What do the experts know?

There aren't all that many major plaudits to be had in the brewing world. Sure, there are any number of medals that beers display on their labels, but what they actually mean is often unclear. The main gongs in the beer arena these days are the Brewing Industry International Award and the Beer World Cup. Categories in both of these were won in 2004 by Ukraine's Weissbier Etalon. And as if that wasn't enough, it was crowned winner in Tesco's Beer Challenge and received a paper collar telling everyone so (in Tesco anyway).

In my estimation it was a deserving winner. Supposedly in the German style, it's much paler than any German weissbier of my acquaintance. The flavour is amazing: silky smooth yet bursting with zest and a prickle of spice. Easy drinking but rewarding to sip. All this, and from the Ukraine too. Someone out there definitely knows weissbier. It's wonderful to see them get recognition for it, but I'll bet the beer is its own reward.