Amsterdam-based global beer brand Heineken has long positioned itself as a premium beer. Part of that positioning is having a Star Quality program which trains bartenders to perfectly pour a draft Heineken.
First New Champion Since 2020
Since 2013, Heineken has promoted the importance of properly-poured draft Heineken through a global competition. Previously known as the Global Bartender Final, the competition was last held in 2020. In its new form, the Heineken Global Draught Championships (in Europe and other parts of the world, “draft” is spelled “draught”) hosted 16 bartenders from around the world—as diverse as Sweden, Croatia, India and Guadeloupe, as well as Heineken’s home country of Netherlands—in Amsterdam for an in-person showdown. Also new for 2024, partnership markets were encouraged to bring a consumer to attend the Championships.
After over two hours of competition, Jason Dennis Dcruz from Malaysia was crowned the 2024 Heineken Global Draught Champion. “It’s the best in the world,” said Dennis after being crowned champion, explaining his passion for the beer. “Perfect service is more than pouring the beer. It’s also representing the beer to the customer.”
Heineken is one of the top beer brands in Dcruz’s home market of Malaysia, where he had to best over 1,200 other bartenders to earn a spot in the global final. Dcruz works at Rockafellers in Kuala Lumpur, part of the Olive Tree Group.
Why Heineken Promotes The Importance Of The Perfect Pour
“We can train bartenders, but we also want consumers to recognize a perfectly-poured Heineken,” said Thomas van Boheemen, Global Star Quality Manager for Heineken, via a video interview.
Local markets determine what bartender and consumer will attend the Global Draught Championships. In Malaysia for example, van Boheemen says bartenders undergo week-long training, after which there is a regional competition before a national champion is determined and sent to the global competition in Amsterdam. Other markets determine their local champion bartender through mystery visits.
For consumers, in Indonesia, a local supermarket installed a draft system in its stores. Consumers were required to properly pour a beer to enter the draw to win the trip to Amsterdam to attend the competition.
“We brew and distribute the beer, after which it is out of our control,” said van Boheemen. “We want to support bartenders and by recognizing their craftsmanship, we want bartenders to bring their passion for Heineken to their teams and consumers.”
The Perfect Pour
“It only takes 25 seconds to pour a Heineken,” said van Boheemen. “In those 25 seconds, we need the bartender to extend the love and passion for Heineken.” Under the Star Quality program, bartenders are trained to be attentive to even minute details of the serving process—for example, holding the glass at its base so that the glass and beer are kept cold—and the competition is a nod to that art.
For consumers at home, van Boheemen suggests people start with a cold beer and a chilled glass. “I always aim for the perfect pour of Heineken at home, with the foam resting on the shoulders of the star on the glass. When it’s poured perfectly, the first sip is the one I like the most.”