After an historic election, St. Pauli Girl beer, the No. 2 German beer in the U.S., has officially named model Katarina Van Derham as the new St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel for the 2009 calendar year. Van Derham will bring the German barmaid brand icon to life, and will appear on the 2009 St. Pauli Girl poster, travel across the country on the St. Pauli Girl media tour and be featured on www.stpauligirl.com and promotional materials.

Breaking new ground this year, Van Derham is the first St. Pauli Girl chosen through an online vote, beating out three other finalists on Maxim.com. Van Derham, a native of Slovakia who speaks five languages, won over online voters and the St. Pauli Girl brand team with her resemblance to the traditional St. Pauli Girl icon and vivacious personality. Selecting a spokesmodel to represent the beer is a decades-long tradition for St. Pauli Girl, and Van Derham marks the 26th spokesmodel selected in the brand's history.

"Being named the 2009 St. Pauli Girl means the world to me," said Van Derham. "I am very honored and look forward to meeting St. Pauli Girl fans all over the country."

 
Van Derham grew up in a small village in the woods of Slovakia, a communist country at the time. She moved to the United States at the age of 22, without any intention of becoming a model. While working as a waitress in Los Angeles, she was often told to pursue modeling, and at age 26 finally decided to give it a shot. Van Derham was immediately booked for several modeling jobs, and in a short time her career has skyrocketed.

Van Derham can be seen in advertising campaigns for AT&T, Dodge, Rockstar Energy Drinks, Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier. On television she has had roles on shows including "Monk" and "CSI," and has also appeared in the films "Cellular" and "15 Minutes." Van Derham has graced the cover of dozens of magazines both in the U.S. and internationally including Iron Man, Max Muscle, Muscle & Fitness, Best Body, Double XL, British Maxim and more.

"Katarina's unique beauty and outgoing personality add to her appeal," said Tom Willett, brand manager for Crown Imports, the official U.S. importer of St. Pauli Girl. "She has tremendous energy, enthusiasm and confidence, and will no doubt be a great representative of the beer."

Van Derham became a U.S. citizen last year, and was very appreciative to vote in her first ever election in November 2008. In addition to her modeling work, Van Derham also works in web design for an architectural graphic design firm.

St. Pauli Girl Lager, St. Pauli Girl Special Dark and St. Pauli Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage are brewed and bottled by the St. Pauli Brauerei in Bremen, Germany. St. Pauli Girl Beer is the No. 2 selling German Beer and St. Pauli Non-Alcoholic is the No. 1 selling imported Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage. Crown Imports LLC is the exclusive importer of St. Pauli Girl in the United States. For more information on St. Pauli Girl, visit www.stpauligirl.com

 
The History of St. Pauli Girl Beer
 The City of Bremen, Germany in the 12th Century was renown as a famous brewing center and where our Girl was born. Her name, "St. Pauli" comes from the ancient St. Paul's Monastery on which the original St. Pauli Brewery was founded and built in the 17th Century. She tastes great and may be good for our soul too.

Our St. Pauli Girl Beer is brewed with only the finest natural ingredients, without any compromise to quality or taste. In fact, St. Pauli Girl is brewed according to an ancient food regulation still in force throughout Germany today.
 
A Bavarian duke known as Wilhem IV sought to establish a far-reaching standard, which all German beers were required to follow. The German Purity Law of 1516 created a common ground for "how beer is to be brewed and served in both winter and fall." The actual decree states: "In particular we wish that from now on, in all towns, markets and villages, nothing more is used for beer than barley malt, hops and water alone."
 
St. Pauli Girl Lager and Special Dark were first introduced into select U.S. markets in 1965, and then expanded nationally by 1975. St. Pauli Non-Alcoholic was first sold in the United States in 1991.