The International Beer Judges organisation has said it will not participate in any beer competition in Russia or Belarus until further notice.
The group made its decision yesterday, strongly condemning the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
“Our community experiences at every beer competition how people from all countries can successfully work together in harmony, respect, and shared enthusiasm,” a spokesperson said. “The invasion of Ukraine tramples all these values underfoot.”
In addition, the group:
- Called on all international beer competitions to remove Russian beers and beers from Belarus from the competition and not to evaluate them. The IBJ will welcome back those brewers who are working for peace and an end to aggression, as soon as the leadership of their country has stopped behaving in such an inhuman manner
- Called on all players from the beer world to limit co-operation with Russian companies and suppliers to the absolute minimum and to end it in the medium term
- Expressed solidarity with all people from the beer world in Russia and Belarus who are working for peace and ending aggression
The International Beer Judges group consists of more than 500 professional beer judges from around the world. It provides the majority of the judges at the various beer competitions around the world. Among them are members from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
