Winners of the 2024 judges competition
This year we had 59 beers in the judges competition. We therefore had 8 judges and focused on a combination of local experts on traditional beer combined with trained judges with experience from traditional brewing.
The judges were divided into 4 teams, each tasting their own beers. 12 beers were selected for a final where all judges tasted all finalist beers.
The judges panel. From right: Arve Raftevold, Gunnar Skare, Per Øyvind Arnesen, Kasper Andersen, Torkjel Austad, Eirik Hoem and Roger Severin Bruland. Judge Dag Jørgensen is not in the photo
1st place - Beer no. 64 - “Otterdal Tradition” brewed by Tore Raftevold and Eirik Lødemel. Kornøl with Otterdal kveik
The judges describe the beer as follows: “A light and slightly hazy beer. It is complex, with good character of kveik and flavors like umami, spices, grain and tropical fruit like apricot. It is a well-balanced beer with sweetness and slight acidity.
The prize for 1st place is a rifle stock from GRS and a bag of malt from Malteriet.
The winners with Eirik Lødemel and Tore Raftevold
2nd place - Beer no. 38 - “Birch” brewed by Mildrid Mæhle. Homebrew with Sellandskveik.
The judges describe the beer as follows: An amber-colored beer with lots of caramel, orange and a fruity smoky character. It is a well-balanced beer with a lovely and complex sweetness.
The prize for 2nd place is a gift card from Brewshop worth 2000 kr. Bag of malt from Bonsak and bag of malt from Natrud.
Mildrid Mæhle with prize presenter Jogeir Svee Halland
3rd place - Beer no. 24 - “Stjørdalsøl” brewed by Jørund Geving. Stjørdalsøl with Idun blue.
The judges describe the beer as follows: A copper-colored and complex beer with caramel, marmalade and marzipan. The smoky character balances the sweetness well and gives it a lovely freshness.
The prize for 3rd place is a gift card from Brewshop worth 1000 kr. Bag of malt from Jærmalt and bag of malt from Bonsak.
People’s favorite went to beer no. 64 - “Otterdal Tradition”
Tore Raftevold and Eirik Lødemel therefore took both 1st place and the people’s favorite. This proves that they made a really good beer that both the audience and the judges liked very much.
William Holden Memorial Prize went to Ivar Husdal
Ivar has throughout a long life been a culture bearer of great standing and has made an invaluable contribution to beer and cultural heritage. He possesses enormous knowledge that many have benefited from.
Ivar has a young and fresh spirit and is not averse to experimenting with new flavors and methods.
In a festive gathering, he is the one who stands up and sings a song and always has an open door in the brewhouse.
From left: Mildrid Mæhle, Eirik Lødemel, Tore Raftevold and Jørund Geving
Judges forms
Here are complete judges forms with scores from 1-10. The judges’ reference numbers are written by hand, while the numbers from the program are written over.