Malaga's Marta Cassini pulls the best beer in the region, seeing off more than 700 other competitors

Marta Cassini, from Malaga's Candado Beach restaurant, officially pulls the best beer in Andalucía. This Monday, the restaurant employee proclaimed the winner of the II Andalusian Beer Pulling Competition held at the Cervezas Victoria brewery.

The young woman won the final of a competition in which more than 700 entrants took part. Also on the podium were Fernando Ruiz, from La Flaca (Cordoba), who won second prize, and Mª Luisa Barrios, from Bar Casapuerta de Luisa (Cadiz), who won third prize.

Still excited, Marta confessed that she did not expect to receive the prize, as there was a high level of competition in the final. "I was very nervous because it's not usual to have so many people watching you while you pull a beer, but it was a very cool experience", she added. She won a prize of 2,000 euros for taking the top spot.

Marta started working in the hospitality sector at the age of 18 and to this day (she is 33) she has not stopped perfecting her technique. She also works as a sommelier, for which she has also had training. When asked about the secret to pouring the perfect 'caña' (small beer), she pointed out that the most important thing is the position of the glass and ensuring that it has a good crema, not foam. To achieve this, it is essential to pour it in two goes.

More than 700 participants from all over Andalucía took part in this year's event. The ten finalists were from Taberna La Pechá (Malaga), Embrujo Villariego (Jaén), Candado Beach (Malaga), La Flaca (Cordoba), Soul By Breathe (San Pedro Alcántara), Bar La Casapuerta de Luisa (Cadiz), La Esquinita de Javi (Granada), Berebere (Torre del Mar), La Tribu (Huelva) and Lima Street Food (Seville).

The judges took into account different criteria to score the contestants including the technique used (opening the tap, inclination of the glass and pressure) and the presentation of the beer on the bar, among others.

The top three of the II Concurso de Tiraje de Cervezas Victoria en Andalucía won prizes valued at two thousand euros for the winner, one thousand euros for the runner-up and five hundred euros for the third placed, as well as a plaque for each of the winning establishments.

During the final of the competition, La Pera Gastrobar in Malaga was also recognised as the 'Most Popular Bar in Andalucía', obtaining a total of 2,228 'likes' on social media. The runners-up were Puratasca and Taberna Romero.

With this second competition, Cervezas Victoria aims to highlight the work of hospitality professionals while promoting good service and a beer culture.