January 11, 2019 · Team HG
BBeer tapping is a true craft and requires craftsmanship. That was clearly evident today during the final of the Dutch Beer Tapping Championship at Horecava 2019. Of all the bartenders who participated in the regional preliminary rounds over the past few months, 64 participants stood in the final today. And John Meijerink from Paviljoen Lutterzand in De Lutte tapped the best beer! He won the coveted title and is the 2019 Dutch Beer Tapping Champion.
John Meijerink: “I have been participating in beer tapping competitions for 25 years and have already been in the top 10 of the final 7 times. This year I really wanted to win and I gave it my all. It was very exciting, because there were incredibly good tappers in the final. Everyone was tapping with full concentration. Me too, of course! Gosh, how amazing that I have finally won!”
Three Groningen companies reached the final this year. Out of the hundreds of bartenders who participated in dozens of competitions throughout the country, they managed to secure a spot in the final. Of the 64 finalists, none made it into the top ten, but qualifying for the final certainly delivered a top performance.
The standard of the finalists at Horecava 2019 in Amsterdam was very high. The professional jury, consisting of former Dutch Champions, judged the craft and craftsmanship of preparing, tapping, presenting, and serving draft beers and specialty beers under the leadership of Gerrit Verweij.
Over the past few months, several regional beer tapping competitions and a large number of local preliminary rounds took place; 64 of the winners qualified for the national final, which took place today at the Horecava trade fair. The task for the finalists was: tap two flutes, two vases, and one specialty beer. And pour one specialty beer from a bottle for the jury.
Based on the points awarded to the finalists by the professional jury, 10 bartenders ultimately reached the final. John Meijerink from Paviljoen Lutterzand in De Lutte was the absolute best and is deservedly the 2019 Dutch Beer Tapping Champion.
The results of the 2019 Dutch Beer Tapping Championship:
1. John Meijerink from Paviljoen Lutterzand in De Lutte in 06:43 with 160 points
2. Amber Ott van Zuyver eating & drinking together in Soest in 06:15 with 159 points
3. Koen Wilmes from Biertaverne de Gouverneur in Maastricht in 07:27 with 159 points
4. Sander Meeter from Beachclub Lemmer in Lemmer in 06:00 with 158 points
5. Giulio Severijnen from Café Biessels in Nijmegen in 07:27 with 158 points
6. Ivo Smeets from Pieke Potloed in Maastricht in 07:28 with 156 points
7. Melvin Baak of DITTIS Sunsea in Wijk aan Zee in 09:00 with 156 points
8. Lisanne Hofland of De Liefhebbers aan Zee in Wijk aan Zee in 09:03 with 153 points
9. Erik van der Kolk from Eetcafé Buurman & Buurman in Wageningen in 05:52 with 150 points
10. Sebastiaan Redeker from Café de Werf in Hauwert in 05:01 with 143 points.
See for the full results: www.tapwedstrijden.nl
Erwin Storm, Chairman of the Tapwedstrijden.nl Foundation: “The best beer is tapped in the Dutch hospitality industry. Because it is not just about the beer itself, but also about passion for the craft, about serving, and above all about the contact with the guest. During the final, I saw how many professionals there are in our industry. And how seriously they take tapping a good beer. I am extra proud of the hospitality industry today.”
The Dutch Beer Tapping Championship is organized by the Tapwedstrijden.nl Foundation to familiarize and enthuse hospitality professionals about the correct tapping and pouring of beer. Since the founding of the Tapwedstrijden.nl Foundation in 2010, hundreds of tapping competitions have already taken place, and nine Dutch Champions have been crowned following this Dutch Beer Tapping Championship.
The Tapwedstrijden.nl foundation organizes the final of the Dutch Beer Tapping Championship in collaboration with the four major Dutch brewers, Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, the Tapwacht, and Horecava. Information about the tapping competitions, such as the competition rules, competition protocol, and the specific criteria on which the professional jury judged the finalists: www.tapwedstrijden.nl
