Marty Nachel

Illinois, United States

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

After tasting beer on my first brewery tour, I realized exactly how good beer can be when it’s fresh and offered in many different styles. I knew immediately this was my new focus in life. I began brewing my own beer at home and submitting it to competitions. Following this, I became a beer judge with the Beer Judge Certification Program (the first in my home state) and began freelance writing on the topics of beer and brewing which eventually led to the publication of several books. Now I’m judging beer as a professional judge with international credentials.

Beer is important to me not just as a preferred beverage of choice, but also as a libation to be generously shared with others, and I consider it a link to our own human history.

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

I judge at the World Beer Cup first because I consider it a great privilege to evaluate some of the best beers in the world. Secondly, I appreciate the opportunity to meet and judge alongside my peers from other countries around the globe. I’m proud to be a member of the global beer judging community.

What else would you like the world to know?

It’s my goal to judge beer on every continent that has a commercial brewing industry.

Juan Camilo Riveros

Bogota, Colombia

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

Got a revelation on my first pint of Guinness and being from a country with only industrial lager for beer decided to start brewing my own. I studied culinary arts in Argentina and there also learned the basics of brew ing. After that the books of Palmer, Papazian, Talley, Daniels, Hieronymus, Bouckaert and Cantwell, and Michael Jackson were my sources. A lot of homebrewing came after that. Humanity and beer have a very close relationship most of the different cultures in the planet have beer whenever they are celebrating or mourning. It is comfort for a friend or just joy of being somewhere or with someone. Good beer brings us together and gladness our spirits.

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

Judging at WBC means a lot of different things for me. In a way is a validation of all my reading, tasting, and hard work in general. It is also an important way of learning from people more knowledgeable than me or from beer cultures that I am not so familiar with. In a more personal level there is a moment that comes from time to time when a table of judges just sync perfectly and complement each other, where knowledge is shared and we are able to do a great job. That moment is very satisfying. Last but not least, when I am judging beer I feel that each beer tells me a different story and sometimes you find exceptional ones that innovate and change the way that you look at beer as a whole.

Fal Allen

California, United States

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

I started as a homebrewer in 1985. I was working at a waterfront bar in Seattle and one day, while I was checking in a couple of cases of Redhook, I had an epiphany: I thought, “Wait a minute, someone gets paid to make Red Hook beer. Maybe I could get paid to make Redhook beer!” So I started visiting the Redhook brewery in the Fremont district and sharing my homebrew with the brewer. I would stop in a couple of times a week and ask him to try the beers with me. Finally, he hired me with the provision that I not bring him any more of my homebrew. For a few years I worked at the brewery during the days and tended bar at night. Rick the brewer was kind to me and rotated me through most of the positions in the brewery. I learned a lot about beer. In 1989, I got a job as a full time brewer at Pike Place Brewery. Then, in 1999, I moved to Anderson Valley Brewing in California, where I am today.

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

I judge the World Beer Cup for a couple of reasons. One, for the opportunity to judge with other people that have a different take on beer than I do. To learn and discuss beer and brewing with these folks and make new friends and partnerships in the brewing world. Second, I like to keep up to date on what is going on in the wide wide world of beer. Being selected to judge the most prestigious beer competition in the world is a great honor. I feel very lucky to be in such esteemed company of great brewers and beer industry people.

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.