Obama: The Home-Brewing President

Okay, there are probably some much bigger issues to weigh when judging who you'll support in 2012, but hey, if you're a lover of craft beer, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a president who supports brewing your own. As CBS reports in the video below, Obama had the White House chefs brew up a special batch just for Oval Office consumption. (Please don't use the comments section to make incendiary political comments. I'll delete any comments that aren't directly about beer.)

Brewing and Flavor Analysis Class at Black Star Co-op

Wow, I really should attend this. Black Star Co-op is offering a couple of classes on brewing and flavor analysis, coming up on Aug. 14 and 21. They say: "The 101 class will be for beginner homebrewers and beer appreciators. The 201 class will be for intermediate and advanced homebrewers and beer aficionados." I have to say, learning from Jeff Young would be a treat considering how good his Black Star beers have been. Click on that link for more details and to register.

Uncle Billy’s Keep Austin Beered Pro-Am

I just spotted this on Facebook. Homebrewers, clean out your equipment and get to it:

This year's competition style will be...drum roll please...

Pale American Belgo-Style Ale!!!

What it is:

• The Austin ZEALOTS and Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que present the Uncle Billy’s Keep Austin Beered Pro-Am.
• Brew a beer in BJCP category 23 (special category selected: Pale American Belgo-Style Ale) and if you win, Brian Peters and Amos Lowe at Uncle Billy’s will brew your recipe and enter it into the 6th Annual GABF Pro-Am.

The Rules:

• All homebrewing entrants must be members of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) at the time the original homebrew entry is submitted for competition as well as when the Pro-Am entry is judged (mid September, 2011).
• You cannot be a professional brewer. Only homebrewers are allowed to enter.

What you need to do:

• Brew a beer in Category 23 of the BJCP guidelines
• Pale American Belgo-Style Ale; see GABF Style Guideline in category 17A for more details.
• Bring your 2 bottles (11 to 16 ounce bottles) to the Austin ZEALOTS meeting on June 11, or take/mail them to Austin Homebrew Supply between June 10 & 19. (9129 Metric, Austin, TX, 78758).
• Entry fee $5. Pay cash or make checks payable to “Austin Homebrew Supply”
• Print and fill out the recipe form and include with your entries. Uncle Billy’s will make all efforts to convert the recipe to a production level. Uncle Billy’s reserves the right to make reasonable substitutions.

Details:

• The judges will select the best representation and the winner will be informed by email or phone. Note: Uncle Billy’s will use either Wyeast 3787 (Trappist High Gravity Yeast) or White Labs 530. The beer will be brewed at Uncle Billy’s and will be entered in the GABF Pro-Am competition.
• The 2011 GABF will be held in Denver, Sept. 29-Oct. 1. More details at the Brewers’ Association.
• The winner of this contest must sign a licensing agreement, which limits and protects the way the GABF trademark is used, prior to the submission of entries to the GABF.
• GABF Pro-Am entries submitted by breweries will compete in a best-of-show style judging, during the regular GABF judging. The GABF Style Guidelines and GABF judge panel will be used for the judging.
• Judges will determine the top three entries in the GABF Pro-Am Competition, which will be awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze GABF Pro-Am Competition medals during the GABF awards ceremony. Medals will be issued to both the winning brewery and the winning homebrewer.
• You can be disqualified at any point for not following all of the rules. Questions? Contact Dan at dandew3@att.net.

So Homebrewers ... Let's start brewing some beer!!

Wow, and I thought Texas is backward

Buck up, Texans, there are states with worse alcohol laws than yours. I just got this press release from the Brewers Association:

Utah Legalizes Homebrew Beer

Utah one of the last states to change law legalizing homebrewing

Boulder, CO • March 25, 2009 – Yesterday, Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. of Utah signed into law legislation that makes homebrewing beer legal. The "Exemption for Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing License" was sponsored by Representative Christine A. Johnson and made Utah the 46th state to legalize homebrewing. The US Government made homebrewing legal on a federal level in 1978. Since then all but four states; Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Oklahoma have made homebrewing legal.

"Home-brewing is a healthy and vibrant hobby in Utah as evidenced by the outpouring of support HB 51 received in the 2009 Legislature," commented Rep. Christine A. Johnson. "Many thanks to the American Homebrewers Association for thorough education, great committee testimony and association members who flooded elected officials with emails of support."

But it's not just homebrewers who are excited about the change. Jennifer Talley, brewmaster for Squatters Pub Brewery/Salt Lake Brewing Co in Salt Lake City, says the relationship between professional and amateur brewers has always been a tight one and legalizing homebrewing will allow this relationship in Utah to evolve and grow.

"Homebrewing is truly an art and most professional brewers I know were once homebrewing in their kitchen. Utah beer enthusiasts will now have the freedom to express their deepest beer desires through perfecting the craft of homebrewing in their own kitchens," says Talley.

The American Homebrewers Association estimates that there are approximately 750,000 homebrewers in the United States, including 7,000 homebrewers residing in Utah. Utah is the only state to have legalized homebrewing in the last ten years.

"With the successful passage of HB 51, Utahns can confidently assemble into homebrew clubs and organize competitions," states the Utah law student Douglas Wawrzynski, who launched this most recent attempt to legalize homebrewing. "Utah homebrewers are finally free to relax, stop worrying, and have a legal homebrew."

"It has been an honor to work with the homebrewers of Utah to help legalize homebrewing in their state," says Gary Glass, Director of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). "I can think of no greater cause for the American Homebrewers Association to take on than ensuring all Americans can legally brew at home."

There is currently an active movement to legalize homebrewing in Alabama, and the AHA has heard from homebrewers in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Oklahoma who are interested in starting movements in each of those states.

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Based in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association for American craft brewers and community of beer enthusiasts. Visit the Web site, www.beertown.org, to learn more. The association’s activities include events and publishing: World Beer Cup®; Great American Beer Festival^sm; Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®; National Homebrewers Conference; National Homebrew Competition; SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience; American Craft Beer Week; Zymurgy magazine; The New Brewer magazine; and books on beer and brewing. The Brewers Association has an additional membership division of 17,000+ homebrewers: American Homebrewers Association.