There is little over a week left to enter the 2026 Brewers Choice Awards. To enter or make your nomination please visit our website www.brewersjournal.info before the 10th July.

Showcasing and celebrating the finest beers and breweries from around the globe is one of the most rewarding parts of the brewing industry.

But for these events to happen, breweries need to be prepared to show off their latest creations and decorated judges from far and wide need to assess the great and good.

So what better opportunity to hear from Lotte Peplow. Lotte is is the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe. Her role is to identify opportunities for international expansion of American craft beer and to raise awareness about the quality, diversity and innovation from America’s small and independent craft brewers.

Based in London, UK she’s a Certified Cicerone, Beer Sommelier, beer writer, author, international beer judge and keen beer and food pairing advocate. And in judging beer competitions around the world, she knows the dos and don’ts when it comes to entering these contests and also how to judge them, too.

So in this episode, we revisit our talk from Lotte about the different competitions available to brewers, unearth some tips and tricks for entering (and winning!) and also essential information on how to become a beer judge.

Image: Nic Crilly-Hargave