2009 Homebrew Contest Call for Entries Underway
BOSTON, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- As America's interest in homebrewing and craft beer is at an all time high, Jim Koch and the brewers at Samuel Adams are proud to foster the talents of aspiring homebrewers by offering their unique recipes to craft beer drinkers across the country as winners of the 2008 Samuel Adams(R) American Homebrew Contest(TM). Samuel Adams Founder and Brewer Jim Koch, was joined by a panel of industry experts to select California-resident Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock in the final round of judging. Alex's beer bested more than 1,300 consumer entries.
Alex's beer will be joined in the LongShot six-pack by California-resident Mike McDole's Double IPA and Samuel Adams Employee Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit. Mike's Double IPA won acclaim from the judges in 2007, but due to the worldwide hops shortage and a desire to preserve the integrity of the beer's recipe, calling for seven hop varieties, Mike elected to delay the brewing of his beer for the 2009 LongShot package. All three winning homebrewers brewed their winning recipes alongside the Samuel Adams brewers in Boston and their bragging rights also include having their recipes bottled and available nationally in the 2009 Samuel Adams LongShot Variety Package. Available for a limited time starting in April.
Samuel Adams employees compete in an annual homebrew competition. This company tradition, started in 2001, encourages passion and knowledge for craft beer while paying tribute to Jim Koch's "first" batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R), homebrewed in his kitchen in 1984. Jim and the other brewers at Samuel Adams selected three finalists from all of the employee entries. These three employee homebrewers attended the 2008 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and asked festival goers to taste and vote on their favorite. In the end, Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit was the favorite and will be featured in the 2009 LongShot variety pack alongside the Traditional Bock and Double IPA.
"The number and quality of entries submitted to the Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest and our annual employee contest continues to increase year after year," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams(R). "As a homebrewer for more than 25 years, I'm proud to see that passion for great beer is passed on to our employees. The brewing creativity and innovation in both the employee and consumers homebrews is more impressive every year. Alex's Bock, Mike's IPA, and Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit are all exceptional brews that push the limits and demonstrate the endless boundaries of big flavor and the infinite ingredients available to today's craft brewer."
A panel of industry judges including our dear friend, the late William Brand of The Oakland Tribune, Tony Forder of Ale Street News and Marty Nachel, author of Homebrewing for Dummies, joined Jim Koch in selecting the 2008 consumer winners. Together, they determined the final winning consumer recipe based on the American Homebrewers Association Beer Judge Certificate Program guidelines. Each beer was carefully evaluated by style category and judged on how well the style characteristics and flavors were exhibited.
The 2009 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores in April 2009 for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock, Mike McDole's Double IPA and Carissa Sweigart's Cranberry Wit.
ABOUT THE WINNERS AND 2009 CONTEST
Alex Drobshoff's Traditional Bock is a bright copper German inspired bock with a complex, full bodied mouthfeel. Underlying notes in the brew include hints of rich plum and cherry aromas paired with a toasty, malt flavor. He was inspired to create his Traditional Bock after listening to his friends travel encounters that described German beer as something that only could be experienced in Germany. Alex was up to the challenge and set out to replicate an authentic German bock right at home in California. The two year attempt to create this brew resulted in an award winning German inspired bock with a complex, full bodied mouthfeel. Alex's beer features hints of rich plum and cherry aromas paired with its toasty, malt flavor make this a great beer to linger over on a cool evening.
Mike McDole's Double IPA was inspired by the brewer's own deep appreciation for hops. Known in his West Coast Homebrewing community as having an affinity for hoppy beers, Mike used over six pounds and seven different varieties of American hops per barrel for his Double IPA. An intense beer that explodes the senses, Mike's brew is pale orange in color but makes up for it in a robust and malty taste. A full-bodied pale ale with strong spicy, floral and citrus aromas, this Double IPA is a hop-lovers' dream come true.
Carissa Sweigart, a national sales representative for Samuel Adams currently based in Colorado, chose her own hometown ingredients from Cape Cod as the inspiration for her winning Cranberry Wit. A delicious blend of cinnamon, orange peel, coriander and grains of paradise with hints of cranberry, Carissa's brew is bright, fruity and refreshing. The perfect beer to sip on a chilly day, this crisp brew is flavorful and well rounded.
2009 AMERICAN HOMEBREW CONTEST
Aspiring homebrewers have another shot at fame by entering the 2009 Samuel Adams(R) American Homebrew Contest(R). Interested beer drinkers can check online at www.SamuelAdams.com now for contest rules, regulations and information on purchasing a homebrewing kit. In addition, they can download Jim Koch's video, "The Art of Homebrewing" offering his personal tips on making a successful homebrew. Entries must be received between April 15 and May 1 and the winners will be announced at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival.
The Samuel Adams(R) American Homebrew Contest(R) continues the tradition first established with the 1996 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest and is a natural link to the company's roots. Jim Koch knows first hand the challenges and the personal rewards of creating a quality homebrew. He brewed the first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager in his kitchen in 1984. More than 20 years later, Koch is a recognized pioneer of the U.S. craft-brewing revival, and he continues to push the boundaries of brewing and follow his passion for elevating the craft beer-drinking experience.
THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY BACKGROUND:
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. After bringing the recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R), and it helped catalyze what became known as the American craft beer revolution.
Today, the Company brews more than 21 styles of beer. The Company uses the traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like dry-hopping and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by constantly searching for the world's finest ingredients. While resurrecting traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in another revolution, the "extreme beer" movement, where it seeks to challenge drinkers' perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While Samuel Adams is the country's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for just under one percent of the U.S. beer market. For more information, visit www.samueladams.com.
Source: Samuel Adams
Web site: http://www.samueladams.com/
1 comment:
Do you know what the alcohol is in these long shot beers? I can’t find it on Sam Adams’ website or Beer Advocate and I’d like to know if we will be able to get them in Mississippi with our ridiculous 6%ABV cap.
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