QC Drinkers Reviewed The Best Homebrews to Debut

Homebrewing beer isn't just for your drunk brother-in-law anymore. It seems more and more the hobby of brewing your own beer from home is a growing trend that is only going to get bigger in the years to come.

Saturday was the first ever Brewed, Reviewed, & Debuted hosted by Bent River Brewing Company and Dwyer & Michaels. We wanted to create an event that highlights the work of the average homebrewer.

Twenty-six regional homebrewers came out, each armed with anywhere from two to six beers available for the public to come sample and vote on. That's somewhere around 900 gallons of beer to get through in a few short hours.

The plan was simple, offer the biggest prize ever awarded for a homebrew competition and allow the public to pick which two brewers would go head-to-head in the next round. The two brewers would then collaborate with the Bent River Brewing Company brewers and create a new beer, design a new logo and name a beer. The winner's beer will then be mass produced by Bent River Brewing Company and will be bottled and kegged and sold where ever Bent River Beer is sold.

It was quite an experience watching 300 people coming in to sample free beers. I tried to sample as many as I could, and I still think I maybe only got through about 30 different beers. There was everything from Lagers, to Sours and Stouts.

There were some standout favorites like the Peanut Butter Stout from James Clevenger and the Imperial Stout with Cinnamon and Marshmallow from Showoff Brewing, but in the end it was the teams of Shannon & Brian Olsson and Cory Randolph & Collin Warner who walked away one step closer to have their beer mass produced by Bent River Brewing Company.

We're looking forward to the next step in this competition. Stay tuned for details as making great beer does take a little time.