SHINER, TX - The Spoetzl Brewery, makers of the legendary Shiner family of beers, has been awarded a silver medal for its Shiner Dunkelweizen at the 2008 Brewers Association (BA) World Beer Cup, considered to be one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the world. The medal was awarded in the American-style Wheat Beer Category.
The World Beer Cup is a global competition that recognizes the most outstanding beers being produced today. 2,930 of the world’s best beers were entered in the competition by 646 breweries in 58 different countries. Gold, silver and bronze awards were available in 91 different categories, although the judging process is so rigorous that not all categories produce three award-winners.
268 individual awards were handed out April 19 during the World Beer Cup Awards Ceremony in San Diego, California. A panel of 129 judges representing 21 countries handled the judging. The Boulder, Colorado-based Brewers Association, an organization founded to promote and protect the interests of the U.S. craft brewing community, organizes the annual competition.
This award follows closely on the heels of an impressive Shiner showing at the Australian International Beer Awards which were announced in late March. This competition attracted more than 1,000 entries from 217 breweries in 42 countries.
Shiner Bock was a silver medal winner in the Dark Lager Category. Shiner’s two latest limited-edition anniversary beers fared well, with Shiner 98 Bavarian Amber winning bronze in the European-style Lager category and Shiner 99, a Helles-style, awarded a bronze medal in the Amber/Bock/Oktoberfest/Marzen/Vienna category. Bohemian Black Lager won a silver medal in the same category.
Shiner Light and the brewery’s newest beer, Spezial Leicht were silver and bronze medalists, respectively, in the Low Carb category. Spoetzl was one of the most-awarded American breweries in the competition.
Founded in Shiner, Texas (population 2,070), the Spoetzl Brewery is one of America’s oldest independent breweries. While Spoetzl has grown to be the country’s fourth largest craft brewers, every drop of Shiner’s award winning beer is still handcrafted and bottled by only 56 employees, very near the spot where it all started in 1909.
