Competing within a pool of 229 beer products from 95 different brands, eight products from Cobra Beer won eight gold medals at the 2023 Monde Selection Awards in Brussels on June 5, 2023. Cobra Beer’s tally was the second highest total won by any beer brand.
Lord Karan Bilimoria with the eight gold medals for Cobra Beer
"This spectacular achievement elevates our total medal tally to an astounding 145, cementing our status as one of the most awarded beers in the world!” noted a press release issued from the office of Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder chairman of Cobra Beer. "Winning at such a distinguished platform is a testament to the exceptional quality, innovative brewing techniques, and the relentless pursuit of excellence that Cobra Beer embodies. This year’s success story could not have been written without our incredible brew masters and the dedicated team at Cobra Beer and Molson Coors.” It was 12 years after its launch in 1989 that Cobra Beer won its first medal in 2001. The company had received a shot in the arm in 2009 when the North American brewing giant Molson Coors invested £10 million recognizing Cobra’s "unique and iconic status and its excellent reputation with the ethnic restaurant sector.”
A diverse range of consumer products from around the globe in the food, beers, waters and drinks, spirits, diet and health, and cosmetics categories are assessed by Monde Selection. Founded in 1961 as a world-renowned international institute for quality selection, evaluation and recognition, Monde Selection’s jury comprises qualified professionals carefully chosen for their skills and integrity, as notes their website monde-selection.com. Their jury for beers is exclusively composed of zythologists (who specialize in the study of beer) and flavor technologists. Beer products eligible for Monde Selection Quality awards could vary from pilsner, stout and wheat beer to Indian Pale Ale, negra (brown) and preta (black or Cascadian dark) ale.
Monde Selection’s tasting sessions are based on organoleptic (involving the use of sense organs) parameters applicable to each product, such as visual appearance, odor, taste, aftertaste, mouthfeel and its overall appreciation. The evaluation sessions take place over a period of four months with a maximum of 10 products tasted per session to preserve the experts’ palate and taste perception. For beer, after the sensory assessment the jury examines other criteria like foam, bitterness, acidity/alkalinity, clearness, etc. The jury may also request to conduct advanced chemical analysis in a laboratory to complete the evaluation of products.