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.

George Reisch

Missouri, United States

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

I am a fourth-generation brewmaster in the Reisch family, which owned and operated the Reisch Brewery in Springfield, Illinois, for 117 years, from 1849 to 1966. My dad was the last Reisch brewmaster at the Reisch Brewery. After retiring from a 37-year brewing career, I started Reisch Charities, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, in 2018 and brewed the first Reisch Beer in 53 years, with all profits going to our charity. We tapped the first keg at my dad’s 100th birthday party, and he was so happy!

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

The World Beer Cup has the best judge panel made up of fabulous human beings with spectacular tasting ability. The best beers plus the best judges leads to a pure beer experience. A beer retreat! I am so humbled to be included as a judge!

Lucía Carrillo

Mexico City, Mexico

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

I came to the brewing industry by accident. My path was much more focused on enology, but throughout my path through university I always found beer — I feel that beer chose me. I achieved a lot in a short time and I decided to embrace beer, understand it. Now I am passionate about everything about beer.

Beer is an ancient drink that still has a lot of potential to teach us. It is such a generous drink that you can add almost any ingredient to it and the result will always come back to you with something surprisingly delicious, unique, and refreshing. Let’s not forget the wonderful scientific world that we have behind this beautiful drink.

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

For me, judging in this competition means being able to share my experiences and skills with all the judges, and in the same way, I hope to learn from the other judges to enrich the world’s brewing industry.

It’s a great achievement, being able to sit with the great judges. It motivates me to continue growing and being able to share all these experiences with the other Mexican judges who want to follow our path.

Mark Zunkel

Nuremberg, Germany

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

I studied my undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder. There, I was able to experience the craft brewing scene, but my true inspiration for brewing started during a study abroad year in Regensburg, Germany. I fell in love with lager beer and German brewing traditions. After returning to finish my studies, I started homebrewing. That accelerated my interest in beer and brewing, after which I applied and studied at the Technical University of Munich in Weihenstephan. After graduating, I started working with the world’s largest hop supplier, BarthHaas, as a technical manager. My passion lies in the tasting and technology of beer. Hops as a raw ingredient are the core of my passion. The composition, aroma, cultivation regions, and the individuals involved in the hop industry are central to my passion for beer.

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

I judge for many reasons: Meeting with beer industry colleagues, debating beer and beer styles, and experiencing the quality of beer in the market. The most interesting categories for me are all hoppy styles, but also the experimental categories where a brewer’s imagination can run wild.

First and foremost though, the World Beer Cup is for brewers and their customers. Therein lies the value for everyone in the industry and the most important reason why all the judges, breweries, and beer consumers should praise one of most important beer events in the world!