Beer of the year: best craft beers awarded at Rimini fair

Declared the winners for the 45 categories competing in the 18th edition of Unionbirrai's competition. To Crak Brewery, from the province of Padua, the Brewery of the Year award. Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto were the most awarded regions.

The best craft beers of 2023 were awarded in the Rimini Fairgrounds during the first day of Beer&Food Attraction. Hosting the awards ceremony for the 18th edition of Beer of the Year, Italy's longest-running and most anticipated beer competition organized by Unionbirrai, was the Beer&Tech Arena. Presented by radio speaker Lorenzo Dardano, the ceremony unveiled all of this year's winning beers in the competition's 45 categories and the Brewery of the Year award, which went to Crak Brewery, a brewery from the province of Padua. 

Indeed, the Veneto brewery won several awards with its beers, including as many as 3 first places with the beers: Giant Step in category 14 - Light and amber ales, high fermentation, medium alcohol, hopped, American-inspired (American IPA), Cantina - Mansueto 2017 in category 24 - Dark beers, high fermentation, high alcohol, Anglo-American-inspired (Barley Wine, Old Ale, American Barley Wine) and Cantina - Mansueto Reserve Whisky Barrel Aged 2019 in category 34 - Light, amber and dark beers, high or low fermentation, low to high alcohol, smoked and peat.

So many, however, were the awards given. The region with the largest number of beers awarded was Lombardy with 35 prizes, followed by Piedmont with 18 and Veneto with 16. Marche received 10 prizes, Lazio 9, Emilia Romagna and Trentino Alto Adige 8, Abruzzo, Tuscany and Umbria 6, Friuli Venezia Giulia 4, Campania, Puglia and Sardinia 2, and Basilicata, Liguria and Sicily 1.

Defining the awardees were the 81 international judges, from abroad and all over Italy, engaged in blind tastings, who selected the 3 winning beers for all categories. Each winner of the competition will be able to take part in the BdA on tour project, the events that bring the winning beers to venues across Italy with the aim of promoting and enhancing Italian craft beers.

The year 2023 was a record year for BdA with 2227 beers entered in the competition by 305 producers. "With great satisfaction, the 18th edition of Beer of the Year confirmed the great trust of producers in the competition. - stressed Simone Monetti, secretary general of Unionbirrai - For our part, we are proud to have contributed to the visibility and enhancement of Italian craft beer, once again giving an important demonstration of how the brassic identity of our country is increasingly mature and defined." 

In addition to the Beer of the Year award ceremony, Beer&Food Attraction will also host a number of cultural events organized by Unionbirrai. On Monday, Feb. 20 and Tuesday, Feb. 21, starting at 10:30 a.m. in the Tiglio/Noce room, the "Italian Craft Beer Conference powered by Unionbirrai," an innovative program of seminars and talks organized in collaboration with IEG Expo, will take place, aiming to create an important moment of in-depth discussion on brewing techniques, new technologies, raw materials, instrumentation and analysis of trends in the Italian craft beer market, bringing together all the players in the supply chain. On Monday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Tiglio/Noce room, the conference "Italian Craft Beer: Production Enterprises and Production Trends" will be held by Professor Silvio Menghini, Scientific Head of the Osservatorio Birre Artigianali - DAGRI - University of Florence. On Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 11:45 a.m. in the Tiglio room, on the other hand, the conference "Intra Moenia Beer - Self-production of raw materials and supply chain understandings" will take place. Finally, there will be two moments dedicated to sensory analysis applied to food/beer pairing by Unionbirrai Beer Tasters in collaboration with Cast Alimenti.

Unionbirrai will be present at Beer&Food Attraction in Hall A7 stand 001.

All information about the Beer of the Year competition is available at www.birradellanno.it. Learn more about Unionbirrai and the events at the Rimini Fair at www.unionbirrai.it and on the official social channels of the trade association of small independent breweries.

WINNERS BEER OF THE YEAR 2023

Cat. 1 – Ales, low fermentation, low alcohol, German and Czech-inspired beers (German e Bohemian Pilsner)     

GOLD: BIRRIFICIO LEUMANN - Smemorata
SILVER: AGRIBIRRIFICIO SGUARAUNDA - Biologica
BRONZE: BIRRIFICIO BABYLON - Babylon Pils  

Cat. 2 – Pale ales, low fermentation, low alcohol, characterized by evident presence of aroma and bittering hops, German-inspired (Italian Pilsner)       

GOLD: SORALAMA' - Slurp
SILVER: BIRRIFICIO LEGNONE - Testa di malto
BRONZE: BIRRIFICIO MEZZAVIA - Parini 56        

Cat. 3 – Pale ales, low fermentation, low alcohol, European-inspired (European Lager, Helles, Zwickl, Keller, Dortmunder Export)  

GOLD: MICROBIRRIFICIO OPPERBACCO - RustHell
SILVER: CITTAVECCHIA - ANTIKORPO BREWING - Grommet - antikorpo brewing
BRONZE: BIRRIFICIO ESTENSE - Atheste Hell

Mention:
BIRRIFICIO RURALE – Kellerpils

Cat. 4 – Light and amber ales, low-fermented, low to high-alcohol, characterized by evident presence of aroma and bittering hops, American-inspired (Hoppy Lager, Imperial Hoppy Lager)

GOLD: 50&50 - Mr Crocodile
SILVER: VERTIGA - Alchemy
BRONZE: MICROBIRRIFICIO BIRRA ELVO - After the pils

Cat. 5 – Light and amber ales, top-fermented, low alcohol, Anglo-Saxon inspired (English Golden Ale, English Pale Ale)

GOLD: BIRRIFICIO BASEI - Drinky
SILVER: FABBRICA DELLA BIRRA PERUGIA - Golden Ale
BRONZE: LUCKY BREWS – Apollo