Buffalo, NY - The United States Beer Tasting Championship™ (USBTC) recently completed the Summer Competition of its 12th annual competition. A total of 358 beers from 129 breweries were examined across 12 different beer categories. Within each category, the USBTC determined both a Grand Champion and the best entry from each of six U.S. regions: 1) Northeast, 2) Mid-Atlantic/Southeast, 3) Midwest, 4) Rockies/Southwest, 5) California, and 6) Northwest/Pacific.

The USBTC takes a unique approach in that its competition is held in multiple stages. Sequential field trials are conducted wherein judges evaluate beers and select the best to advance to subsequent rounds. This allows beers to be judged in relatively small flights while ensuring that the best beers are still determined through head-to-head competition. All beers were tasted in blinded fashion and judged on a hedonic scale.

The USBTC recognizes that American brewers are continually establishing new beer styles and reviving interest in classic styles.  As one way to acknowledge this, the USBTC devotes a single "pull-out" category in each competition to a style that is currently emerging or being faithfully carried on.  In our most recent event, Maibock was selected and included in the Summer Competition.

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