Sabahan wins the Heineken Star Serve National Finals 2017

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Daimler Kenn Cagas from The Beer Factory, Kota Kinabalu (left) duels with Richard Jugie from The Sarawak Club, Kuching to decide who will start the perfect pour ritual in the tie-breaker round of the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

Hosted by HEINEKEN Malaysia Star Academy, the Heineken Star Serve returned for the 4th year to continue its search for Malaysia’s best bartender. Eight of the finest bartenders going head to head to pour the perfect pint of Heineken® draught beer. Daimler Kenn Cagas, all the way from The Beer Factory Kota Kinabalu was named Malaysia’s Hero of the Year and will be going on an all-expenses-paid trip to Amsterdam to explore the Heineken® Experience.

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L to R: Ong Chee Khim, Assistant Channel Manager of HEINEKEN Malaysia, Shereen Teh, National Customer Development Manager On-Trade of HEINEKEN Malaysia, Hans Essaadi, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, Daimler Kenn Cagas, Kent Chua, Owner of The Beer Factory, Andrew Woon, Sales Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, Gerard Anselm, Heineken® Draught Master and Sam Allen, Senior Brand Manager.

The Heineken® Star Serve is a global quality programme that ensures Heineken® draught beer is a Perfect Pour served at its absolute best. Opened to all outlets nationwide, Star Academy saw 600 entries and only eight finalists were shortlisted after rigorous theoretical and practical assessments.

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Heineken® Pouring Ritual

Pouring the perfect pint based on the five-step Heineken® Pouring Ritual involves; the rinse, the pour, the skim, the check and the serve – all of which are vital in creating the perfect glass of Heineken® draught beer. The eight finalists had the opportunity to demonstrate their talent and understanding of those five steps as they attempted to pour the perfect glass of Heineken® draught beer within 4 minutes.

The Heineken® Perfect Pour entries by the finalists of the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

The Heineken® Perfect Pour entries by the finalists of the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

The final scores ended with a tie between Kenn and Richard Jugie from The Sarawak Club in Kuching. Both Borneo finalists faced off against each other for the final round of the pouring ritual challenge. Supported by the cheering and excitement from the enthusiastic audience, Kenn came out on top as the best pourer. The 28-year old bartender, who has been bartending for nine years, beat his opponents in the challenge with his positive vibes, charismatic demeanour, entertaining presentation with his pop and lock dance moves, and of course, his pouring precision. “I had a blast perfecting the pouring and serving skills alongside all the finalists! It was a great experience to be part of the Heineken® Star Serve programme and I am thrilled to be travelling to Amsterdam,” said Kenn

5th from left is Andrew Woon, Sales Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, Hans Essaadi, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, and Shereen Teh, National Customer Development Manager On-Trade of HEINEKEN Malaysia, with the eight finalists.

5th from left is Andrew Woon, Sales Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, Hans Essaadi, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia, and Shereen Teh, National Customer Development Manager On-Trade of HEINEKEN Malaysia, with the eight finalists.

The panel of judges for the national finals were Malaysia’s Heineken® Draught Master, Gerard Anselm and Star Academy Trainer, Jonathan Chong. The judging criteria included mastering the perfect pint pouring skills and the ability to craft the perfect drinking experience with sophistication in that short period of time.

Hans Essaadi, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia delivering his speech during the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

Hans Essaadi, Managing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia delivering his speech during the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

Star Academy aims to provide knowledge and improve the skillset of our local bartenders to develop their capabilities to world-class standards. This is to provide a better drinking experience to all our consumers and also recognise our bartenders’ passion and dedication to service excellence. Malaysia won the World No. 2 bartender title in 2013 and bagged the first place at the Global Bartender Finals in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, last year. The 2017 Heineken® Global Bartender Final has been postponed until 2018 to allow for new and exciting programme developments. The Heineken® Global Bartender Final remains a key element of the Heineken® Star Serve program and will be back next year with additional elements to once again give bar staff an opportunity to show off their rinse, pour, skim, check and serve ritual to a global audience.

Daimler Kenn Cagas delivering the Heineken® 5-step Perfect Pour during the tie-breaker round of the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

Daimler Kenn Cagas delivering the Heineken® 5-step Perfect Pour during the tie-breaker round of the Heineken® Star Serve National Finals 2017.

For more information on Heineken®, log on to www.Heineken.com/my or follow Heineken® on Instagram @HeinekenMY or Facebook www.facebook.com/Heineken

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