Dr. Charlie Bamforth, FST Distinguished Professor Emeritus, was honored as the 2023 Craft Beer Pioneer at the Third Annual Brewers Cup of California.  The Pioneer Award was created to "recognize an individual who has propelled the craft beer industry over the years and helped shape it into what it is today. These individuals are synonymous with California’s beer scene, and it is a privilege to be able to celebrate their contributions with this prestigious award." 

From the event program: "Dr. Charlie Bamforth has been part of the brewing industry since 1978. Formerly with the Brewing Research Foundation and Bass in the UK, he was lead professor of brewing at UC Davis for 20 years from 1999. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UC Davis and also Honorary Professor with the University of Nottingham in England, as well as Senior Quality Advisor to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. He was previously Visiting Professor of brewing at Heriot-Watt University. He is the author of numerous articles, papers and books on beer (and soccer), has featured extensively in the media and has received many awards for his contributions to the industry. Charlie and Diane have been married for 46 years, have three children and four grandchildren."

The Brewers Cup competition for 2023 received 1,309 beer entries from 191 breweries across the state. The beers were judged in 83 different categories. 

Congratulations to Charlie, 2023 Craft Beer Pioneer!  

The event program is attached below as a PDF, and you can view all of the winning beers at the website link.