Pilsner Urquell IMB Winner Announcement

DANISH BARTENDER TRIUMPHS IN PILSNER URQUELL INTERNATIONAL MASTER
BARTENDER COMPETITION 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Berlin, 2 nd October 2009 – Rasmus Kobbersmed has won the title of Pilsner Urquell
International Master Bartender 2009 during a highly-competitive two-day final. Rasmus, who
works in Den Bla Hund in Copenhagen, claimed victory against an impressive group of finalists
from sixteen other countries.
Now in its fourth year, the competition has reached new heights, with 4,000 bartenders from 17
countries competing for the coveted title. For the first time, the decision was taken to split the
final between two cities. Bartenders first travelled to the home of the beer in Pilsen for testing,
before transferring to the vibrant German capital of Berlin for the awards ceremony. Rasmus
claimed his prize at a glamorous awards ceremony in the spectacular surroundings of the
Deutsches Historisches Museum in the heart of the city.
The final stage of the competition saw the bartenders placed in front of a panel of beer experts
for intensive interviews, before sitting an arduous written exam in the heart of the brewery in
Pilsen. They were even tasked with demonstrating their pouring skills in front of an enthusiastic
public in Berlin city centre.
Rasmus’s journey to Berlin is the culmination of a busy few years of studying, travelling and
discovering his passion for bartending. He was more than thrilled to take home the international
title: “I can’t begin to express how amazing winning this title is for me. All the bartenders here
have so much passion and have worked so hard to get here. I can’t wait to spread some of this
passion to my customers when I get back to Copenhagen.”
Second and third place went to Ivan Simonovic from Slovakia and Maria Abrams from
Germany, who both gave sterling performances demonstrating in-depth knowledge of the
brewing techniques that are unique to Pilsner Urquell and masterfully displaying the art of the
perfect pour.
Vinod Giri, Global Brand Director for Pilsner Urquell, said: “The pure Pilsner from Pilsen
deserves to be handled and served with care and dedication and all our bartenders have

excelled themselves on that front. Each year, we are pleasantly surprised by the standards we
see and remain committed to ensuring this professionalism is given the necessary rewards.”
Rasmus will now head off on a global victory tour, travelling to visit three of his fellow bartender
finalists in their own countries to get behind the bar in their outlets, with his experiences
documented along the way.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell is the original Pilsner from Pilsen. Created in 1842, it gave birth to the pilsner
style of beers. Still brewed to the same exacting standards, this beer offers the uniquely
distinctive full bodied flavour of true pilsner.
Pilsner Urquell is the flagship brand of SABMiller’s international premium brand portfolio and is
distributed in over 40 countries worldwide.
SABMiller
SABMiller plc is one of the world’s largest brewers with brewing interests and distribution
agreements across six continents. The group’s wide portfolio of brands includes premium
international beers such as Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner
Urquell, as well as market-leading local brands such as Aguila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow and
Tyskie. SABMiller is also one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products in the world.
SABMiller plc is listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.