Satoshi Murabayashi

Tokio, Japón

¿Cómo entró en la industria cervecera? ¿Por qué le importa la cerveza?

Hace veinte años, en Japón, no tuve ocasión de probar la diversidad de la cerveza artesana. En un viaje de negocios a Estados Unidos, quedé totalmente sorprendido por la calidad, el aspecto, el aroma y el sabor de la cerveza artesana. Después de esa experiencia, me uní a la Craft Beer Association y me di cuenta de que la educación es importante para comprender el valor de la cerveza; que la calidad de las cervezas es fundamental para pasar mejores momentos; y que la colaboración entre asociaciones y competiciones mundiales es muy importante. Ahora colaboro como profesor y director de concursos en la International Beer Cup de Japón y en los Japan Great Beer Awards.

¿Por qué participa como juez en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza? ¿Qué significa para usted ser jurado en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza?

Mi primera Copa Mundial de la Cerveza fue en San Diego en 2012. Quería contribuir a esta industria probando grandes cervezas y haciendo comentarios sobre su innovación. Como persona de Asia, también quería compartir mi experiencia local con la cerveza y los jueces de aquí. Además, quería experimentar una competición de talla mundial para aprender y mejorar nuestras competiciones en Japón.

Craig Thomas

California, Estados Unidos

¿Cómo entró en la industria cervecera? ¿Por qué le importa la cerveza?

My first brewing job was meant to be a stepping stone into distilling. However, as I pursued my master’s in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University, I began appreciating beer more and more. To me, it felt like a more experimental, exciting, and forward-thinking craft. The diversity of ingredients, techniques, and historical traditions delivered a broader, more compelling story of flavor and experience than distilled spirits did. There is so much to learn, and each moment of learning is aided or reinforced by sensory experiences that have created very impactful memories for me.

Since graduating in 2014, I’ve done my best to shape my career path by putting myself in situations where I can absorb knowledge from people with different types of expertise. I’ve had the privilege of traveling the world tasting beer while working with Bill Simpson and AROXA. I’ve brewed with some of the best at Firestone Walker Brewing Company, tested my practical and theoretical sensory knowledge as part of the ASBC Sensory Subcommittee, and explored beer dispense in order to earn Master Cicerone. Now, at Abstrax Hops, I’m reevaluating everything I thought I knew about beer. New frontiers never end!

¿Por qué participa como juez en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza? ¿Qué significa para usted ser jurado en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza?

There is no other place where so many diverse, knowledgeable, and experienced people gather to taste and talk about beers and beer styles. What better spot to challenge preconceptions, discuss new techniques, and discover new trends? Furthermore, the competition brings in a plethora of world-class examples across so many styles. It is the only place where one can repeatedly experience technical precision and artistic expression in equal measure—sometimes at the same time. Competitions like the World Beer Cup are outlets where a brewer’s intent can be fully grasped and appreciated, as these beers are labors of love, often produced fresh and free from the constraints of distributor deals, consumer preferences, cost-of-goods quandaries, and dispense dilemmas.

Sylvia Kopp

Berlin, Germany

¿Cómo entró en la industria cervecera? ¿Por qué le importa la cerveza?

As an author, speaker, and teacher on beer culture, beer styles, beer tasting, and the sensory evaluation of hops, I have been a recognized advocate of genuine innovation for 20 years. I am convinced that true creativity, which arises from a connection with one’s core values, will always drive development—unlike fear-driven reactions to economic demands that lead to boredom and stagnation.

I have been a trainer at the BarthHaas Hops Academy since 2019. I founded and directed the Berlin Beer Academy and worked for several years as an ambassador for American craft beer for the Brewers Association across Europe. Throughout my career, I have published numerous books and articles, and I recently co-founded Women4Beverages, a network for women in the industry, at BrauBeviale in Nuremberg. My latest project, a series of video interviews and text portraits, highlights female role models in the beverage industry.

¿Por qué participa como juez en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza? ¿Qué significa para usted ser jurado en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza?

Judging has been the key to my entry into the world of beer culture. I’m proud to be a long-term judge at both the World Beer Cup and European Beer Star, which I joined when they were the only two major competitions in Europe and America. It’s an honor to be invited back each time. Nowhere else have I learned as much about beer flavors, styles, and global beer cultures as I have at the judging tables of the World Beer Cup. I truly appreciate the discussions and exchanges with international brewers and fellow beer professionals. I always return home with fresh inspiration and new stories to publish in our magazines.

Noel Sanchez

Stuttgart, Germany

¿Cómo entró en la industria cervecera? ¿Por qué le importa la cerveza?

I’ve been a beer enthusiast since an early age, mainly because of the close relationship between beer and heavy metal. It has always been my favorite beverage during fun times. Beer and music can bring people together in a curiously special bond. I greatly enjoy being an agent who promotes this wonderful human connection—and making a living from it.

In the mid-2000s, my interest in understanding beer more deeply was sparked when some relatives invited me to brew beer at home. A few years later, while working as a creative director, I participated in a brainstorming session to create the brand for the first microbrewery in Panama. Seeing the boom that craft beers were experiencing, I saw an opportunity to quit advertising and dedicate myself fully to the beer industry.

In 2014, I began my journey as a beer professional, studying and formally training with various organizations. Since then, I have managed to stand out in different fields as an entrepreneur, consultant, and educator. I also became a beer judge at competitions held in more than 20 countries, building a large network of colleagues and opportunities across the globe.

Today, I’m the regional sales director for BrauKon in Germany.

¿Por qué participa como juez en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza? ¿Qué significa para usted ser jurado en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza?

For me, having the opportunity to participate as a judge in the largest and most important beer competition in the world, next to internationally respected professionals, is an honor, a privilege, and a great reward for dedication.