Throughout this morning, the Estrella Galicia Beer Pulling Championship in Castilla y León has been taking place at the brand’s stand in the Alimentaria Castilla y León. A total of 30 aspirants from different provinces in the region battled through the different rounds to win the best beer puller title, supported by the public present at the event.
After a number of phases in which they had to demonstrate their skill at serving draught and bottled beer, and answering questions about the world of beer, Simón García Sanz, from the bar “La Torre-Barra” in Cuéllar (Segovia) won the title of Best Beer Puller in Castilla y León. The runner-up was Nuria Basurto, from the Asociación de Sumilleres de Burgos. Both will represent the region at the National Championship to be held in early 2016.
Simón García, who works in the family business, stated that he felt very proud of having won. In his own words “this represents a recognition of well served beer to all the clients who come to your business”. He admits that he prepared himself well and studied in order to participate in the contest. With regards to his future participation in the Estrella Galicia national Beer Pulling Championship, he admits that he will go with a lot of respect for the contest as there is an excellent level in Spain and because he will be representing Castilla y León.
Nuria Basurto said that she was very pleased to have participated and of experience acquired. She encourages more women to participate in this kind of contest, and admits that it is a learning experience to see the techniques used by other participants when serving beer.
A total of 5 aspirants reached the grand final. The three finalists that won consolation prizes were: Luis Manuel Cortés from the bar La Alcoholera in Palencia, José Alberto López from the restaurant Sera de Boecillo (Valladolid) and Jesús Condes from “La Dolce Vita” in Arroyo de la Encomienda (Valladolid).
The aim of the championship is to promote beer culture and to acknowledge the work of bartenders as a fundamental link in the distribution chain of Estrella Galicia products. Professionalism in catering establishments is fundamental to offer end consumers the full range of possibilities our beer has to offer.
The jury was made up of Jaime Fernández Lafuente, President of the Asociación de Hosteleros de Valladolid and province, Alfonso Martínez Villamañán, from La Ferretería Café Bar (Benavides de Órbigo), previous Castilla y León Beer Puller Champion and finalist of the II Estrella Galicia Beer Pulling Championship, Fernando Iglesias Quiroga, Market Quality Manager at Hijos de Rivera, and Xabier Cubillo de la Hoz, Market Quality Expert at Hijos de Rivera (Chairman of the Jury). All had a difficult task to evaluate the quality, efficacy and speed when serving as well as the participants’ knowledge about the characteristics of Estrella Galicia products.
The five finalists were given their weight in beer, and a cash prize of €600 for the winner and €400 for the runner-up. There were also three consolation prizes of €150. All the finalists were given a diploma accrediting their participation, and the champion and runner-up go straight through to the National Championship, with paid travel and expenses.
