Standing around at a party a few weekends back, I was mingling with a few friends. The super-sized bottle of Harpoon UFO that I was nursing sparked a serious conversation. I began promoting, er, telling them about my blog (I have no shame). Then Jim, one of my friends, asked if I had ever had homebrewed beer. Nope, I said, but it got me thinking. I had recently read a post on Beer4Chicks about how ladies in California are having homebrewing parties – like Tupperware parties but more fun. According to Jim, whose friends homebrew, the cost of homebrewing is in getting all of the right equipment, but once all of that is paid for, a bottle of your own concocting would cost about 20 cents. Sounds like a good deal to me!
If you do homebrew, or are toying with the idea of it, here’s a little incentive: Homebrewing Contests. The American Homebrewer’s Association hosts a contest every year, looking for the best tasting beers from your kitchen. They are looking for amateur brewers from around the world to submit their best beers, meads and ciders (new this year!). After numerous rounds of judging the finals take place at the National Homebrewers Conference in Cincinnati in June. Medals are awarded in 29 different categories, not to mention the respect of other homebrewers and 15 minutes of homebrewer fame.
Sam Adams has a competition too, and they go a giant step further. The winners of the Sam Adams Longshot American Homebrew Contest get their beers mass-produced and sold under the Sam Adams banner. Last year a double IPA and a weizenbock won. Another favorite was a grapefruit ale. Anything goes, I guess.
If you want to submit to either contest the deadlines are fast approaching. The National Homebrew Competition will take entries through April 11. Sam Adams will collect entries through May 1 at 5 p.m. Check the websites for all of the particulars, but if you homebrew, like he does, or are thinking about it, I’d love to know more. Cheers!
