Brewtiful: 41st annual Homebrew Con hits PVD

Dust off that Mr. Beer kit — the homebrewers are coming! PVD, home to one of the best beer scenes in the country, is officially cool enough to host the 41st annual Homebrew Con, presented by the American Homebrewers Association, set to take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center. This three-day (Jun 27 – 29) beer lover’s Shangri-la includes a beer-soaked kickoff party, which is a private craft beer festival within the conference, educational seminars, documentary screenings, demos, and meet & greets with craft beer and homebrew legends. Oh, and it’s not exclusive to hopheads; cider and mead folk are welcome to join in the fun!

Why PVD this year? “It’s been 28 years since Homebrew Con was last in New England, so we were long overdue to come back to this part of the country,” says Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association. “Providence has a great beer and food culture that our attendees will love. And it’s easily accessible from throughout the northeast and really anywhere.”

Just starting out and haven’t won multiple homebrew awards yet? This conference is still for you!

“Attending Homebrew Con is a great way to get immersed in the world of homebrewing. There are more than 60 educational sessions covering a wide range of beer styles and brewing techniques as well as mead, cider, kombucha and even kimchi. And most importantly, Homebrew Con will introduce new homebrewers to the very welcoming and friendly community of homebrewers who are more than happy to help show beginners how to make great beer,” Glass says.

Grey Sail Brewing Company of Westerly and Heavy Seas Beer of Baltimore, Md, have joined forces in creating Wicked Smooth, a New England milkshake IPA brewed with milk, sugar and apricot puree, for this year’s commemorative beer. It punches in at 6.5 ABV and is guaranteed to be hazy and juicy AF thanks to the copious amounts of Citra and Mosaic hops added in the dryhop.

“The combination of Citra hops and Mosaic is so good. We use that combo in a lot of our beers, including our flagship hoppy beer, Captain’s Daughter Double IPA. Both of those hops will give this beer an incredible aroma that will play off of the apricot puree and lactose in a fun way,” says Michelle Kirms, head brewer at Grey Sail.

Opening day (Thu, Jun 27) will feature a homebrew competition held at the Omni Hotel (a two-minute saunter from the convention center). Beer Judge Certification Panel (BJCP) judges will sip, analyze and score beers based on strict guidelines. While the pros are judging beers, you can take your own beer judging prowess to the next level by participating in the Cicerone Skills and Knowledge session. Cicerones are to beer to what sommeliers are to wine. So if you want to back your beer elitism with some credibility, get yo’self cicerone certified.

Another opening day must, for the technical homebrewer, is the Deep Dive on Water session hosted by John Palmer, legendary homebrew pioneer and author of How to Brew. Palmer will teach you his wizardly ways of approaching water when it comes to brewing. Beer is 95% water after all.

Palmer will also take part in the Ask the Experts Panel, where you can ask him anything from, “What is pediococcus?” to general advice if you’re a prospective homebrewer.

“Just do it,” says Palmer. “Brewing beer is really no different than baking a batch of cookies. What’s the worst that can happen? Oh, you burned them? Well, then throw them away and make some more.”

After an entire day of being judged and getting schooled, I’m thinking you’ll need a beer. To round out the evening, there will be a proper beer festival within the festival — think Inception. Guest craft breweries and cideries from all over “Brew” England, including some friendly, out-of-region neighbors, will be pouring their offerings to take you into the night.

Shake off that hangover, bud. It’s time for the penultimate day (Fri, Jun 28).
Friday kicks off with the 2019 State of the Homebrew Industry address. You may have missed the State of the Union, but you will not want to miss this pertinent information. A panel of experts examines the homebrew industry through data and feedback from beer industry folk.

After you chug that information, check out the femALE homebrewers meet & greet to hear from inspirational women within the craft and homebrew community. Concurrently, “Milk the Funk,” a prominent sour beer podcast contingent, will be holding a meet & greet. Pick your poison — or attend both!

It wouldn’t be a proper beer conference if there wasn’t at least one debaucherous bacchanal per evening. Say hello to Club Night. This is “The Party” not to be missed; a showcase of beers brewed by the aggregation of homebrew clubs that are in attendance.

It’s sure to be “a convivial evening of discovering new beers, new styles and new friends,” according to Palmer.

Each club will be pouring their beers for quench-seeking attendees from themed booths. Yes, there will be themes. And members are encouraged to let their freak flags fly for their conceptualizations. For example, at a prior conference, the homebrew club Oregon Brew Crew curated the Oregon TrALE. Members donned cowboy getups and poured their beers from a Conestoga wagon. Cue the dysentery jokes.

Saturdays (Sat, Jun 29) are for the socializers. Prepare yourself to make long-lasting friendships with like-minded folk while sipping homemade fermented beverages at the Homebrew and Social Club Expo. After you’ve made a friend or two, why not head on over for some beer-themed poetry, presented by Tony Forder of Ale Street News?

If your liver hasn’t shriveled into a raisin, then you won’t want to miss the ‘Knockout’ Party; the last hurrah of Homebrew Con 2k19. ‘Knockout’ is in reference to the final step in the homebrewing process where you turn off the boil and throw in the final hop addition, not a pugilistic knockout — although, at this point, you may feel otherwise.

You must be a current member of the AHA to attend, but fear not, non-member! It’s easy to register on the AHA website in just a couple of simple steps. Know that you will be joining more than 46,000 members of the homebrew community.

“The community is easily the best part about homebrewing,” says Glass. “Homebrewers love to share their knowledge and help others become better brewers.  Anyone with a shared passion for flavorful beer is welcome — you don’t need to be an expert to fit in.”

Homebrew Con takes place Jun 27 – 29 at the RI Convention Center. For more info and a full listing of events, go to homebrewcon.org