Category: Competitions

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

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)

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