We’ve got it! GASTexpo Beer of the Year 2020! And Also the Gourmet Ice Cream of 2020!

On the third day of the Fairs of Tastes we competed, won, rejoiced in the success and made new business connections. We got the GASTexpo Beer of the Year 2020, the Gourmet Ice Cream of 2020 and established the winners at the 2nd National championship Topespresso Latte Art Grading System.

Lunch at A La Chef, Tasting Session at Kremeniti

A La Chef, a professional kitchen product line from Tuš, helps prepare lunches at the Fairs of Tastes every day. This time visitor could enjoy mini burgers, hot dogs, paellas, Kaiserschmarrn and mini deserts. The culinary promoter Boštjan Palčič spoils us with slow cooking and various goodies which he is offering at the exhibition stand of the company Kremeniti. We also saw an ice cream premiere for the third time in a row – this time Italian ice cream masters from the Carpigiani Gelato University prepared an ice cream with the wine Metliška črnina from Agricultural Cooperative Metlika.

The third day of Fairs of Tastes featured interesting workshops. The Barmen Association of Slovenia prepared two drink-mixing workshops, where participants learned about one of the most popular drinks – gin, and an eternal classic – rum.

Beer Competitions, Ice Cream Workshops and Latte Art

For the third year in a row we chose the GASTexpo Beer of the Year, as a thank you to all our craft breweries and their efforts. We can definitely say that the field of micro-breweries is thriving in Slovenia. This year, the competition was divided into two categories – pale and dark beer, but we also established the absolute winner. More than 25 different beers were entered in the competition, proof of how successful craft breweries are in Slovenia. In the pale beer category, the beer Tutti Frutti from the brewery Omnivar from Bežigrad was victorious. The beer is a New England Pale Ale, conjuring a smell of tropical fruit, grapefruit, lime and mango due to the combination of hops Aurora, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic and special brewer’s yeast. Second place went to the brewery Kajtimar for their Premium beer. And third place went to the brewery Vizir from Bela krajina and their beer ČrnFest. In the dark beer category, the brewery Omnivar was also victorious with their beer Holiday Hog which later also became the absolute winner and now enjoys the title of GASTexpo Beer of the Year. The winning beer is renowned for its Russian imperial stout style. It’s dark as the night, with an aroma of vanilla and roasted coffee. It spent several months in the company of bourbon vanilla. It offers a gentle sweet taste with a touch of coconut, dark chocolate and coffee. Second place in the dark beer category went to the beer 10’o clock of the brewery Time brewery, and APE Stout from the same brewery was awarded third place.

The title of Gourmet Ice Cream of 2020 went to the creation Poker by Tea Petelin from the bar Vogal in Nova Gorica. The ice cream, which is based on Slovenian tradition, is a sophisticated mix of quinces, Teran and roasted pine nuts with flower of salt.

The third day of the Fairs of Tastes got us a new national champions in Latte Art – at the 2nd National Championship Topespresso Latte Art Grading System. The competition was divided into three categories – green, red and black cup, based on difficulty. Dejan Jovanov became the national champion in the green cup, second place went to Kristina Erić, and Julija Možina finished third. The red cup went to Nejc Knez, and the second and third place in this category went to Sandi Jug and Lea Zajc. In the most demanding category where the competition was fiercest, Tjaša Rogelj beat Blaž Zakšek winning the competition and becoming the absolute winner of the 2nd national championship. Alen Ostrivica finished third. “I feel phenomenal; I cannot even describe it. I am really happy I won. Of course I came to this competition to win it, I was quietly counting on the win, but nonetheless I did not have huge expectations before the competition,” the winner told us, adding that she prepared for the competition by herself for more than three weeks.