If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That’s the classic phrase that I’m applying to my homebrew journey. A year ago, I entered my first homebrew competition with a group of friends. The competition was the Boards & Brews event from the PWC. Click here to learn more. Basically, it is a homebrew competition that supports a local organization called People Working Cooperatively (more on them below) and culminates in an event featuring the winning beer and a cornhole competition. I’m entering the PWC homebrew competition again this year and hoping we can earn the top spot!
So last year, we didn’t win. There were lots of amazing beers submitted and an American Kolsch took the top spot while our lager didn’t. But it was still an amazing opportunity for me to learn about homebrewing and the competition world.
In fact, it was so much fun, that we are doing it again this year. So, follow along as I embark on this journey and aim to win the top spot and be able to brew alongside the crew at Sam Adams Cincinnati Taproom.
Quick shoutout to both Sam Adams and People Working Cooperatively (PWC). Both are amazing to work with on projects like this. PWC does great work for those in our community that need some assistance with home repairs and other tasks around the home. It is critical work that provides individuals the opportunity to live better lives and continue to be contributing members of society.
Read About Last Year’s Experience
The Pre-brew Process
There’s a lot that goes into the homebrew process long before any brewing actually takes place. In fact, there may be more work done in advance. Luckily, my friend has an amazing homebrew setup so securing equipment, etc. is not an issue for our team. For most, having the right equipment is the barrier to entry for homebrewing. But there’s a lot more than just having equipment as the knowledge and skill needed takes years to acquire. If you are able, brew alongside someone with experience. It helps you learn much faster and produce better beer along the way.
The first big decision is style. Determining which style to brew is tough. There’s a balance between picking a style you enjoy drinking and a style that you think a judge will enjoy.
While some competitions have separate awards per style, others judge all against each other. The Boards & Brews event has one winner – meaning all styles are judged against each other. So, for this event, you have to consider how your beer will stack up against a wide range of other flavors and styles.
Last year we brewed a solid lager that our team loved (which was good because we made a 10-gallon batch). But I don’t think it resonated with the judges the same way it did with my brew team.
This year, we are back to the drawing board. Will we return with another lager, or will an ale be the right move? For obvious reasons, I can’t reveal here what we will brew as that defeats the blind judging process. However, I can assure you that whatever we brew, it will be awesome. I’m hopeful and optimistic for this year’s brew.
What’s Next For The PWC Homebrew Competition?
Keep checking back, I’ll be updating this article as I go along asl well as posting on Instagram. The homebrew journey is a lot of fun and submitting it to a competition makes it that much better.
The general plan is to have a style picked by the end of March. We will brew by mid-April which gives us plenty of time for fermentation for either an ale or a lager. Once fermentation is complete, we will bottle and try the beer to ensure it is ready to be submitted. All entries must be submitted by the end of May so there’s lots to do to ensure we can hit that date.
To learn more about the event, check out: Boards & Brews – Homebrew | PWC Website (pwchomerepairs.org)