.
Word reaches me of a very interesting and exciting competition for those of us that like to indulge in some nice home brewing every now and again.
Those that don't know their sparging from their supping, please look away now.
Pub chain Nicholsons and top brewery Thornbridge have got together to launch the Great British Home Brew Challenge 2011 with an aim to find the best home brewed beer in the UK.
The competition, which began on the 1st of September, will provide 'home brewers with an opportunity to match their beers against those of other enthusiasts, and have them tasted by a panel of expert beer judges'.
The winning home brewer will see their beer recipe professionally produced at Thornbridge's Brewery and distributed and on sale in Nicholsons 100 pubs across the UK.
It sounds like a fun competition with not only a great prize for the lucky winner but also an emphasis on creating exciting beers made with innovation, tradition and a modicum of modernity.
A bit like Thornbridge, themselves.
As Thornbridge's, Simon Webster says "the Challenge will be a celebration of the British tradition of brewing..and for people to embrace many of the new flavours in beers from across the world. We will look for Passion, Innovation and Knowledge as key factors in the judging".
So, if you are a keen home brewer that thinks your beer is good enough and quite like the idea of it being made by one of the best breweries in the country and available in over a hundred pubs, the best thing you could do is enter the competition.
Get Brewing, folks.
You can find out more information about the competition here
.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen presented with 3 bottles of anonymous homebrew, how does one assess the "Passion, Innovation, and Knowledge" of the brewer?
ReplyDeleteInnovation is fair enough, as I'd be ecstatic to sit down to a new beer and not detect even a hint of citra, but how can "passion" or "knowledge" be not only factors, but KEY factors in judging THE TASTE of a beer?!
@Owen
ReplyDeleteI know.
Passion is a pretty hard one to quantify. Indeed, it's probably immeasurable.
Surely, it should be judged on the old standards of taste and aroma.
Passion, Innovation and Knowledge do appear on the labels of Thornbridge bottles, though.
Passion is a much over used word IMO. A brewer can demonstrate passion when you talk to him/her, but to detect it in a glass at a blind tasting.....? A beer should me judged as all beverages are judged in the professional world. Appearance (minor importance) Aroma (more important) Taste (most Important) and overall conclusions on quality, complexity etc
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're overthinking it a bit? Knowing Thornbridge reasonably well, I can assure you that standard beer judging principles will apply.
ReplyDeleteKelly