Minnesota Home Brewers Association’s Brewers of Fame Program
The purpose of this program is five-fold:
A) to encourage members to brew more often
B) to encourage members to brew myriad styles
C) to encourage members to bring more homebrew to meetings
D) to encourage widespread sharing of homebrew at meetings
E) to encourage focused group discussions of homebrew at meetings
At each meeting (as opposed to social events), there will be a period of focused homebrew dissemination and conversation following the toast and announcements. Each club member who has brought the minimum amount of homebrew will present it to the attending club officer(s). The minimum amount of each specific beer to qualify for the Brewer Hall of Fame program is a six-pack of twelve-ounce bottles, a full two-liter bottle, or equivalent amount in a keg, growler, or other storage system. The brewer may describe the recipe and/or process while the homebrew is being distributed. A club officer or the brewer may read the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines for the style being shared. Homebrew may ALWAYS be just simply shared, i.e., shared casually, and not through the Brewers of Fame process.
The conversation will focus on the homebrew, its merits and flaws, how closely it adheres to the style guidelines, and any questions and/or suggestions from the members. The club officer will make note of which person presented which style(s), and that person’s homebrew style and name will be registered in the online Brewers of Fame database. The officer(s) and members will thank the brewer for her/his contribution to the meeting. There is no minimum quality level required to have one’s beer registered in the Brewer of Fame database.
Once a member has presented a certain number of different styles at club meetings, the brewer will qualify for special recognition, as indicated by the levels below. For a style to be “different”, it must be from a BJCP category/number that the brewer has not previously presented. For instance, a brewer who brought a cream ale (BJCP style 6A), would not receive credit (but could/should still bring) in the Fame program for bringing a blonde ale (BJCP style 6B). For credit, the brewer should bring a style from a different category/number, such as a 5C (dopplebock). The reason for this is to encourage members to brew a wider range of styles.
Number of beers presented (level): prizes and awards associated with the level
Three (Brewers Apprentice): $10 gift certificate from a homebrew shop; name on website
Seven (Brewer of Note): $20 gift cert.; website; one-year club membership; Brewer of Fame shirt
Twelve (Esteemed Brewer): $20 gift cert.; website; additional year of membership; patch for shirt
Seventeen (Brew Guru):$30 gift cert.; website; additional year of membership; patch
Twenty-Two (Brewing Lord): $40 gift cert; website; additional year of membership; patch
Twenty-Eight (Brew Master); $50 gift certificate; website; membership; patch
The program is not designed to be an intense system of judging homebrew, but rather a fun and structured process through which brewers are recognized by the club for providing sufficient homebrew at meetings to facilitate a group discussion of beer styles and techniques.