The Asturian Pablo Fernández has won the first prize in the contest organised by Cervezas 1906 to encourage homebrewers to develop their own recipe for a Dunkel Bock, reversioning the 1906 Black Coupage.
A total of 120 applicants from all points of the country presented their credentials to participate in this competition that aims to value the work of the fans and recognise their dedication to the brewing cause.
Last November Cervezas 1906 launched a challenge to all the home brewers in Spain encouraging them to create their own version of 1906 Black Coupage, one of its most decorated beers. After a long process in which the jury has thoroughly analysed all the proposals, Pablo Fernández from Asturias has won the first prize in this contest whose main aim is to value the work of the homebrewers and recognise their dedication to the brewing cause.
Following the announcement of the challenge, a total of 120 applicants from throughout Spain presented their credentials to participate in this competition. Of these, 50 were selected and received a brewing kit that was to inspire them to work on their own recipe for a Dunkel Bock, the style of the chosen beer.
After 100 days of creation in which the brewery’s expert brewers were in constant contact with the aspirants to solve their doubts, the grand finale took place last night and the five finalists had the opportunity to present the result of their work, the result of both their experience and their technical knowledge.
The winner of this challenge defines his beer as “a dark brown beer with reddish tones and white foam, in which clarity is noticeable thanks to cold conditioning. In aroma it is reminiscent of nuts and liquorice with toasted nuances”. When passing through the mouth, its author highlights its great complexity “due to the blend of malts used and a pleasant “residual sweetness” “. Pablo Fernández was very excited to receive the news of his triumph which, in his own words, “is a recognition of all the dedication and passion we put in.” He will receive a prize of 700 euros to invest in his brewing equipment.
Luis Alvar, master brewer of Hijos de Rivera and member of the jury, states that “it has been very satisfying to see the high level of the proposals presented. That shows that brewing culture is growing and is a booming value in our country, which is very good news for everyone who loves beer.” The jury had the opportunity to blind taste all the beers and coincided in the high level shown by the participants. One of the biggest difficulties in this contest has been the cold fermentation required by a lager beer of this style, something that some of the aspirants solved very curiously during storm Filomena thanks to the snowfall. The choice and care of yeast, as well as the prominence of the malts or the type of water used have also been key in the quality of the proposals.
