In the past month, I’ve had my first ever paid subscription to a TV station. Discovery+ managed to convince me by airing Beer Masters: The Search for Europe’s Next Great Beer, a competition for home brewers. Apparently, it was actually by Amazon, so I’m glad my money went to Discovery+ instead (although sure some of it ended up in Bezos’ pocket, unfortunately) and even though I could have waited until all episodes were out and then cram it all in my one free week, I figured I’d show my appreciation for attention to craft beer on TV, so I paid for a month. And it is was worth it.
Head of Jury and Runner of the Show Jaega Wise puts on an excellent performance. The presenting work by James Blunt is good and entertaining, but the knowledge and professionalism in beer that Jaega Wise seems to effortlessly shine out over the viewers and contestants makes it a good show to watch for beer geeks and beer haters alike.
What is Beer Masters about? It is kind of a Great European Brew Off: a talent show for home brewers. Five couples, from Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Belgium compete in a five episode show by brewing beer at home. Contrary to many similar shows, teams are not sent home after a failed attempt, because “brewers are a friendly bunch”. Perhaps this is due to the nature of how/when the show and its different episodes were recorded (pay careful attention to clothing, and you might get the gist of it). Every episode, there is an introduction, and a visit to a brewery by the presenter team, at what I can only think of as sponsors. They manage to build a nice story around the sponsors, but it is all too clear that these companies were not picked to bring the best possible succession of brew assignments.
The teams then brew a beer back home, following a clear and concise order. Once they’re done, they bring a few bottles back to the Beer Masters HQ. I think the teams have seen this show in a very different timeline than we as the audience have witnessed. Presenting their finished products was always spiced up by an extra element: think of a good name, a decent label, pair it with food or even build a complete bar around your presented brew. The jury, Jaega Wise plus a guest, sometimes from the world of beer, sometimes related to the extra presentation element, then picks a winner. Every winner is an entry to the final: at the end of the fifth episode the five gold medal beers were compared to pick the best of the best. Their beer would be produced at scale and sold, with the proceeds going to the brewing team.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so no words on the winners here. Every here and there I must say I was a tad bit surprised by either the new week’s style (“abbey style beer” right after a week of “Tripel”), the place to visit to inspire the brewers (obviously, I have nothing at all against Leffe…) or the winning or runner-up beers (where either style or abv wasn’t quite on point, or the idea of the food pairing was just excessively odd), but overall the show was nice. Good views, nice info on the beers and beer styles, an interesting look in kitchen of home brewers and a display of the breath of beer styles that is certainly worth your time.
I’m looking forward to another season!
Tasting Craft Beer 
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