West Sound Brewers

From the WAHA Yahoo Group:

Got three bottles of a great tasting homebrew around? The Puget Sound Pro-Am is accepting entries (three 10-12 oz bottles, $6/entry) at the mail-in location (Larry's Brewing Supply) from now until May 28th so start sending in your entries (entries can be registered in advance through a link on the competition website at http://www.bewbc.org/pro-am). The other entry points (Diamond Knot Brewery, Bob's Homebrew Supply, Cellar Homebrew Supply, and the Beer Essentials) are accepting entries now through May 28th. Please make sure to use the special entry recipe form available online at the competition website! We want the brewers to know how you brewed it so they'll know that they can!

The Puget Sound Pro-Am is an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition aimed at providing award winning homebrew recipes to be brewed by Puget Sound breweries with the goal of capturing a medal from the Great American Beer Festival's Pro-Am Competition. Eleven breweries (Big Horn/Ram (2), Rogue, Elysian, Diamond Knot, Rock Bottom (2), Elliot Bay, Big Time, Pike, and Powerhouse) will be selecting their favorite homebrew beers from the best of show round to scale up and brew on their systems. Winning beers of AHA members may be sent on to the GABF for a shot at national glory! Non-AHA members can still enter the competition and win other awards and prizes – also, one of the breweries not submitted to the GABF will not be constrained to picking an AHA member!

This competition is drawing entries from around the country, but we all know that Washington makes the best brews, so get those entries ready! This is the third Washington Homebrewer of the Year Qualifying competition so start racking up some points with your placings! See the wahomebrewers.org site for more details on the program.

Judging will be held on May 31st at Larry's Brewing Supply in Kent, Washington (if you are interested in judging, stewarding, or helping with event execution, contact Mark Emiley at markemiley@... or register online at the website). Check the website for updates on contest details. If you had a beer that didn't make it to the second round of the NHC, send them on in for a second opinion and a chance for an awesome opportunity! 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, and may your wildest brewing dreams come true!

Mark Emiley
PSPA Organizer

Congratulations to Matt Riggs for taking 2nd in Category 16 (Belgian and French Ale) and Brad Ginn for taking 3rd in Category 18 (Belgian Strong Ale) in the NW Region of the 1st round of the National Homebrew Competition. Both Matt and Brad are eligible to enter their beers in the final round competition which will be judged at the National Homebrew Conference in June. Here are the full results in those two categories:

Category 16 Belgian and French Ale
Sponsored by S.A. Bieres de Chimay c/o Manneken-Brussel Imports
1   16e   Terry Bucher, Kirk Studach of Salem, OR, Cascade Brewers Society
2   16c   Matt Riggs of Bremerton, WA, West Sound Brewers
3   16a   Dean Malte of Auburn, WA

Category 18 Belgian Strong Ale
Sponsored by Dingemans c/o Cargill Malt
1   18e   Rory Petrik of Seward, AK, Great Northern Brewers Club
2   18d   Brian Thatcher of Kingston, WA, Impaling Alers
3   18c   Robert Ginn of Poulsbo, WA, West Sound Brewers

Click here for full results from the 1st round.

We had a great turnout and great fun at Big Brew yesterday, especially considering the weather. It rained nearly the whole time; sometimes a sprinkle and sometimes a downpour. We had tents and umbrellas set up to keep us mostly dry. By my recollection 6 people braved the weather and brought their gear to brew, and a total of 45 gallons of beer was produced. Many more stopped by to enjoy the weather, beer, food, and company. A gallery of pictures is posted.

A big thanks to the Shaws for hosting again this year.

Chris Devlin, the Seattle Beer Examiner came over to brew his first batch. Matt brought ingredients and Brad brought equipment and Chris brewed a Pale Ale. It would have been pretty hard for him to carry a carboy full of fermenting wort home on the ferry and bus, so Brad took Chris' beer to his house. It's fermenting away happily in Brad's bathroom as we speak. Chris will come over again when the beer is ready to bottle, and hopefully the whole experience will inspire him to take up the hobby.

The May Newsletter has been posted. This month's meeting will coincide with the Big Brew event at Steve & Frances Shaw's house. Read the newsletter for details and Contact us for directions.

Big Brew is a great time and everyone is welcome to attend whether you plan to brew or not. If you are a novice brewer, or even just thinking about getting into the hobby, it's a great opportunity to watch some seasoned brewers brew up a batch and learn from their mistakes. Brewers of all skill levels are encouraged to bring their gear and brew with us. If you don't want to haul your stuff around you are welcome to come and observe, sample homebrews, and eat some great food. Bring any beers you want to share and any food you want to barbeque.

This was posted to the WAHA Yahoo Group:

The Washington Homebrewers Association would like to invite all homebrewers and beer lovers to hear to the inaugural speaker of the WAHA's Educational Speaker Program - Dick Cantwell. Come to the Elysian Fields brewery down by Qwest Field to hear Dick Cantwell talk about his homebrewing past, transition to a professional brewer, and views on the future of brewing in America. You'll have a chance to pick the brains of one of Washington's brewing pioneers, get a homebrew recipe of one of Elysian's award winning beers, and have a chance to meet and mingle with your fellow Washington Homebrewers. Admission is free and open to all homebrewers and beer lovers. Just bring your brewing questions!

Event Details:
Date: May 20th
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Elysian Fields Brewery
542 1st Ave South
Seattle, WA 98104
206-382-4498

To help plan how much space will be needed, please RSVP at the website below by May 17th:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=s ... ctvQ_3d_3d

For more information check the WAHA's website at http://www.wahomebrewers.org. Please pass on this information to any interested homebrewers.