The best West Coast IPA-style craft beer in Brazil using American hops will be selected by a panel of judges formed by renowned professionals in the sector. The award ceremony for the winner will be on November 29 in Sao Paulo.
To promote and foster the craft beer market, Hop Growers of America (HGA), a non-profit commercial organization, once again, in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), will announce at the end of November the winning brewery of the 2nd edition of the “HGA Best Brazilian Craft Beer 2022.” This initiative involves craft breweries from all over Brazil in a contest to promote the use of American hops in the exclusive production of a West Coast IPA-style beer.
The breweries competing in the championship are Tarantino, Satirus Brewery, and Cervejaria Leuven from Sao Paulo; Koala San Brew and Zalaz from Minas Gerais; Alright Brewing Co. from Paraná, Three Monkeys Beer from Rio de Janeiro; Narcose and 4 Trees from Rio Grande do Sul; and Lohn Beer from Santa Catarina. “With so many breweries registered, selecting ten to participate in the contest was challenging. On the other hand, this satisfies us since it shows the commitment of the breweries to honor our event. I believe we will have good surprises and it will not be easy to select the top three”, says Alan Gregor, spokesman for HGA in Brazil.
Each brewery received 40 kilos of four U.S. hop varieties in pellets (10 kilos each: Cashmere, El Dorado, Idaho-7, and Idaho Gem) to create a unique beer for the contest. The top three will receive purchase refund prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 for first, second, and third place, respectively.
For the difficult and unique task of choosing the winners, HGA invited 10 Brazilian professionals – all highly qualified and experts in the segment – to compose the jury. The trial was scheduled for November 22, in a closed event.
About HGA
Hop Growers of America is a nonprofit trade organization with primary focus on Grower Support, Statistics and Trade Promotion, and Education. HGA provides updates on the progress of each crop year and overall hop market through a schedule of releases tied to statistics and updates from the USDA and the International Hop Growers Convention (IHGC). HGA also provides educational seminars at esteemed international brewing schools; attends trade shows with hop and beer samples, grower delegates to answer technical questions, plus materials on variety information and where to buy them; statistics, and other activities.