Hey Homebrewers!
As a brewer, I appreciate all styles of beer. However, there's a big difference between appreciating and enjoying all beers.
Though it is a bit of heresy to admit this, I've cultivated a weird attitude about IPAs. Quite frankly, and perhaps to my detriment, I am not a hophead. This is a term of endearment applied to those of you out there who find that with hops, more is better. My tastes lean toward the maltier side of brewing.
Many years ago, I really didn't like IPAs. Then, I tried Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale and fell in love. A homebrewed version of this quickly became my favorite beer. From there I started to "get" what you hopheads believe and I started diving into IPAs. I found the history of the style fascinating. I developed a fondness for a well-brewed IPA. I had reached an epiphany about the heavy-handed use of hops, and I truly enjoyed them. Then, about three years ago, IPAs became the rage. I attended a couple of local beer festivals, and it seemed every one of them had an IPA on tap, and it's quite possible that I tried them all! Brewers bragged about the insane amount of hops that were in their beers. They developed ingenious methods for periodically adding hops throughout the entire length of their boils and adding more in the fermenters. Some brewers focused so much on the hops side of things, that they forgot that there still has to be some beer backbone. Unfortunately, I got "IPA-ed out".
Then, about two years ago, a series of events occurred that drove hop prices through the roof. Many hop varieties were in very short supply, and brewing IPAs became an expensive proposition. The proliferation of this style slighly waned, though the popularity of it did not.
Hop prices have since come down significantly, and that's a good thing for you hopheads. I can't let my personal preferences get in the way of the demands of our patrons. But, my attitude toward this style prevents me from being the best judge of a good IPA.
We solved this issue last year by holding an IPA contest for local homebrewers. I expected maybe a half-dozen submissions and I think we ended up with 24! The success of the contest and the final result makes me excited to repeat it for this year.
So, homebrewers, I know it's a long way off, but start planning. Brew up a batch of your favorite IPA this spring. We will accept submissions starting April 23rd until the deadline on April 29 at 9pm. Submit two unmarked 12oz bottles. Entry labels will be available at the host stand which you will need to fill out and attach to your bottles with rubber bands. The judging will occur on Saturday, April 30th, and the winner will be announced at our May 4th Maibock tapping, at 7:30 pm. All contestants are welcome to attend the tapping, even if you are not a Mug Club member. I will once again assemble a great judging panel, though I will only serve as a steward.
This is not a BJCP sanctioned contest. The judging panel will have some BJCP-certified judges, as well as prominent members of the Milwaukee brewing community.
Once again, the winner will brew his or her beer on a commercial scale with me on Wednesday, May 18th. They will also be invited to the tapping on June 8th where praise and accolades will be heaped upon them. Finally, they will win a party at the Brewery.
Good luck and good brewing!
No comments:
Post a Comment