Damon Scott

Colorado, United States

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

I discovered craft beer at a local restaurant owned by a homebrewer. While wrapping up a degree in chemistry (with no idea what I would do with said degree), I dove into homebrewing. I suddenly realized there was something tangible I could make, using my creative spirit and my analytical brain. Brewing provides the opportunity to learn about farming, plant physiology, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and so much more. I realized early on that one is never bored while working in the brewing industry!

Beer matters to me because it allows me to make something that other people can experience viscerally.

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 truly an honor. I always find myself judging with incredibly experienced and knowledgeable people, who are simultaneously humble and approachable. The judging process constantly challenges my own assumptions about how I perceive the complex matrix that is beer. Judging also provides context through which I can view the beer I make, and evaluate it more objectively.

It is easy to get caught up in your own small world as a brewer. Nothing tears off the blinders like judging at the World Beer Cup. Tasting incredible beers inspires me to make better beer and question my assumptions. That perspective is invaluable.

Francesca Morbidelli

Florence, Italy

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

I love drinking good beer. I started about twenty years ago. I looked for beers that were unusual, I discovered the beers made by homebrewers, I go in touch with the very first Italian craft breweries. At that time, craft beer renaissance was yet to come! As the Italian craft beer movement was taking its first steps, I co-founded one of the first Italian associations for the promotion of beer culture, where I organized beer culture and tasting courses and wrote for newspapers and blogs. As a matter of fact, I was the first Italian female beer blogger: I’m the founder of the blog pintamedicea.com. Meeting Charlie Papazian in Florence many years ago (around 2010) and listening to Eric Wallace’s talk in Rimini a couple of years later, sparked my curiosity and passion for the history of American craft beer, a subject I now teach in our beer courses as educator. I’m always eager to collaborate with the Brewers Association. I translate their articles and host them on my blog. I wrote and translated countless articles about the American craft beer movement.

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 such an important international competition, and being a judge there was a great honor and a great pleasure. I’ve been a beer judge for about fifteen years and the WBC was a crucial experience for me. I’m passionate about American craft beer. Whenever it’s possible I try to collaborate with the Brewers Association, so I was so excited too be invited at the WBC. I really enjoyed the international atmosphere I found in Colorado, the BA volunteers were fantastic, I was thrilled to meet judges from all over the world and to reunite with many friends. Being part of an international judging panel is always an enriching experience, especially in terms of connecting with other beer cultures.

Carlo Graciano

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

I started home brewing in 2009 and fell in love with beer industry. I co-founded my first brewery in 2014, Santo Domingo Brewing Co. We started small and grew to a 10bbl system. I was the COO overseeing the brewers. In 2016, I co-founded Cerveceria Punta Cana, and we started importing our flagship beer, Canita, with the intention to gain market to be able to start with a bigger brewery. I sold SDBC in 2020. Our first locally brewed Canita came out April 2021, that year we brewed 1,400 HL and we have grown to almost 24,000 HL a year.

I started my formal beer education in 2018 with the Cicerone Certification Program and in 2019 obtained the Certified Cicerone level and in 2024 the Advanced Cicerone level.

I started judging beer in 2019, and been traveling to beer cups every year after the pandemic to Colombia, Mexico, Brasil, Argentina, and the World Beer Cup in 2024.

Beers is not only a job for me. It is a way of life, and traveling to different beers competitions has become my way of meeting new people and seeing new places.

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 means judging the best beers in the world with the best judges out there. It means that at each table you share feedback with judges with vast experience in the styles being judged.

Brian Watson

Hamilton, New Zealand

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

In 1990 I saw a job for a trainee brewer with Heineken in the newspaper. I was lucky enough to get the job and never looked back. I have been in craft since 1996 in the U.K. and just love the industry, the people in it and what craft sands for.

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

I judge to give back to the industry, catch up with people from different countries and cultures, learn from people, and experience the wider world of craft beer. I am passionate about craft beer and love the industry and those in it. Every time I travel I learn something, and hope to never stop learning.