International brewing competition honours winners from Germany, Lithuania and Slovakia / 113 beers evaluated / 2027 challenge to feature BEST NP Ultra-Pale and the Helles beer style
The winners of the BestBrewChallenge 2026 have been announced: at BRAU Beviale in Nuremberg, the brewers behind the three best Dark Wheat Beers were revealed. First place went to Finn Sommer, a homebrewer from Berlin, for his beer “Dunkle Weiße.” He brewed the beer at home using a simple stockpot setup. As part of his prize, the beer was produced on a larger scale at BESTMALZ in Heidelberg so that it could be served and tasted at the trade fair.
Second place was awarded to Andrius Podvaiskis from Lithuania for “Tamsuolis.” Third place went to Pavol Daniš from Slovakia for “Súmrak.” All three winners are homebrewers.
113 Beers Evaluated, Each with Individual Feedback
A total of 113 Dark Wheat Beers were tasted and assessed by professional beer sommeliers. Every submitted beer received individual feedback, providing participants with valuable guidance on how to further improve their brewing, regardless of their final ranking.
The 2026 challenge focused on the Dark Wheat Beer style. Participants brewed their beers between 20 and 26 April 2026 using BEST Wheat Malts and BEST Roasted Malts from BESTMALZ.
Looking Ahead: BestBrewChallenge 2027 to Feature BEST NP Ultra-Pale
The spotlight in 2027 will be on the new malt BEST NP Ultra-Pale. With a colour rating of no more than 2.5 EBC, it is the palest malt in the BESTMALZ portfolio.
Brewing will once again take place simultaneously around German Beer Day (23 April), from Monday, 19 April 2027, through Sunday, 25 April 2027. Homebrewers and professional brewers from around the world are invited to take part.
Further information & registration will be available starting in January 2027 at www.bestbrewchallenge.com.
About the BestBrewChallenge
The BestBrewChallenge is an international brewing competition in which brewers from around the world brew a predefined beer style using specified ingredients. Organised since 2015 by Palatia Malz GmbH, producer of the BESTMALZ malt brand, it is regarded as the largest event of its kind worldwide.
For further information, please visit www.bestbrewchallenge.com.
About Palatia Malz GmbH
Palatia Malz GmbH is a leading German family-owned malting group founded in 1899 and now managed in the third generation. Under the BESTMALZ® brand, the company supplies breweries and other food companies of various sizes in Germany and worldwide. The wide range of different products of the long-established Heidelberg family business is made from barley, raw wheat, rye, oats and other raw materials and is used for the production of first-class beers, but also for coffee, baking ingredients and specialty products from the food sector. BESTMALZ® realizes more than half of its sales through exclusive distributors in over 60 countries worldwide. BESTMALZ® is a nationally and internationally renowned brand that is synonymous with German quality malts made from high-quality grain and other natural raw materials.
www.bestmalz.de.
Press contact:
Katharina Stiller
Head of Marketing & Communications
Palatia Malz GmbH
+49 (0)6221 6466-50
katharina.stiller@bestmalz.de
Get your BestBrewChallenge 2026 participant T-shirt now!