With its new and improved 2023 National Star Academy Championship and Regional Quality Training, HEINEKEN Malaysia Berhad (HEINEKEN Malaysia), is raising the bar for bartenders and bringing back Star Academy 2023. The brewer is inviting all bartenders nationwide to join the elite ranks and advance their talents as part of a campaign to educate, recruit, challenge, and proclaim the 2023 champion.
“At HEINEKEN Malaysia, our commitment goes beyond the brewery as we train and empower our partner bartenders to deliver exceptional consumer experiences. Through our yearly Star Academy programme, we want to equip bartenders across Malaysia with the product knowledge and technical know-how to serve the perfect glass of beer while inspiring them to strive for excellence, and in turn, raise the bar for the industry.”
Vasily Baranov, Sales Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia
The Heineken® Star Quality and the Guinness Perfect Pour programs will be combined for this year’s new and improved HEINEKEN Malaysia’s National Star Academy Championship and Training, which will take place in Selangor, Johor, Penang, Perak, Sabah, and Sarawak.
While mastering beer flavour profiling, the Heineken® Star Quality Pour, and the Guinness Perfect Pour, bartenders will undergo an immersive experience. With their newly learned skills, bartenders will be empowered by the training to obtain certifications and excel at pouring the perfect glass of beer. As a result, patrons of bars will be able to order their preferred beers and receive the best-tasting Heineken® and Guinness draughts.
Along with participating in training sessions, bartenders will also be vying to become the 2023 champion by displaying their abilities via taste profiling tests and by flawlessly accomplishing the Heineken® Star Quality Pour and Guinness Perfect Pour. The bartenders’ ability to recognize a high-quality draught beer will be put to the test in this competition, which will also help them better comprehend the wide range of flavour profiles available from HEINEKEN Malaysia’s wide variety of beer genres. At the conclusion in September 2023, the National Star Academy Champion will then be announced. Both the champion bartender and the bar owner or a representative will get an all-expenses-paid vacation to Amsterdam, where Heineken® was first brewed, as part of the prize.
This year, Star Academy is taking things to the next level by adding the Star Academy Mastership public event a day after the grand finale, where beer lovers may also try their hand at mastering the perfect pour.
Star Academy’s dedication to excellence is motivated by HEINEKEN Malaysia’s dedication to quality. Star Academy began the year with a series of Regional Master Classes held in non-urban areas, including Langkawi, Alor Setar, Kluang, Muar, Segamat, Sandakan, Bintulu, Melaka, and Sitiawan, to guarantee that the highest standards were met throughout all regions. This careful approach to quality control underlines HEINEKEN Malaysia’s commitment to providing its customers in Malaysia with extraordinary experiences.
For the first time ever, Star Academy is also rolling out innovative challenges for bartenders to push their boundaries and showcase their culinary creativity through beer-infused food and drink creations. Challenges include:
- Beer Mixology Throwdown Challenge: Bartenders are called to showcase their mixology skills by creating cocktails, infused with HEINEKEN Malaysia-branded beers. The winning cocktail will be awarded a recognition plaque and travel voucher.
- Guinness Food Infused Challenge: Chefs are called to unleash their imagination and create exciting, original, and inventive ways to infuse Guinness in their meals. The winning dish will be awarded a recognition plaque and travel voucher.
To participate in this year’s Star Academy training, bartenders at participating HEINEKEN outlets, including restaurants, pubs, and bars, may register their interest at the Star Academy website at www.star-academy.heinekenmalaysia.com
As for beer enthusiasts, stay tuned for the Star Academy Mastership event in September and take on the challenge of mastering the Heineken® Star Quality Pour and Guinness Perfect Pour.
For more information on HEINEKEN Malaysia and the company’s initiatives, head over to www.heinekenmalaysia.com
As this was my second year attending the Heineken Star Academy, it was somewhat of a refresher course but I did learn about the flavour profiles in more detail and it was quite interesting to see the science behind what goes into a glass of beer or stout (which I really do love, especially on a warm day which is almost every day in Malaysia).
I got to perform the Heineken® Star Quality Pour and Guinness Perfect Pour, and fortunately got it quite correct thanks to what I remembered from last year.
[UPDATED]
Guinness Flavour By Fire Malaysia 2023
Guinness Malaysia extends an invitation to drinkers and food lovers to get together and experience an out-of-the-ordinary flavour thanks to the power of fire and infusion. With a larger lineup of famous chefs, Guinness Flavour By Fire is back to tempt taste buds with the flavours of flame-cooked meals combined with Guinness. Savour the remarkable happening this 18 to 20 August 2023 at Sentul Depot in Kuala Lumpur and 2 to 3 September 2023 at Fort Cornwallis in Penang.
Guinness will reveal a variety of flavours to tantalize the palette at Flavour By Fire. Foods cooked over a flame go through the Maillard reaction, which results in the release of unique, flavorful scents, colours, and textures. Guinness is the best drink when it comes to comprehending this phenomenon. It has a distinctive flavor that is unmatched and is brewed with barley that has been fire-roasted (at 232 degrees Celsius).
At the festival, the chefs’ control of fire and culinary prowess will be showcased against a backdrop of lively local musicians and a variety of engaging activities. Beyond the conventional, they will prepare a variety of inventive Guinness-infused dishes that will tantalize the palate with their robust and adventurous flavours.
“Guinness has a sensational depth of flavours that chefs know how to appreciate, and that drinkers can’t resist. As people are constantly on the lookout for fresh, conversation-worthy food adventures, our festival is the perfect occasion for fans and foodies alike to come together and indulge in an authentically Guinness experience you won’t find anywhere else. A memorable experience can be defined in many ways but for Guinness it’s great stout, great food, and great company.”
Shaun Lim, Marketing Manager – Wheat Beer, Stout & Diageo Brands at HEINEKEN Malaysia
You can register for passes for the Guinness Flavour by Fire festival at https://www.guinnessflavourbyfire.my/ . The first 500 to attend the festival daily will receive a complimentary Guinness Draught.
In the meantime, you can visit participating outlets and stand to win exciting prizes including exclusive invites to the festival Finale Party, Arthur’s Storehouse dining vouchers and Guinness smoky marinade sauce.
You stand to win a Guinness mini fridge filled with Guinness Draught In A Can with every purchase of a Guinness Draught or Guinness Foreign Extra Stout at participating convenience stores (while stocks last).
Guinness fans and foodies can also try their own “skill” at creating Guinness infusion recipes via a fun digital contest. Three winners will see their “infusion recipes” brought to life, fire-cooked and prepared by chefs in real-time at the festival! Head to the Guinness Instagram and/or Facebook to upload your emoji “recipes” and tag @GuinnessMY to participate.
At the festival, participate in the Long Bar Challenge to get your hands on exclusive Guinness T-shirts, vouchers, or merchandise. You can also have your selfie photograph imprinted on your creamy Guinness head at the Guinness STOUTie machine stations.
Bring your ten closest pals together and have a private experience in a closed-off area with access to your own bar. The Party Keg includes a food platter worth RM300, a stack of 70 Guinness vouchers redeemable on any festival day, and one (1) entry to the Long Bar Challenge.
With every purchase of Guinness Draught In A Can (GDIC) via DRINKIES during the event, you can also take home some unique flavours in the shape of a Guinness-infused meat rub.
For more information, head over to https://www.guinnessflavourbyfire.my/
Photo credits: Heineken Malaysia Berhad