Home Brew Grand Prize

I won the Grand Prize in a home brew contest.

It's been a couple days since I first found this out, and it still seems surreal. Being the huge beer geek that I am, I've always focused on my knowledge about beer. I've learned a lot, and I'm proud of all the beer information I have stored in my cranium. I just didn't know whether that would ever transfer to actual brewing skill.

I've been brewing at home for probably 5 years now, but I haven't attacked it with the vigor of some great home brewers. I'd love to, but that requires more time than I have. For a while, I'd only attempt a home brew supply shop's kit recipe 2 times a year. It wasn't until a year ago that I finally had enough confidence to create my own recipes. That felt great. It was nice to be able to choose my own ingredients and make the beer my personal creation. Freedom had reached my home brewing world.

I first entered a home brew competition this past summer at the Minnesota state fair. I entered 2 beers, one which I really enjoyed, and one that I didn't get to try before I submitted. When I received the scoresheets, I have to admit I was a little disheartened. My scores weren't terrible, but I thought they could be better. I'm definitely my own worst critic.

So when I recently built up enough courage to enter another contest, I chose the Beer Dabbler at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. Before we get too far into that, let's talk about the beer.

I entered an Imperial Oatmeal Milk Stout that I had named Queen Korova Stout. This beer had been the most problematic that I have brewed so far. I ran into at least five different issues throughout the brewing and fermentation process. It took a long time, too. It was 5 months old when I finally bottled it, and it still had to bottle condition for at least another month. It was all worth it, though. When I poured the first bottle of this beer into a glass and tasted it, I couldn't have been happier with how it turned out. The arduous processes had given me a fantastic beer.

I sampled it out to friends and family, and most were fond of the brew. However, when I poured it for a few great beer minds I knew, I received some negative implications. They thought something tasted off, but they couldn't quite tell what it was. My heart dropped. Even though I had been so excited about this brew, I thought, "Oh well, back to the drawing board."

When I chose to enter a beer into the Beer Dabbler, I realized I had reserved two 12 ounce bottles of Queen Korova for just that purpose. I was conflicted. I didn't know what would happen, but I decided to give it a shot. I honestly felt that I wouldn't win anything. I wasn't eagerly checking for the results.

A week later, I received a text from a friend who had also entered the contest. He told me I had won the Grand Prize. I couldn't believe it. Now, after a few days, I'm very excited. I can't wait to see the scoresheets and hold the medal in my hand. I celebrated with my wife last night by cracking open a bottle of the winning brew. That's when I thought:

I brewed something that won an award. That's pretty cool.