BrauBeviale Director of Exhibitions Andrea Kalrait now a qualified beer sommelière

1. What gave you the idea to train as a beer sommelière?

Andrea Kalrait: For almost 22 years now I have been in charge of BrauBeviale and have dedicated myself professionally to the product beer. As I am a person who really enjoys things, it was only a question of time until the passion for beer and enthusiasm for its diversity also caught up with me on a private level. The key experience for me was a discussion with Dr. Wolfgang Stempfl, Managing Director of the Doemens Academy, during a tasting session for the Consumers’ Favourite Awards – the general public award at the European Beer Star – at BrauBeviale six years ago. There I became aware of several things about the diversity of beers. In the past few years I have participated at many different events in order to further extend my know-how. As a result, I’ve already been a member of the European Beer Star tasters’ committee since 2014 – a very exciting task with a lot of responsibility. For me, the training as a beer sommelière was the ideal way to complement my previous knowledge with profound know-how and, beyond that, to gain a better understanding of the way brewers work and the challenges they face.

2. Could you briefly describe the two weeks which you spent training at the Doemens Academy and the BierKulturHaus? What were they like in practical terms?

Andrea Kalrait: They were two very intensive weeks, which were crammed full with special themes from morning to evening. “Non-brewers” in particular must learn all the course elements from scratch – and our course was indeed the first without any previously qualified brewers among the participants. The nature of the course involves us taking a really deep look into the brewing process. I learnt which chemical reactions take place here, what the task of hops and yeast is and also got to know the structure, significance and hygiene of the draft (beer) dispensing system. The first week at Doemens in Gräfelfing was particularly characterized by theory and history and we concerned ourselves with the origin and development of diverse beer styles. During the second week at the BierKulturHaus in Obertrum, we then really got stuck in and brewed our own beer: an Oatmeal Stout. In Obertrum we also addressed the subject of tasting and learnt a great deal about the interaction of beer with cheese or chocolate as well as what you need to know when cooking with beer. As part of the final exams, we developed our own beer menu. So these were two very diverse weeks.

3. Have you already got ideas about how you can include your newly-acquired know-how in your daily job as Director Exhibitions at BrauBeviale?

Andrea Kalrait: The next BrauBeviale will be held from 13 to 15 November 2018 in Nuremberg. The newly-acquired know-how and the associated understanding will no doubt come into play here and there at BrauBeviale. On an international level, the craft beer theme in particular is playing an important role for NürnbergMesse. In May, CRAFT BEER CHINA, a member of our Beviale Family, will be held. Here, I have also already been assigned the first concrete task: together with our partner Doemens, I will be hosting an evening on the theme of beer and the appropriate food that goes with it. In addition, at the beginning of May, I was a member of the tasting jury at the Meininger Craft Beer Award. In August, I will once again be a member of the tasting jury at the European Beer Star.

Many thanks for the interview!
NürnbergMesse: International competence and expertise in the beverage sector

The NürnbergMesse Group is demonstrating its competence and expertise in the beverage industry on an international stage. In addition to the mother fair with its rich tradition, BrauBeviale in Nuremberg (Germany), which will next be held from 13 to 15 November 2018, inviting over 1,100 exhibitors and around 38,000 trade visitors, it is staging trade fairs worldwide in key growth markets under the “Beviale Family” name: in addition to CRAFT BEER CHINA, which will be held from 17 to 19 May 2017 in Shanghai, these events include CRAFT BEER ITALY, which will be celebrating its premiere in Milan from 22 to 23 November 2017, as well as Beviale Moscow, which from 27 February to 1 March 2018 will already be opening its doors for the third time. The Feira Brasileira da Cerveja in Blumenau, Brazil, will also be “supported by BrauBeviale” in 2018. Other projects are in the pipeline.

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