The Beer Academy has made its annual award of “Honorary Beer Academy Sommelier” to recognise two people who have made an exceptional contribution to promoting the public understanding of beer. This year’s recipients are Mark Dorber and Anders Kissmeyer;
Beer Academy Director, Simon Jackson said “Anders and Mark came to beer from different countries and very different backgrounds, but both have had an enormous impact in the way the beer is enjoyed.”
“Anders started out as an engineer before becoming a brewer with one of the world’s largest and most respected brewers, Carlsberg. He left the company in 2001 to set up his own craft brewery where he has tirelessly championed beer and food matching in Denmark. He is enormously generous about sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of beer through his writing, presentations and at the many international beer competitions that he is asked to judge.”
“Mark was a business analyst who left a job in the City of London to pursue his love of beer as landlord of the White Horse on Parsons Green in London. Here he pioneered innovative standards of cellarmanship and took particular pride in training a new generation of beer connoisseurs who can be found managing their own pubs and microbreweries all across the world. His famous tutored tastings and beer dinners led to the White Horse being a regular on TV, radio and the national press – and prompted legendary beer writer Michael Jackson to dub it “Beer Central. His new pub, the Anchor at Walberswick in Suffolk, continues this pioneering tradition. ”.
“In 2003, he was one of the small band of beer enthusiasts that spotted the need for a “Beer Academy” to increase consumer knowledge of beer. Since then he has been unstinting in his efforts to turn this dream into reality; only retiring from the Board last year when the Beer Academy was well established as one the world’s leading providers of beer education”
Simon adds “Mark and Anders have been two of the greatest advocates for beer training; harnessing their enormous knowledge of beer to encourage people to look at beer with fresh eyes. I can think of no more deserving candidates to receive to the Beer Academy’s highest honour.”
Ends
Picture Caption: Mark Dorber and Anders Kissmeyer, Honorary Beer Academy Sommeliers.
For further information contact Paul.k.hegarty@
Notes for Editors
Anders Brinch Kissmeyer was born in Aarhus, Denmark in 1956 and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MSc’s in brewing. After a 16 year career at Carlsberg, he left the company in 2001 to establish a Danish craft brewery heavily inspired by the US craft brewing scene. This project resulted in Nørrebro Bryghus, where Anders was first the CEO and later Brewery Director. In 2010. Anders left the company to set up his own brewing-, consulting- and communications company, Kissmeyer Beer & Brewing. He is the current Technical Editor of the Scandinavian Brewer’s Review, and has served on the Council of the European Brewing Convention (EBC) and the board of the Danish Brewer’s Association. Anders teaches at the Scandinavian School of Brewing, and is a judge at many national and international beer competitions. In August 2011 Anders was awarded ‘Best still active Master Brewer in the World’ after nomination by his peers in an award program organized by the Scandinavian School of Brewing.
Mark Dorber has been at the forefront of enthusing people about beer for over twenty years. An economist by training, he left a job in the City of London to manage the White Horse at Parsons Green. Under his guidance, the White Horse established an international reputation for its portfolio of cask and bottle beers from the UK and internationally. He paid particular attention to the training and development of the staff of the White Horse and many went on to run their own pubs and microbreweries. Mark was an early advocate of beer and food matching; menus always including beer recommendation for each dish. Under his leadership the White Horse was regularly featured in the media and won numerous awards. Mark was a founder Director of the Beer Academy. In 2006, Mark and his wife Sophie moved to the Anchor at Walberswick in Suffolk where they have continued matching great beers with excellent food served by highly trained staff.
The Beer Academy is an educational body that was founded by a small group of beer enthusiasts in 2003 to help people understand, appreciate and enjoy beer sensibly. To date over 10,000 people have attended Beer Academy courses and tasting events such as the BBC Good Food Show, the Great British Beer Festival and the British Museum as well as in pubs and bars up and down the country. The Academy offers a range of courses and qualifications ranging from a 90 minute tutored introduction to beer through to its highest award – the Sommelier Qualification. Full details of all Beer Academy Courses and events can be found www.beeracademy.co.uk