Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Brewers' Cup: The Results

The results are in! This weekend’s Brewers’ Cup saw a record number of entries with over 1,000 hopefuls as far as Florida and even Texas. But it was Hoosiers that reined supreme! Both winners of the Guild Champion Brewery trophy and title holder of “Homebrewer of the Year” hail from Indiana.

Local brewer Michael Pearson, the top individual winner, won his second title by narrowly beating out his good friend Bill Ballinger. Talk about a bittersweet victory.

Terms like pale lager, porter and stout are all Greek to me. I will just stick with my Bud and Corona Light. But for those interested in home brewing, the competition is growing rapidly. This means more competition and just an overall fun experience for lovers of all things beer!

For more results, information and photographs, visit www.brewerscup.org

Friday, July 8, 2011

Ready, Set, Brew

Nothing says summer like a nice cold beer in hand. But have you ever thought about what goes into making beer? I can’t say that I have either. Then, there are people like the ones judging this weekend’s Brewers’ Cup who can identify all the different flavors in different beers.

With 23 professional brewers entering 310 different beers and 764 home brewers entering 764 beers, The Indiana State Fair Brewers’ Cup is one of the largest competitions in the country. This weekend will mark the 13th annual competition at Farm Bureau Building on the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Certified Beer Judges from all over the country will taste test the best brews in the Hoosier state. Winners will have the opportunity to brew their winning recipe at a local pub, rights to a traveling banner, trophy and bragging rights.

Although the event isn’t open to the public, you can catch a glimpse into the world of home brewing during the fair when all entries will be on displayed and experts will be their to answer questions on all things brewing.

Judging begins today and goes through Saturday, July 9. Stay tuned for winners and results next week!