The upcoming spring season has a ton of great Washington homebrew events for you to be a part of. We've got most of them briefly described in this article but you can find out more details in the full articles on the WAHA site. Start planning your homebrew calendar for the spring! You can always check the 2011 WAHA planning calendar for everything major going on in homebrewing. (You can follow the links through this article for more information on the various topics). We know the following list is a bit absurd, but we want as much help from everyone to make these events successful!
Upcoming Events:
Feb 19th - Bellingham BJCP Exam
Feb 26th - Mead Exam Review
March 5th - Cascade Brewers Cup Judging
March 12th - Exbeerience
March 12th - Mead BJCP Exam
March 19th - Joint Base Lewis-McChord Brewfest Judging
March 25th - Joint Base Lewis-McChord Brewfest
April 1st - NHC Early Judging
April 2nd - NHC Main Judging
April 8th - Wyeast Educational Speaker
April 10th - Seattle BJCP Exam
April 17th - Parkway Tavern Am-Pro Competition
April 30th - Puget Sound Pro-Am Competition
May 7th - BIG BREW!!!
WAHA Events
National Homebrewers Competition Regionals In Seattle-Come help!
Break out your entries, get ready to judge, and come be a part of what will be the largest homebrew competition hosted in Washington state! The National Homebrew Competition is the most prestigious homebrewing competition in the world, drawing collectively more entries than any other beer competition. Seattle will be hosting the 2011 Northwest Regionals of the competition and wants Washington to bring it strong! For details on the competition, visit:
WE NEED EVERYONE WHO CAN OR WANTS TO JUDGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMPETITION!!! If all of our great BJCP judges as well as non-BJCP brewers who know their beer and want to get some more experience judging can show up on the weekend of April 2nd at Pyramid Brewery and Alehouse to help judge, we will be able to process all of these entries quickly and show the AHA that Washington judges are a force to be recognized. Lunch will be provided, we'll have a raffle, and we are working on "after-judging" plans. We are expecting out of state/area judges to come in as well so if you need a place to stay or are willing to offer someone a place to crash, please contact Tim Hayner. This is a great chance to get exposed to some fantastic beers and judges from around the region.
If you are interested in judging, PLEASE REGISTER HERE:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C735L5G
Judging Information
Main Judging Session: Saturday, April 2nd, 9 am - 3 pm (judges arrive between 8:30-9:00, stewards between 8:00-8:30)
Location: Pyramid Alehouse Brewery (1201 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134)
Breakfast Snacks and Lunch will be Provided
BJCP and Non-BJCP Judges Welcome
Stewards and Helpers Needed!
Judges Contact: Tim Hayner
"Early Session" (Get some extra BJCP points!)
Friday, April 1st starting at 6:30 pm (arrive at 6:00)
Pyramid Alehouse Brewery (1201 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134)
If Interested Contact: Tim Hayner
Educational Speaker - Wyeast - April 8th
The Washington Homebrewers Association would like to invite all homebrewers and beer lovers to hear the fifth speaker of the WAHA's Educational Speaker Program - Jess Caudill of Wyeast Laboratories. Last year's talk was a great success and Wyeast has agreed to come back and talk some more.
Come to Big Al Brewing on April 8th to hear Jess speak about Berliner Weisse fermenting microbes and answer all of your yeast questions and answers. Admission is free and the event is open to all homebrewers and beer lovers. We ask that people RSVP in advance at http://tinyurl.com/wyeasttalk. If you home some around, please bring a few bottles of homebrew for Jess as a token of our thanks!
Event Details:
Date: Friday, April 8th, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Big Al Brewery
9832 14th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98106
(206) 453-4487
National Homebrewers Conference Participation
The 2011 National Homebrewers Conference will be held in San Diego, CA from June 16th - 18th. Washington plans to make a strong showing and we hope that you'll be a part of it. BREW, GEBL, and the WAHA will be hosting tables at club night. Registration for the conference is open and hotel space is running out. Go to www.ahaconference.org for all of the details you need.
The WAHA is helping with coordination before the conference. You can go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WAHAAHAConf2011/ and sign us as a part of our group. We'll work together to figure out shipping down kegs and equipment, help people find roommates, and make sure Washington has a great showing down in California. Get registered and signed up today!
BJCP Exams
The WAHA has been working to coordinate a bunch of BJCP exams for people interesting in taking the beer judging exam. In the next few months, there are tests in Washington in February, March, April, and May. Classes will be organized in support of some of these tests and for those interested in self-study, you can find materials and online video recordings of classes HERE.
The next exams with spots available are a Mead Exam in Seattle on March 12th (contact Mark Emiley), a beer exam in Seattle in April (contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), and a beer exam in Yakima on May 7th (most spots reserved for Eastern Washington residents - contact Steve Antoch).
There will be a Mead Exam Review Session on Feb 26th, from 2-6 pm at Balefire in Everett run by Mark Tanner. As Washington's only Mead Certified Judge, he will be helping you figure out what you need to study and doing some practice tastings. If you are interested in taking the class contact Mark Tanner (if you are interested in taking the exam, contact Mark Emiley)
There are also exams scheduled in October and November. Both of these exams will have prep classes. The October class will be held at Larry's Homebrew Supply (contact Mark Emiley), and the November class will be held in Issaquah (contact Steve Antoch).
Given the very high demand for exams and limitations on exam scheduling, we are having to book exams further and further out. If you have a group that may be interested in having an exam near you, please contact us and we can help you get rolling!
Other Washington Homebrewing Events
Cascade Brewers Cup and Exbeerience
Entries due Feb 25th, Judging March 5th, Exbeerience March 12th
The next big WHOTY competition is the Cascade Brewers Cup hosted by the Cascade Brewers Guild. We encourage entrants (and prospective judges or stewards) to register online right now. Entries can be dropped off at the locations listed below between February 18th and February 25th, and should include three, 12 oz bottles for beer entries and two bottles for mead/cider entries. The fee is $6 per beer, mead or cider entered. The bulk of the judging will occur on March 5th at McKinstry Corporation in Seattle, WA. Winners will be announced on March 12th at the 5th Annual ExBEERience Festival held at Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, WA. At the festival you will be able to witness live announcements of the winners for both the CBC and the 2010 Washington Homebrewers Association awards (Bert Grant, Golden Mash Paddle and Washington Homebrewer of the Year) and sample beer from local breweries and homebrewers. For more details on the Cascade Brewers Cup and to volunteer as a judge, visit the competition website.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord Brewfest
Entries due March 12th, Judging March 19th, Brewfest March 25th
Spring is the season of competitions and festivals. Joint Base Lewis-McChord will be hosting their brewfest again this year with a WHOTY competition to start (entries due March 12th, judging March 19th) followed by the Brewfest itself. At the Brewfest homebrewers and craft brewers will serve their beers in a festival format on base. Non-military participants will be allowed on base. The competition accepts the following major styles: American Pale Ale, IPAs, Stouts, Porters, and Lagers. For more details, visit this page.
Parkway Tavern Am-Pro Big Beers Competition
Entries due April 10th, Judging April 17th
Do you brew great big beers? Here's your chance to have your homebrew recipe selected to be brewed and served on tap at the Parkway Tavern in Tacoma. Entries are due April 10th at several locations in the Tacoma area. Judging will be April 17th so come on down and help judge. Entries are $5 each and require 3 10-12 oz bottles. Find out more information about the competition here.
Puget Sound Pro-Am Competition - GABF Pro-Am Qualifier, 15 Breweries!
Entries due April 26th, Judging April 30th
This is the country's largest GABF Pro-Am qualifying competition with as many as 15 breweries selecting homebrew recipes to scale up (more breweries still being added!) Last year the PSPA sent 12 of the country's entries into the GABF Pro-Am and brought home the gold medal in 2008!
This is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition and WHOTY qualifier aimed at providing award winning homebrew recipes to be brewed by
Start dreaming and brewing up your entries today! Check the competition website at http://www.bewbc.org/pro-am for the latest details including participating breweries, desired styles, contest rules, and links to online registration. Entries (three 10-12 oz brown bottles) are due April 26th with an entry fee of $6 per entry (several drop-off locations accepting entries beginning in early April). Judging will be held on April 30th at Larry’s Brewing Supply in Kent (if you are interested in judging, stewarding, or helping with event execution, contact Mark Emiley or register online on the website through the same link that allows you to register beers and volunteer as a judge). Winners will be selected in the weeks following with a webcast announcement planned on May 8th. To have the best shot of having your beer brewed, you need to be an AHA member by the time of the competition, so join today! Invite your friends to join the AHA and submit beers as well (all beers will be judged and ranked regardless of AHA membership). Good luck!