However, he cannot yet say much about the taste – “the beer is a bit too cold for an evaluation,” he explains. He is one of the world’s leading experts in this field. In September Hilbrandt was chosen as the world champion beer sommelier in Munich. It came as a complete surprise to him.

The 32-year-old remembers he first came across “special beers” around 2011. It was the time that the craft beer movement started, which favours individual, hand-brewed beer over the industrial brands brewed by large companies. Hilbrandt also started to brew his own beer in the cellar of his parents’ house in Sauerland. “I began to research and also wanted to learn how to assess beer using my senses.” In 2015 he completed a two week training course to become a beer sommelier for around Euro 3000 – a job that has not existed long in this form and is more closely associated with wine.

But not all beer is the same, explains Hilbrandt. Many different styles of beer and innumerable different varieties exist. “This can range from sour, to smoky to malty-fruity.” One of the most unusual beers that he knows, “a so-called spontaneous fermented beer” tastes “closer to champagne than a typical German beer.”

The distinction between beer styles and flavours and their description was therefore also the key challenge in the world championship. There was also a knowledge test and in the semi final and final the presentation of a beer. “It was an exam situation,” he says describing the setting. Along with his brother, who also took part, and further competitors from the Rhineland (20 of the 70 participants in the world championships came from Germany) he had repeatedly trained for this in advance. You also have to be a bit of a “nerd” says the qualified IT and computer scientist grinning.

The Bonner also does the same thing he did at the competitions on a part-time basis at beer tastings during private parties, company parties or in bars. He selects various beers that go as well as possible with the food and presents them to the guests. He also gives homebrew courses.

It is not only these appointments that have dramatically increased since the world championship. He also reports that inquiries from the press, as a jury member at competitions or from companies to appear at trade fairs have not stopped to this day. It takes five or six hours a week to deal with the phone calls and emails alone. He and his fellow colleagues are currently working in the recently formed Bonn Homebrew Association to achieve a common structure for events and brewing. However, there is no question of him making it his full-time occupation. “When you turn a hobby into a profession, you don't have a hobby anymore,” says Hilbrandt.

Hilbrandt does not have a favourite beer – this is exactly what his hobby is all about. “In summer I like to drink a Kölsch, in winter also something heavier, like stout for example,” he reveals. In the end it is all about continually enjoying a variety of beers. He would also like to communicate this approach to others. “One should appreciate beer more as a luxury drink and have the courage to try different flavours.”(Original text: Peter Gassner. Translated by Kate Carey.)