjoy the supporting program and the CBC, which I always enjoy attending.

Ricardo Aftyka

Buenos Aires, Argentina

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

I started my beer career very early, at 19 years old, as a brewer. After more than 15 years in which I participated in the founding of the Argentine Brewers Association, wrote articles, made video tutorials and wrote a book, I decided to found my own brewery, Juguetes Perdidos. I have been an International Judge for more than 15 years and thanks to beer I have traveled all over the world and met wonderful people. Today I am 45 years old and my life is completely filled with beer, so much so that my children learned to say “aftertaste” before “dad.” If I had to define in one word what beer means to me, I would say it is “passion.”

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

I trained for many years to be able to enter the World Beer Cup as a judge. It is the highest level we can aspire to as international judges.

Judging at the World Beer Cup is a unique opportunity to learn from other judges, share time and experiences, represent my country, Argentina, and be part of the most important competition in the world of beer.

What else would you like the world to know?

Juguetes Perdidos, my brewery, was the first one to get a Gold award for Argentina at the World Beer Cup!

Michael König

Bavaria, Germany

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

In 2011, I started as a beer blogger out of love for this topic. At this point in time, craft beer also took off in Germany. Through my blog I had built up a large network with many breweries in a short time. In 2013, I became a beer sommelier at Doemens and in 2014 I switched full-time to an online shop for craft beer. Since 2016 I have been head beer sommelier or brand ambassador for Maisel & Friends at the Gebr. Maisel brewery, a dream job. Beer is my hobby, passion, and profession … my life. I love trying new beers, talking about beer, and discovering beer every day.

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

The World Beer Cup is the best beer competition in the world. Sitting at the table as a judge and talking about beer with many well-known beer personalities is an honor and fills me with pride. As a judge at the World Beer Cup you determine the best beers in the world. How cool is that? It is the best job in the world.

Julia Herz

Colorado, United States

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

When I was little, I had a soap and perfume collection. My dad traveled for work, and he’d bring back soaps, while my mom would bring perfume samples. I would smell them, feel the texture, and consider the shapes, colors, and ingredients. I also paid attention to my dad’s imported beers in the fridge and the food my mom was cooking. Based on aroma, I’d try to guess what was for dinner while I was upstairs in my bedroom. That was all the stage I needed to become a judge.

When I moved to Colorado, I had been homebrewing and started to become interested in what judges were doing. The bottom line is that I followed my interests and worked to learn sensory techniques about hedonics and beer styles. To me, beer is the most incredible beverage to judge because it is limitless in ingredient possibilities. Judges are instruments for what we perceive, and our job is to tap into what we sense, relay that back to the entrant, and share where it meets or misses the style guidelines—kind of like a lawyer interpreting the law. 😊

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

Working to the level of being accepted and invited back to judge the World Beer Cup is a career highlight. Every time I judge, I learn and grow, and the WBC is unique because it has the most robust collection of international beer judges of any competition I can point to. Judging with peers from the same country is different from judging with judges from around the world. We help each other shed more “style bias” when judging from different cultural lenses. Hands down, the WBC is *the* judge invitation to snag. I like to tell new judges the only way to get invited is to put in the work, study, taste, brew, and apply.

Jessica MI

Mexico City, Mexico

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

My mind was blown when I tried my first craft beer back in 2007. Since then, I couldn’t stop searching for those “different” beers. I became more and more involved until I ended up taking a course to become a beer sommelier, started homebrewing, and eventually became a beer judge. I attended various workshops, training sessions, and did plenty of studying. I launched my own brand in 2014, and now beer has become a very important part of my life—it has been my companion for many years.

Beer is such a versatile drink that brings people together. It’s a whole universe of options, and there’s a beer style for everyone!

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

I enjoy promoting beer culture and helping the industry grow and develop. I believe that through beer competitions, we can help the industry improve. Recognizing breweries that are doing a wonderful job is a great way to encourage them to keep up the good work!

I also wanted to be part of the panel of judges for the “Olympics of Beer” because participating in such a huge and important event is both challenging and something I truly enjoy!

Tomoko Sonoda

Chiba, Japan

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

One of the plans for new business development was a brewpub, and I thought it would be fun to brew beer, so I applied for the position and was hired in 1996. The brewery opened in 2000, and I have been working as the brewmaster ever since. I believe that both drinking and brewing beer are magical experiences that enrich my life.

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

One goal is to deepen my knowledge of beer. By judging alongside people involved in the beer industry from around the world, I can learn to perceive things I might not otherwise notice, discover global trends, and, most importantly, train my sensitivity by putting myself in challenging situations. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this world-class judging competition, where accuracy in sensory evaluation and a serious sense of responsibility and judgment are required.

Werner Glossner

Bavaria, Germany

How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?

I was born into a brewing family and had no chance of avoiding beer, but fate has been damn good to me.

Why do you judge at the World Beer Cup? What does judging at the World Beer Cup mean to you?

It is the international encounters — around a table, over evenings and days with tasters from all over the world, that is the World Beer Cup.