Homebrewing – Beer 511

On March 13th, on the very day that judging was to start for the National Homebrew Competition (NHC), the American Homebrewers Association cancelled the competition due to the novel coronavirus.

Thus, local homebrew club, the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE), which was coordinating the SF Region judging, found itself sitting on hundreds of bottles of beer entered into the competition. What was DOZE to do with them all? Well, they decided to judge all the entries anyway, making this the only region in the country where the entries were actually judged (in most others the beer was reportedly made into hand sanitizer or simply dumped).

Over the course of several months, and working in small physically-distanced groups and over Zoom, the small corps of DOZE’s certified beer judges -with help from judges from The Mad Zymurgists and Bay Area Mashers (BAM) homebrew clubs- worked its way through more than 600 entries in 35 categories covering ales and lagers, meads and ciders.

To cap it all off, they put together an awards presentation and livestreamed it over Facebook!

La Red Cervecera Perú (Lima)

By juan

On September 1, 2018

In Brewpubs, Homebrewing, Lima, Peru, Peru Beer, Suppliers, Taprooms

During my last week in Lima, at the beginning of August, I took myself to Barranco to get acquainted with the Red Cervecera Perú.

Red Cervecera is arguably one of Peru’s premiere homebrew supply retailers. Located in a remodeled old early-Republican house on Avenida Francisco Bolognesi, the Red Cervecera combines a homebrewing supply retail shop, a brewing school, and a brewpub under one roof.

There, owner Joe Forte and manager Francisco Tapiago, among others, provide invaluable suppor to the country’s homebrewing and craftbrewing community by lead courses in brewing, provide opportunities for other homebrewers and microbrewers to gain experience with new ingredients, and offer a venue for beer-oriented events.

I happened to stroll in off the street on a Wednesday afternoon and, though a stranger, was warmly welcomed as a homebrewer and invited in to observe a brew that Francisco was brewing in order to represent the Red Cervecera at the then-upcoming Craft Beer Sessions festival. While there I also had the opportunity to meet and chat with Joe, and with Megan Garrity, of Greenga Brewing Co., who were collaborating on a Chocolate-Peanut Butter Porter for the same event.

Franscisco was kind enough to take time out to give me a tour of the place and to show me the shop, which sells some thirty varieties of malt and carries a couple of dozen hop varieties as they become available. One of those was a surprising experimental hop from Hop Breeding Company, HBC 472, which provided all the coconut notes to a Coconut Golden Ale on tap at the bar.

I returned the next evening for World IPA Day, and was again embraced and made to feel at home, and introduced to other craft brewers from across Peru.

At the Red Cervera, Joe, Francisco, and the rest of the team, more or less created one of those brewer’s dream spaces in which all elements of the hobby –from brewing, to owning a homebrew shop, to having your own brand, to serving your beers (and your friends’ beers) at your own bar– are brought together under one roof and shared with wider brewing community. Their openness exemplifies an attitude of sharing and cross-pollination with, and among that community, that is a hallmark of the homebrew and craft brew community in the United States but is, I’m told, still a bit harder to come across in Peru.

Red Cervecera Perú
Av. Francisco Bolognesi 721
Barranco, Lima, Peru

www.facebook.com/redcerveceraperu/
www.redcervecera.com

Northern California Hombrewers Festival

By juan

On September 19, 2016

In Festivals, Homebrewing, NCHF

My homebrew club, the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE) has been voted as serving the Best Club Beer at the 19th annual Northern California Homebrewers Festival (NCHF), held in Dobbins, CA, this weekend.

MoreBeer! expansion

By juan

On March 20, 2016

In Homebrewing

MoreBeer! held the “Grand Re-Opening” of its Concord showroom this weekend. They have expanded the store to perhaps triple its previous size.

The new showroom is ample, airy, and well-lit. The aisles are wide and one can move about without fear of bumping into anything or anyone. There is also an expanded and improved grain room, with an enclosed milling area.

To be honest, it was a much-needed move. The showroom, as it was previously, was nice and friendly, and all, but as their inventory grew it was becoming crowded and outgrowing what would have been a somewhat dark, but cute and cozy little shop when in was opened way back when.

The MoreBeer! crew are clearly loving the expansion, as when I visited Saturday morning -although they were quite busy and rushing about helping customers- they were all-smiles!