world beer cup

Texas Beer Again Shows It Is Not To Be Messed With

Texas Beer Again Shows It Is Not To Be Messed With

nother Craft Brewers Conference is in the books and with it another World Beer Cup. Held every two years, the World Beer Cup sets its self apart from other competitions like the Great American Beer Festival and the U.S. Open Beer Championships, as the competition is on an international scale and not limited to entrants from only the United States. 

This year’s competition saw judges from 33 countries, a whopping 72 percent of whom were from outside the United States. This elite group of judges evaluated 8,234 beers, an increase of 25 percent over the number of entries at the 2016 World Beer Cup, held in Philadelphia. Of the 2,515 participating breweries, 807 were from outside the United States.

Homebrewing Icon Charlie Papazian Retires From The Brewers Association

Homebrewing Icon Charlie Papazian Retires From The Brewers Association

1978. That was the year that Charlie Papazian published the first issue of Zymurgy Magazine ,along with Charlie Matzen and announced the formation of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). That same year homebrewing became legal in the United States thanks to President Jimmy Carter. Charlie (he wouldn’t let me call him Mr. Papazian) had been teaching homebrewing classes for years prior to legalization. 

He’s authored several books focusing on homebrewing, including the now classic 'The Complete Joy of Homebrewing’, which has been updated many times over the years. His original wooden brewing spoon now resides at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. He’s taught thousands of students, many of whom went on to found commercial breweries including Colorado’s Governor John Hickenlooper, who founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company.