12 craft brewers compete to creating a unique IPA in Phnom Penh

Cambodian craft brewer Projekt Brews secured the gold medal for its New England India Pale Ale beer at the Master of Craft: A Brewing Competition held at Botanico Craft Beer Garden, Phnom Penh, recently. Botanico Brewing Co took home the silver with a well-balanced American IPA, and Notorious Bong’s impressive Cold IPA won the bronze.

Organised by the Craft Beer Association of Cambodia (CBAC), the event on 25 May saw 12 craft breweries from across the kingdom compete in a unique and challenging brewing contest focused on IPAs. Each participating brewery was tasked with creating an IPA that prominently featured the Vic Secret hop variety, constituting at least 50% of the total hop bill. The core hops and malt for the competition were provided by the event’s main sponsors, HMG, Barth Haas, and Castle Malting.

The competition was judged by both pro brewers and members of the beer loving public (Photos: Craft Brewers Association of Cambodia)

The competition featured a dual-rating system, with 30% of the overall score determined by the attending public and 70% by a tasting panel of international experts and VIPs with deep ties to the craft beer industry. These included Perry Lam, founder and master brewer of H.K. Lovecraft in Hong Kong, representing Castle Malting; Lennart Paul-Pax, technical sales manager of Barth-Haas; Hanh Tran, technical support specialist of HMG; Nhi Mai, senior brewer at East West Brewing in Vietnam; Chef Ruth, Cambodian Michelin star chef; Thiago Teixeira, legendary Khun Khmer fighter from Cambodia; and Seng Samrithsak, local entrepreneur, bespoke tailor, and craft beer enthusiast.

“This is a very friendly and impactful event for the craft beer market in Cambodia, and we hope with the sponsorship that CBAC will be strengthened and create more events or competitions like this in the future,” said Velvet Nguyen, account manager of the main sponsor HMG. “We’re more than happy to be a part, and proud to support excellence in every pour.”