February 2, 2012 · Team HG
Does a small glass have a nice collar? How is the specialty beer presented? A well-poured glass of beer goes beyond two fingers of foam. Nino Beltgens of Restaurant QuasiMolo scored highly. With his presentation and eye for detail while tapping, the finest glass of beer was presented to the professional jury. The beer tapping competition is organized by the Stichting Tapwedstrijden.nl with the support of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland. A beer tapping championship for all hospitality professionals where image, craftsmanship, and independence are guiding principles.
Professional knowledge and experience required
A bartender is a craftsman who presents the best products to his guests with passion, experience, and expertise. Expertise and experience are also necessary when pouring a good glass of beer. Jury Chairman Gerrit Verweij: “Throughout the Netherlands, great enthusiasm has been shown for the beer tapping competitions, and we are seeing a tremendous leap in quality, with which the participants demonstrate that the best beer is indeed served in the Dutch hospitality industry.”
About de tapwedstrijden
The tapwedstrijden.nl foundation launched the new-style beer tapping competitions this year. 31 beer tapping competitions were organized throughout the Netherlands. The best tappers from the local competitions competed per district. 24 finalists were selected from these three districts, and the 2011 defending champion also secured a spot in the final. Today, the top 25 beer tappers in the Netherlands competed on a large stage for the title of Dutch Beer Tapping Champion at the BBB hospitality trade fair in the MECC Maastricht.
Beer connoisseurs
The expert jury consists of: Gerrit Verweij (chairman), Eric de Kock (competition director), Gilbert Royen, Antonio van den Hengel, Nigel Siebelt, Peter van de Arend and Thomas Wijn.
This jury looked at a number of aspects of a professionally presented beer:
• Preparation and presentation
• Rinsing the glasses
• Method of tapping
• Method of skimming
• How is the beer served to the guest
• How is the presentation of a ‘specialty beer’ prepared?
• How is the glass of a ‘special beer’ rinsed
• How is the ‘special beer’ served to the guest
Top 10 Best Beer Tappers in the Netherlands
1 Nino Beltgens Restaurant QuasiMol Maastricht
2 Virginie Janssen cafe Oud Brabant Oirschot
3 Hugo Smeijer The Stadtlander Groningen
4 Aleida Kranendonk Cafe de Karre Tuk
5 Maurice Gilissen Cafe in den ouden Vogelstruys Maastricht
6 Elias Bom Cafe Walzicht Woerden
7 Yvet Bosma The Secret Annex Urk
8 Bas van der Aa Cafe de Gouden Leeuw Winssen
9 Ton Lifted from La Cle Maastricht
10 Tim Fugers The Cardinal Soest
