World Class Judges

Luc De Raedemaeker

Brussels, Belgium

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

‘Beer and life: If you have to eat and drink anyway, you might as well enjoy it.’ This is an important rule of life that I learned growing up in Brussels, where I developed an appreciation for the offerings from the Zenne valley, particularly the Geuze and Lambiek. I acquired my taste for beer as a student bartender and my expertise grew as I trained in Belgium and around the world. I am now a lecturer in zythology and chief editor of Bier Grand Cru. My first book, The Belgian Beer Book, has been hailed as the perfect guide to Belgian beer and beer culture. I am a regular speaker at food and beer festivals all over the world. I am also the co-founder and director of the Brussels Beer Challenge, a prestigious international beer competition.

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 a chance to be part of a global celebration of beer, contribute to the industry’s growth and quality, and gain personal and professional enrichment through the experience. It holds a special place in my heart.

Marion Weinberger

Steinbach am Attersee, Austria

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

It all started in 2013 when I joined Heineken Brau Union Austria as a brand manager looking after three big beer brands in Austria. One year later the brewery sent me to get an education as a beer sommelier and it triggered my passion for beer. Beer is the most versatile drink in the world and I am still curious about it.

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

It is a very special contest to judge as one of a few of the Europeans and it’s a great honor to be part of it.

What else would you like the world to know?

I am the first Austrian female to be invited to judge in the World Beer Cup. 🙂

Dana Johnson

Colorado, United States

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

Like many, I got into the industry after falling in love with home brewing. For my 30th birthday, I was given a homebrewing kit and (of course) Charlie Papazian’s “Complete Joy of Homebrewing” book. This was prior to the internet and my first batch or two had a very steep learning curve, but I was hooked. Five years later, I knew I didn’t want to start my own brewery but saw an opportunity selling cleaning, sanitizing, and process aids to the industry. I’ve been doing it ever since and couldn’t be happier.

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

I’ve been judging at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) since 2015. When the opportunity to judge at the World Beer Cup presented itself a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance. The World Beer Cup is open to breweries all over the world, not just the US. The WBC is one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the world with some of the best judges in the world. It is interesting to judge with people from across the globe and is very educational. I am extremely honored to be included as a World Beer Cup Judge and to know that we are all very committed to doing our very best, each and every round and awarding medals to the best beers in the entire world.

Carl Kins

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

My interest in beer started at an early age. In Belgium you are allowed to drink beer at 16, and I did so, visiting my first brewery at age 17. I always had an interest in all aspects of beer—the history, ingredients, production, styles, etc. My knowledge is built on reading a lot about beer and on visiting hundreds of breweries around the world. I started writing about all this a few decades ago for various international magazines. Next to that, the demise/takeover of a lot of small breweries in the 1970s and 1980s incited me to get involved in consumer action groups in order to fight for diversity, fair taxation, etc., both on national and European level.

Beer matters because it is the best social lubricant there is. It is affordable and has the largest taste universe of any alcoholic beverage.

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

The World Beer Cup can be considered the Olympic Beer Games. Not only the participants but also the judges have international backgrounds, and this helps and continues to improve my knowledge of the beer world greatly, through tasting, talking and discussing.

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.

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.

Walt Chleva

Colorado, United States

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

I started off in the beer industry by working part time at my local homebrew store and wanted to take my brewing to the next level. I was able to get a position as a part time brewer for the brewery attached to the homebrew store and the rest is history.

Beer matters to me because from such a rich history comes the continued refinement and creation of a beverage that spans the world over. Beer has been enjoyed all around the world for thousands of years and poured into all sorts of vessels with many ingredients. Enjoying beer makes memories and is an experience that I feel blessed to be able to partake in, especially at this time in world history where the beer quality is at its peak.

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 because I have been in the beer industry for over 15 years and have loved seeing the increase in quality over the years. Brewers have been putting more effort into making quality paramount in the more recent years, making this last year’s judging experience the best one yet!

Judging beer at the World Beer Cup puts my skills to the test and allows me to continue my never-ending journey of sensory knowledge as I learn more each time I judge from some of the best in the world at determining the minute compounds created during the mash, the fermentation, or the packaging process.

Diego Setti

Florida, United States

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

I started homebrwing in 2010 in Buenos Aires, and became a Beer Judge Certification Program judge in 2012. Between 2012 and 2017, I gave many talks and trainings for the Asociación Civil Somos Cerveceros, which is the Argentine equivalent of the American Homebrewers Association.

In 2016, after a 6 months stay in Germany, I started doing some beer styles consultancies. In 2017, I quit my IT job to focus 100% on beer. I started a beer education institute called Zeta Atelier de Cervezas, offering a wide range of trainings and courses for beer enthusiasts and professionals. During that time I also became a Certified Cicerone and a Doemens Academie Biersommelier.

All that called the attention of many investors and entrepreneurs, so I accepted an offer to join the team of Prison Pals Brewing Company at the end of 2019 and I moved to Florida in 2020 to start that project, where I designed the layout and all the technical specs of the brewery. Now I’m working as brewmaster.

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

The World Beer Cup is one of the most prestigious beer competitions around the world and for sure is the biggest of all of them. It takes a lot of effort to become a part of the tasting panel: I applied for the first time in 2017 for the 2018 edition and for different reasons I’ve been able to have the honor of judging here for the first time in 2023. It’s a unique experience, where you taste world-class beers with a top notch tasting panel from every corner of the world.

Lana Svitankova

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

Beer is a love story in every sense. I fell down this rabbit hole on my honeymoon in Prague, over a glass of dark Czech lager, and I’ve continued my journey ever since. It started as a hobby, but it became a job, an educational vocation, and so much more. Like any relationship, there have been highs and lows, but the beer industry, the drink itself, and the people involved never cease to amaze me.

It’s more than just a set of flavors—it’s a collection of stories, emotions, memories, and experiences. That’s what makes it so exciting. Not all stories have a happy ending, but we’re here to change that and make the industry better.

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 a roller coaster of emotions. It’s a huge responsibility to do justice to an overwhelming number of beers. It’s an uplifting feeling to represent your country with pride. It’s an immense joy to meet and learn from the best peers in the beer world, having countless meaningful conversations. It’s a lot of fun, but everyone takes it very seriously. The amount of knowledge and experience in the room is outstanding.

Winning a medal at the WBC means going through rigorous assessment and reaching the podium with flying colors. It’s a reason for every winner to be proud and to celebrate their work and team effort.

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.

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.

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.