2013 National Homebrewers Conference

After many years of wanting to go, I am finally going!  The 2013 National Homebrewers Conference, put on by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), will take place on June 27 to 29 in Philadelphia, PA.  Entitled "Brewing Up A Revolution," this year's conference promises to be bigger than ever, nearly doubling the 2012 capacity to 3,400 attendees.  The conference set other records too, as I found out when I tried to register for a hotel room.  The main hotel sold out in less than three hours after starting registration for the event, which I discovered while on the phone with them.  I was fortunate to get one of the few remaining rooms at a hotel directly across the street.  The conference itself sold out in 20 hours, breaking the previous years record of about two days.  I am very exited to be attending.

Some of the conference events I am looking forward to include:

• Seminars: There will be 36 seminars on a variety of topics this year, during the conference.  Looking at offerings from previous years, the topics range all over the place, from going professional, to brewing session beers, to interesting new hop varieties.  There will be something for everyone.  On top of that, AHA members can access recordings of the talks on the AHA website.
• Club Night:  Clubs from around the area put together themed booths and stands to serve their beer in one of the biggest homebrew parties of the year.  Many of the beers being served are "experimental" to say the least.  There is even a small chance my local club will participate in a Virginia club booth, but time will tell.  For those who have not seen it, Basic Brewing Radio has shot video episodes of this event in the past and it looks like great fun.
• Meet Homebrewing "Luminaries:" Many of the homebrewing world's celebrities (if you can call them that) attend the conference.  I would enjoy meeting some of the authors, podcast hosts, and other members of the larger homebrewing community that I have read and listened to over the years.
• Awards Banquet:  The conference culminates in a gourmet dinner prepared by Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton.  Sean works with Rogue Ales to cook with, infuse into, and pair food with their variety of beers.  I have read many reviews of these dinners in the past and I am exited to experience the food and beer first hand, as well as cheer on any people I know who make it into the second round of the National Homebrew Competition.

I also hope to bring home some pictures and stories to share with the Lug Wrench audience.  If you have attended a past AHA Conference and have any tips to share with me, I would love to hear them.  Feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Cheers,

TW

AHA Governing Committee - Vote!

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) is currently conducting its annual election of Governing Committee members.  The Governing Committee is comprised of representatives that are elected by the AHA members for the sole purpose of providing advice and guidance to the AHA leadership and the Brewers Association Board of Directors.  Committee members are elected for 3-year terms and can be re-elected up to three times.  They are elected on a staggered schedule, so that only a portion of the Committee turns over each year.  Members help in shaping the direction of the AHA and its policies, as well as providing advice on topics ranging from the annual National Homebrewers Conference to website upgrades to interactions with homebrew shop-owners.  The Governing Committee is our voice as AHA members and they volunteer their time to make our organization and hobby grow and thrive.

Please take a moment to review the candidates biographies and platforms on the AHA website.  Additionally, the Brewing Network has interviewed all of the candidates on the Sunday Session show during the past two months or so.  Those interviews were done live near the beginning of each show and present a candid view of each candidate, allowing AHA members to get a glimpse of their personality.

Voting ends on April 1, 2012 and can be completed by AHA members online.  If you are not a member of the AHA, I would highly encourage you to become one, as the organization represents the best interests of homebrewers and homebrewing across the United States.

Cheers,

TW

The Brewmaster's Night Before Christmas

This is a reposting of the poem "The Brewmaster's Night Before Christmas", which came from the Homebrewers Association site.  The poem's many homebrewing and craft beer references gave me a good chuckle.

The AHA is a great resource from homebrewers, and is definitely worth following through its RSS feed (how I saw this humorous farce in the first place).

Cheers,

TW

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"Twas the night before kegging, when all through the pub

Not a carboy was stirring, not even a blub;

The hops had been added to the wort with care, 

In hopes that a 50/50 soon would be there.

I was nestled all snug in my bed, 

While visions of blue ribbons danced in my head;

The spices were added, allowed nicely to steep, 

And I was all settled down for a long night's sleep.

When out in the pub there arose such a clatter, 

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter;

Away to the brewpub I flew like a flash,

Tore open the door and tripped on a sash.

The glow of red on teh pool table so bright,

Gave me pause as I saw an unbelievable sight;

When what to my wondering eyes should appear, 

But Santa and eight reindeer, drinking my beer.

With a belly so round and his hat all askew,

I knew in a moment, he'd had more than a few;

More rapid than eagles he lifted his mug, 

And he whistled and shouted, and took a few chugs.

"More Belgian! More Porter! More Kolsch and Stout,

More Amber! More Wheat! More Bock and Alt."

His eyes, how they glazed, his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

The hair from his cap was in need of a comb,

And the beard on his chin was covered in foam;

My eyes flew to my kegger, holding eight kegs of beer, 

Sipping each tap was a tiny reindeer!

The glow in the room flashed on my night clothes,

It was Rudolph, I could tell by the red of his nose!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

I yelled, "Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

Brewing barrels of coffee, I begged them partake,

They sipped the hot joe and they jolted awake!

Now up to the house top the coursers they flew,

Old Jolly and reindeer yelled, "Thanks for teh brew!

Warm cookies and milk await us tonight,

Your homebrew was perfect, the flavor just right!"

As I stood in stunned silence, and was shaking my head,

I thought, "Did I dream or fall out of my bed?"

My thoughts were confirmed, as I heard out in the night,

"I'm a convert this Christmas. To heck with 'beer lite'!"

© 2011 Matt Collins

National Homebrew Day and Big Brew

Each year, on the first Saturday in May, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) organizes an event called National Homebrew Day.  The purpose of the event is to gather homebrewers together and celebrate our wonderful hobby.  What better way to celebrate than by brewing together.  Homebrewing clubs and stores are encouraged to host events and register them with the AHA.  As of the writing of this post, 290 sites participated in the 2011 event, brewing 674 batches or 5,347 gallons of beer, with an estimated 2,693 participants.  The AHA even hosts a video contest for the "Big Brew."

In the spirit of bringing people together, the AHA posts three different recipes for participants to brew.  While not expressly limiting brewers to these recipes, by electing to use them, homebrewers know they are sharing the experience directly with many of their fellows across the country.  The 2011 Big Brew recipes, which were selected for various reasons, included:

• East India Pale Ale - recipe from the 1800s, featured in an upcoming book from Brewers Publications
• Must Be The Season of the Wit - encourages the use of local ingredients and coincidentally marks the death of Pierre Celis, the famous brewer who revived the style
• Rocket Rod's Positively Porter - honors the passing of Rocket Rod Romanak, a prolific homebrewer from Hawaii, who attended over 25 AHA National Homebrewers Conferences in his lifetime

I was able to participate in Big Brew Day with several members of my local homebrewing club at a local homebrewing shop, The Fermentation Trap.  I elected to brew a variant of the wit recipe, calling my beer "See Ya Celis."  Without any local ingredients I could think to include at this time of year, I merged the recipe with elements of my favorite wit recipe from Brewing Classic Styles.  Highlights of the day included enjoying the company of friends, freshly grilled sausages, and a pick up Frisbee game.  What a great day!

I hope you had a chance to participate in National Homebrew Day and its Big Brew.  If not, I highly encourage you to do so next year.

Cheers,

TW