Category: Competitions

Western Idaho Fair Beer Competition

The Western Idaho Fair competition is open to any homebrewer age 21 or older. It is open to entries across all BJCP beer, mead, and cider categories. For judging purposes, similar categories may be combined at the discretion of competition staff. Each of these categories will receive medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The first place beers in each category will advance to the Best of Show (BOS) round. We will award Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion in the BOS round for the two best beers in the competition.

In addition to the BOS and category awards, The Western Idaho Fair “Beer of the Year” will be chosen by Sockeye Brewing staff and will be selected from the 1st place beers in each “subcategory” listed in the “Rules” section. Only entries from brewers living in the greater Treasure Valley are eligible for the Western Idaho Beer of the Year award.

https://beerawardsplatform.com/western-idaho-fair

June and July Club Contests Reminders & Resources

Happy Hump Day Brewers! Congrats to our inaugural American Wheat contest champions from the May meeting – A.J., Gary H., and Dan C. – and big thanks to Dave R. for organizing and executing the judging.

We’ve gotten some questions about upcoming club contests so see below for prep and submission details, and for some (hopefully) helpful links for adulterating your July submissions.

JUNE – Big Sticky Red IPA: This club contest will be decided by our friends at Woodland Empire and the winner will be announced during our club meeting at the brewery on June 9th. To participate you must 1) be a paid SRB member, 2) brew a batch of Big Sticky Red IPA, and 3) drop off two 12-ounce bottles at Woodland Empire by no later than Saturday, May 28th!! For additional details on this contest, check out the fact sheet here.

JULY – Herb/Spice Brew: This club contest is going to be free and easy, just like summer ought to be. That means the rules are fairly simple – submit any kind of brew (e.g., beer, cider, mead, etc.) to which you have added some type of herb or spice. Use your best judgement as to what constitutes an herb or spice if you are unsure (typically does not include fruit, vegetables, or anything illegal). To participate you must 1) be a paid SRB member, 2) brew an herb/spice entry, and 3) bring six 12-ounce bottles or three 22-ounce bottles to the club meeting at HBS on July 14th. For additional details on this contest, check out the fact sheet here.

If you are interested in making an herb/spice creation but aren’t sure where to start, check out a few of the resources below to get the creative juices flowing and make decisions about the best method for getting herb/spice flavors into your brew:

How to Brew with Herbs and Spices

Brewing with Herbs and Spices

Stone Brewing’s Herb and Spice Guide (with recommendations on addition amounts)

Brewer of the Year and Monthly Agenda

Greetings,

Now that you have had a chance to look over the new Brewer of the Year Points Program I am looking for some feed back. After having had many discussions with various Club members I went to work and drafted the program. My goal was to creat a process by which we can all get involved and receive recognition for doing so. Starting with our April monthly meeting and going forward David and Nicole will offer a different agenda each month, whether it be a contest or purely for educational purposes. Our ultimate goal is that we all get more out of the Club than just a place to gather and drink beer. We want this to be a fun and rewarding experience. After all the purpose of the Club is for us all to become better brewers. This is a new program so let’s see how it develops. Give it a few months and if you have any concerns or ideas for improvements please feel free to contact me. Like I said, I am looking for some feed back.

Thank you David Reish and Nicole Thompson for your assistance with editing the final draft of the Brewer of the Year document. Your willingness to step up and help bring a new life to the Snake River Homebrew Club is truly appreciated.

Happy Brewing,

Terry

terrjone@msn.com

Kick-Off of Club Contests and Brewer of the Year

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for our monthly meeting hosted at Mother Earth Nampa!

As we touched on briefly, we’re kicking off (nearly) monthly contests to help inspire members to brew more, try out new styles and techniques, and to foster some good ol’ fashioned brewer rivalry. All in the name of beer education, of course.

For those who missed last night’s meeting, or didn’t get a handout, be sure to check out our new Club Contests Overview document that explains the points accumulation rules by contest type and covers how we will be awarding various “brewer of the year” honors each December moving forward!

To get us started, our first monthly contest will take place during our monthly meeting on May 12. The theme for our inaugural contest is BJCP Category 1D: American Wheat Beer, a light, crushable, and Spring-appropriate style. We encourage you to participate either individually (or in teams!) to craft a perfect American Wheat pint that stays within the official guidelines, but expresses your unique take on this modern classic style. Need some inspiration to get started? Check out Beer and Brewing or Brew Your Own for some ideas. This contest will be decided by popular vote during the bottleshare hour, with points awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. You’ve got two months, so get brewing!!

We’ll also work to announce monthly themes/contests at least 2-3 months in advance moving forward so everyone has time to prepare. And we’ll populate the calendar and meeting agendas with contest information as we lock it in, so be sure to check that out regularly.

Any questions, concerns, or ideas for a contest, please reach out to me or to our newly anointed Contest Director, Dave Reish. Leave a message here or find us on FB or Discord.

Western Idaho Fair Homebrew Competion

Entry cutoff date : August 7, 2021 Entry Fee: $7.50 per entry. 5 entry max.

New for 2021, Sockeye Brewing and Western Idaho Fair will choose a beer from first place entries in select styles and awarded the “Beer of the Year” for the fair in 2022!

Register your beer!

Please refer to the rules and instructions at http://idbeer.org

All BJCP categories are available, we will collapse categories where necessary. 

Entry deadline is August 7, 2021!  

How to enter: 

  1. Ferment a tasty beverage! 
  2. Bottle some for submission: 

(3)-12oz (or larger) brown or green bottles with silver or gold caps only. 

  1. Fill out the personal information form from the website http://idbeer.org.  
  2. For each submission fill out the entry form and add it. You can add more than one entry, just click on the ‘add an entry’ button. After your information is entered correctly, submit it. 
  3. Label your bottles: Print beer labels provided by the registration website. Attach these labels with rubber bands to the bottles, please do not tape your labels on.
  4. Drop off your entries at the Drop Off Locations listed on idbeer.org.
  • All entries will be judged using the 2015 BJCP style guidelines.  
  • This is a BJCP Sanctioned event.
  • Sockeye Brewers will have final say in the “Beer of the Year Award”.
  • Brewers Choice will be selected from the Best of show table wherein all 1st place beers compete.
  • Results will be announced at the opening of the Western Idaho Fair Friday, August 20, 2021 except “Beer of the Year”.
  • “Beer of the Year” results will be announced Saturday, August 28 at Western Idaho Fair.

*******Additional Competition notice*******

The following categories are the only ones in the “Beer of the Year” competition:

1A. American Light Lager, 1B. American Lager, 1C. Cream Ale, 1D. American Wheat Beer, 2B. 

International Amber Lager, 18A. Blonde Ale, 19A. American Amber Ale, 21A. American IPA.

(Only one entry in each of the above categories per brewer. If entering these styles, please submit a total (4) – 12oz bottles.)

The winner selected by Sockeye Brewing and The Western Idaho Fair from the 1st place beers in the above categories will work with Sockeye to produce the recipe and have this beer on tap at the Western Idaho Fair in 2022. 

The winner will be announced on Saturday, August 28 at Western Idaho Fair.

The winner will work with Sockeye staff to formalize the recipe.

Western Idaho Fair Marketing, Sockeye Brewing Company, and the home brewer will develop a name for the beer. It will be marketed as the inaugural Western Idaho Fair “Beer of the Year.” The recipe will be submitted to the “GABF Pro-Am Competition” by Sockeye Brewing Company. Entries must meet GABF style guidelines for the categories listed above to be considered.

Competitors must have current AHA membership.

Homebrew Competition sponsored by the Snake River Brewers homebrew club.

“Beer of the Year” sponsored by Sockeye Brewing Company.