PASO ROBLES, CA—In the halls of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, he is known as “Merlin”—and he continues to work his magic at major beer competitions.

Indeed, Brewmaster Matt Brynildson was on hand at the prestigious European Beer Star Competition last week in Munich, Germany to accept the award for “Consumers’ Favourite in Gold” for FirestoneWalker’s Pale 31—the second year in a row that Firestone Walker has claimed top honors at the competition. Last year, the brewery’s Double Jack IPA was named “Consumers’ Favourite in Gold.”

The 2013 European Beer Star Competition included 1,512 beers from 40 countries. The judging was conducted by 102 expert tasters—including brewmasters, beer sommeliers, and specialized journalists from 25 countries. The resulting gold medal winners represent the best beers in 51 beer categories determined by blind tasting. Only one gold, silver and bronze medal is awarded per category.

At the 2013 European Beer Star Competition, Firestone Walker’s Pale 31, Union Jack IPA and Double Jack IPA earned a rare trio of gold medals. The “Consumers’ Favourite” is an additional public prize, with festival attendees blind-tasting all gold medal beers and awarding Gold, Silver and Bronze honors to the top three.

This is the latest feather in Merlin’s cap. Last year, Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Brynildson were named Champion Mid-Size Brewery and Brewmaster for a record fourth time at the World Beer Cup®. Firestone Walker Brewing Company has also been awarded Mid-Sized Brewery of The Year honors three times at the Great American Beer Festival®.

“Matt and his brewing team are a rare breed,” said brewery co-proprietor David Walker. “The United States was second only to Germany in total medal count at this competition. The American craft beer revolution continues to become a global force.”

The complete European Beer Star results can be viewed here: www.european-beer-star.com.