Skip to main content

Homebrew Con is Three Days of Heaven for the Homebrewer

Home-Brew-Con-42
PHOTO © BREWERS ASSOCIATION

The 2017 edition of Homebrew Con brings craft beer competition and camaraderie to Minneapolis.

Beer festivals are obviously great places to learn about beer. You can sample different styles, discover new breweries, and sometimes even meet the brewers themselves. But if you make your own beer, you may be ready for the next step in beer knowledge: attending a home brewing convention.

Homebrew Con is the must-attend destination for amateur brewing enthusiasts. The 2017 edition of the popular convention will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Minneapolis Convention Center from June 15 through July 17, 2017. These three days will be filled with interactive learning sessions and social gatherings centered around all things beer.

Of course, beer sampling is a big part of the event. Tasting innovative beers from home brewers all over the world can provide plenty of inspiration for your next batch. But Homebrew Con’s real draw is the wide range of demonstrations and workshops available. Over 3,000 beer lovers are expected to attend and hear from craft beer industry experts like Surly Brewing Company founder Omar Ansari.

Home-Brew-Con-18
Photo © Brewers Association Image used with permission by copyright holder

Other convention highlights include the final round of judging for the National Homebrew Competition, an “Ask Me Anything” panel with beer author John J. Palmer and “Brewing Dreams: Stories about Going Pro” with professional brewers telling how they made the leap from garage brewing to the big leagues.

Brewing history buffs can also learn about the nearly-forgotten style of Molasses Beer, how to master mead production, and even hear from a paleontologist on the origins of key brewing ingredients. Science-based inquiries into production methods and recipes will be discussed, from dry yeast bottle conditioning to barrel aging alternatives.

For any home brewers looking to take their craft to the next level, Homebrew Con has something for you. Homebrew Con is organized by the American Homebrewers Association, which is approaching its 40th year in existence and claims over 46,000 members.

Photos provided by © Brewers Association

Editors' Recommendations

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
How to make The Last Word cocktail, a gin classic from another era
Impress your guests and make this circa 1916 drink
Last Word cocktail

Gin often plays a prominent role within classic cocktail culture. Such is the case with The Last Word cocktail, a delightful green concoction enlivened by the aromatic clear spirit. It's a cocktail that has practically lived two lives: one as it was born during the heyday of early 20th-century American bar life and another that started about two decades ago.

How did it come about? Drinks folklore says The Last Word was devised by Frank Fogarty at the Detroit Athletic Club circa 1916. Oddly enough, Fogarty was not a bartender but an award-winning vaudeville comedian. Regardless of his progression, he came up with a damn good cocktail that uses some rather obscure ingredients.

Read more
The 5 best vegetarian and vegan dishes to try right now
Even if you love meat, you might be surprised how tasty these meals are
Cauliflower steak with peppercorn sauce

It's spring and a wonderful time of year for fresh produce to make the best vegetarian recipes all the easier to create (and thoroughly enjoy). If you like meat, so be it, maybe get more creative with your sides or try one of these dishes for fun. If you're a vegetarian, it's a fine time to put together some satisfying meals with real heart and soul. Here are some of the best vegetarian and vegan recipes for dinner to try.
Kale sauce with any noodle

This Josh McFadden recipe from Six Seasons
is great to have on hand as it can accompany just about any kind of pasta.
Ingredients

Read more
Everything you ever wanted to know about Pinot Grigio, the perfect sipping wine
Be careful with this one, it's almost too easy to drink.
White wine

If ever there was a perfect sipping wine, Pinot Grigio would have to be it. Bright and crisp, fresh and lively, refreshing and clean, Pinot Grigio is arguably one of the most dangerously easy wines to drink. Also known also as Pinot Gris, depending on where you are in the world, this wine is citrusy and pleasantly acidic with a short finish that won't overpower a dish.

Pinot Grigio's diversity is wonderfully wide. It can become something truly artistic and beautiful or, simply, a blissfully cheerful and pleasant picnic wine. So, if you're looking for a great bottle to pack along on a day trip with a blanket and a wicker basket full of charcuterie, Pinot Grigio is your best bet.
Are Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris the same wine?

Read more