Matthias Kopp
How did you get into the beer industry? Why does beer matter to you?
I came to beer through curiosity rather than a straight career path. What started as a fascination with styles, flavors, and brewing traditions quickly turned into a deeper interest in craftsmanship, quality, and cultural context. Beer matters to me because it is one of the most democratic cultural products we have: deeply rooted in local traditions, yet globally connected. It tells stories about people, places, ingredients, and intent. Over the years, my work as a beer sommelier, consultant, writer, and international judge has allowed me to explore beer not only as a beverage, but as a medium of communication and cultural exchange. I am particularly interested in how brewing quality, sensory precision, and authenticity come together and how these values can be communicated clearly and respectfully to both professionals and consumers. #livingbeerculture
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 both a responsibility and a privilege. It represents the highest level of international beer evaluation, where diversity of styles, cultures and brewing philosophies meet under a shared framework of quality and fairness. For me, judging at the World Beer Cup means contributing experience, focus, and respect to a process that has real impact on brewers worldwide. Every beer represents hard work, ambition, and pride, and deserves to be assessed with seriousness, openness, and sensory precision. I value the collaborative nature of the World Beer Cup judging panels, the exchange with highly experienced international colleagues, and the commitment to consistency and transparency. Being part of this process reinforces my belief that great beer evaluation is not about personal preference, but about understanding intent, style and execution at the highest possible level.
What else would you like the world to know?
I believe that beer deserves thoughtful conversation and careful evaluation. Beyond judging, my work focuses on connecting brewing craftsmanship with communication, education and cultural context. I am always interested in dialogue across borders. Between brewers, judges, writers and the wider industry and in helping beer be understood not just as a product, but as part of #livingbeerculture.
