During the celebration of the Barcelona Beer Festival and InnBrew, The Brewers Convention, on March 22, 23 and 24, 2024 at Fira de Barcelona Montjuïc and during the Barcelona Beer Challenge Awards Ceremony, the honorary and most emotional award was presented to the brewing career.
The sixth edition of the Steve Huxley Award was for Montse Virgili. After year after year, of being a constant in the list of the 5 finalists, we can celebrate her long and powerful career. The more than deserved award was presented by the self-styled ‘beret community’ formed by previous winners of the award: Salvador Marimon, Andrew Dougall, Carles Rodríguez and Guillem Laporta, friends of many and many years ago.
In a first round, the jury chose among five finalists from an open list, in which the entire jury was invited to propose candidates. The five finalists were:
- Manuel Baltasar (Biercab) –Interview Crafted – Ohm Sweet Ohm
- Susana Giner (2d2dspuma)–Interview Beers and Trips
- Montse Virgili (Ales Agullons) –Interview Beers and Trips
- Alberto Benavides – (Bar&Beer) Interview Beer and Trips
- Guzmán Fernández – Craft Beer Cluster- No interview.
Montse Virgili embodies the commitment to a way of understanding craft beer: Quality, patience and respect for the product, always come first. At the same time, putting people in priority, with an open and friendly spirit always welcoming and sharing with everyone.
Without ever claiming it, she is also a true visionary who understands the power of community and collaboration. As the organizer of the “Mostra de Mediona”, she has provided a vital space for the industry to come together, share knowledge and celebrate their mutual love of craft beer. Her ability to unite such seemingly disparate people around a common passion is truly inspiring.
Again, from silence, Montse has been a driving force behind the brewers association, GECAN, with tremendous amount of work in the early days when legislation was non-existent and the needs of the sector were great. She has always worked tirelessly to break down barriers and create opportunities for women to shine in a world that has historically been dominated by men.
In short, Montse Virgili is much more than an exceptional brewer. She is a true leader, an innovator, a defender and, above all, an exceptional human being whose impact will last over the course of time. Today we rise to applaud her accomplishments, thank her for her dedication and pledge to follow her example as we move forward to a brighter, more flavourful future. Salut!
