CRAFTconditioned

American Outlaw members at a World Cup qualifier against Mexico.

The World Cup begins today, and I look forward to the excited and colorful displays of national pride that inevitably occur during the tournament in an international city like DC.

My first real World Cup viewing experience was 2010. Camped out for the afternoon at a booth in a busy soccer-focused bar, I interacted with waves of fans filtering in and out to support their national teams.  Even if I knew nothing of the team playing, someone near me would be happy to provide insight, just as I did when the US played. The enthusiasm was contagious.

This year, I’ll enjoy watching matches in a variety of environments – whether relaxing around a friend’s big screen, swapping commentary with enthusiasts camped out in a soccer-focused pub, learning from expats as they cheer their home team at their favorite local restaurant, singing chants with US supporter group the American Outlaws, or picnicking with a disparate crowd of fans around a screen outside.

As I decide on matches and viewing locations, many of my friends pack for the  flight south in order to cheer the US team through the group stage. I wish them safe travels, I’ll look for them on TV, and I can’t wait to hear the stories.

In honor of the tournament and my friends’ adventures, enjoy some World Cup-related links:

• Entertaining overviews of this year’s World Cup teams by 2 men in blazers
• An assessment of the US roster beyond the Landon Donovan controversy and whether players with dual-citizenship are good for the growth of soccer in the US.
• A comprehensive viewing guide for those of us watching matches in DC
• Celebratory painted streets and anti-World Cup street art throughout Brazil
• Brazilian craft beer: why it’s interesting, what to drink, the growth of the craft market, label art, and how the World Cup is influencing the Brazilian beer industry
• The most popular beers for each participating country and the official(ish) drink of each country

This spring, my local homebrew club, DC Homebrewers, is hosting its first homebrew competition to be recognized by the American Homebrewers Association (disclosure: I currently serve as club vice president).

It started as a one-category, member-only, best-of-show type event. Now, the club is growing it to 24 different beer-style categories and opening registration to the public. As you can imagine, this size of event takes a team to organize, run, and judge. So I’m lending my expertise to help with the PR strategy and volunteer management. I’ll say more about this in the coming weeks, but here’s some information from the press release (entry registration is open until March 15):

This first annual DC Homebrewers Cherry Blossom Competition provides an opportunity for amateur brewers to show off and test their skills against other homebrewers in the area and across the region. Although not officially associated with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the competition will be held on March 29 to coincide with the festival activities happening around Washington.

Once a small competition open only to club members, this year’s competition is recognized by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). The judging team is certified through the AHA’s Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP).

Brewers can enter their beers into 24 different beer-style categories, including a special category for beers containing a flower or its derivative, such as blossoms, fruit, or honey. Beers will be evaluated on elements such as aroma and flavor as well as relevance to the category and overall drinkability.

“I’m excited to offer a competition to homebrewers outside of DC Homebrewers and sanctioned by the AHA,” Competition Organizer Peter Jones says. “I can’t wait to see the creativity inspired by our cherry blossom category from local brewers. Go easy on the lavender!”

Homebrewers who wish to enter have until March 15 to register online at http://www.dchbcompetition.com (limit of two entries per person) and to submit three bottles of each entry.

Three local sponsors are serving as drop-off locations – MyLHBS (Falls Church, Va.), DC HomeBrew Shop (Washington, D.C.) and Maryland Homebrew (Columbia, Md.).

Entries can also be mailed to the DC HomeBrew Shop, but they must arrive by March 15 to be considered. See the competition website for details.

The judging event, sponsored by Meridian Pint, will occur on March 29, although it will not be open to the public.

Follow the club on Twitter (@dchomebrewers) for live tweets of the winners.

About DC Homebrewers

DC Homebrewers is a not-for-profit club comprised of homebrewers of all levels of experience in the Washington DC area. The goal of the club is to provide a forum for area homebrewers to exchange ideas, expand their knowledge of beer and brewing, and enjoy some homebrew. The club meets monthly in metro-accessible locations around the city and holds other events throughout the year including group brewing days, the annual Cherry Blossom Homebrewing Competition each spring, and an annual summer barbecue. DC Homebrewers has been supporting the local homebrewing scene since 2008. Visit dchomebrewers.com to learn more and sign up to receive updates. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@dchomebrewers).

Last weekend, I not only repeatedly relayed the story of how I become interested in brewing, I also had the opportunity to celebrate it at a “real ale” homebrew club meeting hosted by Brewer’s United for Real Potables (BURP).

Years ago I lived in the UK where I discovered cask-conditioned beers (referred to as “real ale”). This traditional brewing style challenged what I thought I knew about beer at the time. Clearly, I needed to better understand the whole brewing process. Within a year, I was brewing my own beer.

Quick tutorial on real ale: Real ale is beer allowed to ferment in the vessel from which it’s served, and it naturally carbonates itself in the process. It should be stored at cellar temperature and allowed to settle before serving (agitating it will shake up the yeast and other ingredients, which will affect the appearance and flavor of the beer). Because it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized, it’s a living product. Once open, it needs to be drunk quickly before it becomes oxidized. You can learn more through the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), a UK organization committed to preserving this style of brewing.

Oddly enough, even though I’ve been brewing for nearly seven years, I still haven’t explored brewing real ale (beyond an apparent stubbornness to continue bottle conditioning, I guess). Real ales are also still rare in the US, so I haven’t been able to expand my knowledge much beyond what I learned while drinkin…er, living abroad. When I was invited to not only attend BURP’s real ale meeting but also to help steward the preceding competition, I eagerly agreed. Over two days, I sampled and assessed most of the 48 ales submitted and found the whole experience very educational.

What I learned:

• I gained a better understanding of the characteristics of beers that are cask conditioned and served through pins (small barrel that relies on gravity to pour) and beer engines (a manual hand pump used to pull beer from the keg) versus beers that are forced carbonated. It was a unique opportunity to compare them side by side.
• Although I knew that the flavors and quality of cask-conditioned beers will alter over time, it was really informative to be able to taste it. Even between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, I sampled beers with carbonation changes (a couple becoming more carbonated overnight), evolving characteristics (for example, more prominent diacetyl) or flavors that just settled.
• As a steward for the judges, I was also part of the “cellar team,” although those with more experience than I actually managed the kegs, beer engines and pins. However, I began to learn about storing and treating these beers and related equipment.

The whole event has inspired me want to revisit my “roots”, brew more traditionally British recipes, and experiment with cask-conditioning. Any requests?