Bartenders pour pint after pint of perfection.

Byline: ALASTAIR GILMOUR

IT SEEMS every nation has its Johnny Hayseed. Call them country bumpkins, yokels, hicks or hillbillies, people in the provinces get labelled unfairly with being slow off the mark. But they usually have an impenetrable accent, which doesn't help.

"I'm from Jutland," says Rasmus Kobbersmed, the young Danish man who has been named Pilsner Urquell International Master Bartender 2009.

It's his way of saying he may be from the less sophisticated region of Denmark but that's no barrier to accepting the "world's best barman" title, thank you very much.

Rasmus works in Den Bla Hund in Copenhagen, the country's capital where sophisticates like to tease "the farmers from Jutland", those two million inhabitants who are vastly outnumbered by cattle, sheep and peat bogs.

But when it comes to knowing how to make a customer feel welcome, how to pour beer and how it's made, he has few rivals.

He claimed victory against an impressive group of competitors in a final that saw them take a stiff written exam, carry out a taste test and sit through a searching interview with three beer professionals in Pilsen in the Czech Republic while in Berlin a fun-filled "public pour" revealed how they would cope under pressure - or not.

Now in its fourth year, the competition has reached new heights with 4,000 bartenders from 17 nations competing.

"You can teach Pilsner Urquell but you can't teach passion," says Ryan Johnson, trade brewmaster and beer sommelier at MillerCoors in Chicago.

Ryan, alongside Vaclav Berka, senior trade brewer at Pilsner Urquell, and myself, made up the troika of judges who marked the bartenders' ability and product knowledge out of 60.

It's tough and demanding but absolutely necessary as it breeds passion, encourages loyalty and creates a network of influential bar professionals in key outlets across the world.

Bartender Ivan Simonovic and two of his Slovakian compatriots treated a Scotsman and an American to wordplays in an early-hours Berlin McDonald's.

Their hilarious routine coupled "franchise" with "french fries" in an imagined scenario. True, you had to be there.

Between times, we dined well - Czechs are generous hosts - and one memorable meal at Restaurant U Mansfelda in Pilsen was conspicuous for its heart-stopping basis in meat and dairy specialities.

Starters arrived on a platter (for four) delightfully arranged with pickled sausages, white pudding, Hungarian sausage, smoked pork neck, marinated Camembert, blue cheese spread, gherkin, horseradish and hot pepper.

Some of us played Spot The Vegetable. The magnificent main course - half a roast duck with red cabbage and potato dumplings - at least nodded in the direction of herbage and an apple strudel dessert with walnuts, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream was vegetarian by comparison.

Rasmus Kobbersmed claimed his prize at a glamorous awards ceremony in the spectacular surroundings of the Deutsches Historisches Museum in the heart of Berlin.

His journey was the culmination of a busy few years of studying, travelling and discovering a passion for bartending as a profession.

The personal thrill of winning was more than matched by the other finalists who ended the evening tossing him in the air in time-honoured fashion - while during seven hours or so of celebration he never once let go of his treasured statuette.

"I can't begin to express how amazing winning this title is for me," he said on receiving the honour.

"All the bartenders have so much spirit and have worked so hard to get here. I can't wait to spread some of this passion to my customers when I get back to Copenhagen."

Second and third place went to Ivan Simonovic from Slovakia and Maria Abrams from Germany respectively, who both gave impressive performances that demonstrated their in-depth knowledge of the brewing and serving techniques unique to Pilsner Urquell.

Vinod Giri, the beer's global brand director, said: "The pure Pilsner from Pilsen deserves to be handled and served with care and dedication and all our bartenders have excelled themselves on that front.

"Each year, we are pleasantly surprised by the standards we see and remain committed to ensuring this professionalism is given the necessary rewards."

Pilsner Urquell is one of the world's classic beers, but merely acknowledging that isn't enough in a demanding environment. Created on October 5, 1842, by young Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in Pilsen - now the Czech Republic's fourth city and also famous as the home of Skoda - it was the world's first clear, golden beer and gave its name to the pilsner style that conquered Europe's palate and wetted its whistle.

Germany and Holland soon claimed pilsners as their own. Previously most beers had been murkily dark or sulkily mid-brown in colour so the style survives and strives in many guises.

But keeping true to Pilsen's "original source" and at the forefront of people's minds requires cultural awareness, coaching, guidance and enthusiasm.

With that heritage in mind the Master Bartender programme has three objectives: to raise the profile of Pilsner Urquell and its unique position in the world beer catalogue; to ensure bar staff share the company's passion for it and become true brand advocates, and to ensure that the beer is always served in the optimum way. After all, there is little point in brewing one of the planet's best-loved beers to watch it being served in a cursory manner by someone who'd rather be watching the Jeremy Kyle Show.

The job demands a level of attention that borders on obsession enlivened with dashes of fascination, concentration and dexterity compounded by an in-depth product knowledge.

Majsan Johansson, representing Sweden and Bjorn's Bar in Gothenburg, has long been a convert to Pilsner Urquell.

She says: "I started to drink the beer because of my father. He's a very picky drinker."

Similarly with Aliaksandr "Sasha" Hlinski from Belarus: "I wanted to serve the best beer in the world."

Vit Voznica from Ostrava in the Czech Republic has learned his craft the hard way - in the Army serving food and drinks to fellow conscripts.

"He's the perfect bartender," says Tomas Rozehnal, his boss at Slezska restaurant in the city. "He always smiles and chats and can pour a perfect Pilsner Urquell to anyone."

Even at the tender age of 21, Rasmus Kobbersmed has completed his national service and taught English in China for six months - not bad for a Dane straight from the backwoods and rainy lowlands of Jutland and now its supreme beer ambassador. The brewing and service industries are crying out for people of this calibre and it's hoped it's where he sees his future.

He will now head off on a victory tour, travelling to visit three of his fellow finalists in their own countries and to help behind their bars and will document his experiences.

It proves two million yokels are a force to be reckoned with. Oooh aarrgh.

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CAPTION(S):

REFRESHING TALENT The finalists in the Pilsner Urquell International Master Bartender Awards 2009 at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin. The winner, Rasmus Kobbersmed from Denmark, is third from the left on the back row.