At Maceditionradio.com, we're always glad to raise our glasses to the pursuit of knowledge of all things techie, but we also enjoy learning about other industries, whether digital or analog. So, we took a much-needed break and visited the 35th Annual American Homebrewers Association (AHA) national conference, held in downtown Philadelphia from June 27 to 29. Themed "Brewing Up A Revolution," the conference brought together more than 3,400 brewers and homebrew aficionados who converged upon the City of Brotherly Love for a long weekend of workshops, roundtables and tastings, featuring local and regional craft beers as well as meads and ciders. Although the AHA conference was primarily aimed at the homebrew industry, its appeal was just as strong for enthusiastic imbibers, and offered the perfect amounts of hard science and congenial networking. Of the many conferences and expos we've attended over the years, this one was definitely the most thirst quenching!
As one of the world's great beer cities, Philadelphia lays claim to being the home of the first lager brewed in America. In fact, brew taverns were active in the city even before William Penn arrived in 1682. Today, it's the home of Philly Beer Week held each spring, an annual celebration of "the Best Beer Drinking City in America." So, Philly seemed a truly appropriate setting for this gathering. Coincidentally, July 1, 2013 marked the first time in which homebrewing is legal in all 50 states. Believe it or not, the last two hold out states just approved legalization of making beer (Alabama on May 9 and Mississippi on July 1), however many states still prohibit home brewers from transporting the beverage to club meetings and competitions.
The Homebrew Expo, held in the city's Convention Center, showcased the wares of more than 60 vendors, offering beermaking-related items including mash paddles, brewing pumps, labels, honey and maple syrup for mead, software, digital controls, brewing equipment, containers, and supplies, as well as hops and yeast. The ever-popular Club Night (our photographs show the good times enjoyed by all) showcased the efforts of 90 homebrewing clubs from around the country, each happily and enthusiastically offering samples of their product to attendees who sported personal-sized beer glasses secured on lanyards around their necks. Workshops included "Brewing Chemistry 101," "Hops vs. Malt: A Smackdown with Cheese," "Building a Walk-in Cooler," and our personal favorite, "Colonial Brewing Practices and Beers with the Influences of Historical British Styles." The latter gave a glimpse into the savory beer recipes common in Revolutionary times, many featuring herbs and plants not commonly associated with today's beers including oregano, lemon catnip and common ivies. If readers are wondering what this conference has to do with Macintosh, take comfort in the abundance of offerings fit for Apple and Android users, including the Brewbot iPhone/iPad brewing calculator, and the app for Zymurgy, the publication of the American Homebrewers Association, is available for download for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Capping the conference's festivities on the final night was the annual Grand Banquet, sponsored by Oregon's Rogue Brewery. The Philly-inspired meal was delicious, and definitely not for bland food lovers! Each tasty course was prepared with various brews, and paired with a different Rogue beverage: Malt Vinegar Pickled Vegetables served with Honey Kolsch; Soft Pretzel Panzanella Salad with a beer mustard dressing, served with American Amber Ale; Roasted Pork Stromboli in a rye pizza crust with extra sharp provolone and broccoli rabe, paired with Roguenbier Rye; and a smoothly satisfying Belgian stout cheesecake (made with Philadelphia cream cheese, of course!) with a raspberry chocolate stout sauce, accompanied by Hazelnut Brown Ale. More than one belt was loosened after such a creative and sumptuous dinner. After the meal, awards were handed out to the year's top brewers.
Sated conference-goers ended the weekend on a very happy note, to be sure, and we can only hope that the 2014 conference lives up to the highs of 2013's event. Whether you're interested in creating your own homebrew, or just sampling the variety of beers being created by American crafters these days, we heartily recommend you make plans to attend next year's AHA event, to be held June 10 - 14, 2014 in Grand Rapids, appropriately entitled "Mashing in Michigan." We recommend that you bring your thirst, appetite, smart phone, and notepad, as there will be a lot to learn about techniques to improve your production, as well as software and tools to help improve consistency in your brews. Most important, plan to know when to shut off the digital tech, and raise your cup, chalice or goblet and enjoy this rapidly growing, delicious hobby!
Nancy Burlan and Harris Fogel, Posted July 5, 2013
Photographs Copyright ©Harris Fogel 2013
For more information on the American Homebrewers Association visit: www.homebrewersassociation.org
For more information on the PEW Report on the legalization of Home Brewing visit: www.pewstates.org
For more information on Philly Beer Week visit: www.phillybeerweek.org
