Samuel D’Imperio

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

I entered the world of craft beer in 2013 by opening Malta’s first craft brewery. The beauty of making craft beer is that you can experiment with many styles, and we do, using as many local ingredients as possible. In 2016, we brewed the world’s first Gose using caper flowers as dry hopping and sea salt from local cliffs. We also invite the world’s leading breweries to Malta, combining ingredients from their countries with our local ones.

The philosophy of my brewery is to use the best machinery available on the market to ensure consistency while still producing unpasteurized beers. I believe it is impossible to achieve this goal without technology.

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

Being a judge at the World Beer Cup is a great thrill and a point of pride to be on the panel with the best judges from around the world. Ever since I founded the brewery, the World Beer Cup has always been a milestone. It is the most prestigious beer competition in the world, and representing Malta for the first time in this competition is a great privilege and honor for me.

Jeremy Moynier

California, United States

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

I worked in wine originally, but we drank a lot of craft beer while making wine! I worked on the Central Coast of California and ended up moving back to my hometown of San Diego. Craft was just starting to really take off and I ended up getting what I thought would be a temporary job at Stone Brewing in Escondido. That was 20 years ago! Beer matters to me because it brings people together whether that be a shifter after work or beers with friends over the weekend. Good quality and well-made beer is an experience and that experience is even better with friends.

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

I love to evaluate beer and the conversations you have with your fellow judges are awesome. I always learn so much from my peers and this is really special at World Beer Cup because of the international attendance. I feel fortunate I get to taste these beers and have meaningful conversations around them.

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.

Alejandro Ancona

Quintana Roo, Mexico

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

I was always attracted by the science behind food, drinks and flavors. My journey began when I discovered wine, but I soon found out my personality has much more in common with the beer world. Living in a place with scarce beer culture, being a homebrewer and my passion for education, eventually got me to open a beer school in 2017, where today we train beer professionals around Mexico and Latin America. (@beerschoolmx)

Beer matters to me because it’s the perfect blend of ingredients provided by the earth and the passion of the human hand, to create a beverage that has been making people happy for over 10,000 years. That’s just amazing.

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

Judging beer professionally is one of the things in life I enjoy the most, and the World Beer Cup is the biggest competition in the planet. Being a part of such a global and amazing panel of brewers, judges and beer professionals is of course a great learning opportunity, but most importantly a great source of lifetime beer friends from many different countries.