Paul will be the judge of that

Liberation Group Head Brewer Paul Hurley has been selected from hundreds of contemporaries around the world to be a judge at this year's Brewing Industry International Awards - the Oscars of the brewing industry.

Paul was last asked to be a judge for the awards in 2004, the third occasion he was honoured. This year he will join 30 of the top brewers from across the globe, including Alaska, China, North America, Australia, the Far East and Europe.

"This is a real honour for me" says Paul Hurley, "and a terrific vote for the work of my team at Liberation Brewery."

The Awards can be traced back to 1879 when a Brewing Exhibition was held in Islington, London. Now more than 130 years later it is expected over 750 beers from around the world will be entered in the 2011 competition, which begins on the 9th February. Paul Hurley and his fellow judges will scrutinise the entries over two days at the National Brewery Centre in Burton and will then award prestigious bronze, silver and gold class winners. On Friday the doors are opened to the public for an International Beer festival.

Mark Crowther, Chief Executive of Liberation Group, says: "We are immensely proud of Paul's achievements at the brewery and this honour is just reward for all his efforts, and those of the team that work with him at the Liberation Brewery. Coming so soon after our shortlisting for Best Regional Brewer in the Publican Awards, this has been a great start to February for us."