JORDAN BERNARTE of Draft Gastropub and the Philippines’ representative conquered the 2016 Stella Artois Draught Masters Asia held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was adjudged one of the four grand winners from 15 contenders from different Asian countries who competed in Stella Artois’ Competition.
Aside from the chance to compete in the World Draught Masters Competition next year, Bernarte was named the only Stella Artois ambassador in the country.
The competition was divided into two parts— the 9-step ritual skills test where contenders were judged based on the technicality and flair of their perfect pour and a question-and-answer segment.
The 9-step ritual includes The Purification, The Sacrifice, The Liquid Alchemy; The Head,The Removal, The Beheading, The Judgement, The Cleansing and The Bestowal.
Bernarte did not only do the 9-step ritual flawlessly but also innovated on some of the traditional movements. During The Judgement ritual, for instance, Bernarte raised his Chalices in a slow and graceful motion and positioned them in opposite direction, like a yin and yang, to signify balance rhythm and perfection. This caught the attention of the judges, composed mainly of Stella Artois representatives who flew all the way from Belgium where this well-loved Belgian beer is brewed.
“We are very proud to have a bartender from Draft compete and win at the Asian/Regional competition. As the Stella Artois ambassador, Bernarte will be training all our bartenders in Draft ” Kate de Castro, Marketing Head, explained. “He will also be sent around the country and Asia for Stella Artois-related seminars, workshops, and other events.” ADVT.