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| Courtesy of Boston Beer Co |
BOSTON, April 28, 2016—
The brewers at Samuel Adams proudly announce a call for entries for the
2016 LongShot American Homebrew contest, and the release of the
LongShot Variety six-pack featuring the winning
homebrews from last year. This year marks the 20th
anniversary of the national contest, which Sam Adams founder and brewer
Jim Koch first started in 1996, when there were barely 1,000 breweries
operating in the U.S. Today, there are more than 4,000
American breweries in operation and more than 1.2 million people who
brew their own beer at home. Ever since drinkers got their first taste
of Boston Lager in 1985, Jim has made it his mission to give back to the
craft beer and homebrewing communities through
programs such as Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream
and the Craft Brewer Experienceship,
Hop Sharing,
and the LongShot Homebrew competition. Today, America is the envy of
brewers in the rest of the world, where entrepreneurs are taking their
inspiration from American craft brewers.
LongShot Homebrew Contest Background:
Jim Koch created the
Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest to celebrate the
innovative spirit of American homebrewers. Jim himself has deep
homebrewing roots having brewed the first batch of Samuel Adams
Boston Lager in his kitchen 32 years ago, and recently released a book
titled “Quench Your Own Thirst,”
which details the lessons he’s learned over the past three decades as a
brewer and an entrepreneur. A number
of past LongShot winners have followed in Jim’s footsteps and gone on
to become professional brewers, turning their homebrewing hobby into a
full-time career, including Cesar Marron (2013), Don Oliver (2006), Bob
Gordash (1996), and 2015 winner Tim Thomssen,
who left his full-time job to join a brewery shortly after he won.
“When I first homebrewed
Samuel Adams Boston Lager 32 years ago, craft beer didn’t exist as we
know it today, and few American beer drinkers had ever tasted a beer
with so much flavor,” said Jim Koch, founder
and brewer of Samuel Adams. “Today the craft brewing community is
flourishing, and we want to recognize our nation’s best homebrewers, by
making their delicious brews available to drinkers across the country.”
Calling All Homebrewers for the 2016 Competition:
To celebrate the contest’s 20th anniversary and honor craft beer innovation,
Samuel Adams is asking homebrewers to submit their best and most
innovative beers for this year’s contest. To be considered
for the 2016 LongShot contest, homebrewers must submit a beer whose
style is part of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style
Guidelines. A full list of applicable styles can be found at
http://bjcp.org/stylecenter.
While Samuel Adams is accepting entries for the 2016 contest, the Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest
variety six-pack with winning brews from the 2015 contest will be
available nationwide this spring in select retail locations. The
variety pack will include two bottles each of Tim’s
Raspberry Berliner Weisse, Kevin’s Belgian Golden Ale, and Colin’s
Neighborino Flanders Red Ale.
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| Courtesy of Boston Beer Co |
About the 2015 winners:
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Tim Thomssen’s Raspberry Berliner Weisse (Lincoln, Nebraska):
At first look, you
notice the big frothy head of this Raspberry Berliner Weisse. The bright
notes of raspberries are balanced by refreshing tartness, followed by a
wonderful fruity sweetness
and clean finish. (4% ABV)
·
Kevin Nanzer’s Belgian Golden Ale (Mountain View, California):
This Belgian Golden Ale has notes of fruit,
clove and pepper in the aroma, balanced by subtle malt character, with a
clean citrus taste and bitterness from the hops. This beer should be
sipped slowly to
savor the delicious flavors. (9.1 % ABV)
·
Colin Foy’s Neighborino Flanders Red Ale (Samuel Adams Employee Winner, Cincinnati, Ohio):
This Flanders Red was
brewed the traditional way, with “younger” beer blended with mature beer
that has been aged in wood for several months, while Brettanomyces and
Lactobacillus labor to produce fruity, tart
and acidic flavors. (6.3 % ABV)
How the winners were chosen:
·
The beers were judged on the aroma, appearance,
flavor and mouthfeel according to the style category under which it was
submitted. Eight semi-finalists were selected during the first round of
judging conducted at three regional
judging locations in New England, California, and Illinois.
·
The final winners were ultimately selected by a
panel of industry judges including Jim Koch. The winning brews were
judged as the
best examples of their style. Industry judges include Bob Townsend of the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tony Forder of Ale Street News, John Holl of
All About Beer Magazine, Jason Alstrom of Beer Advocate, Don Russell (aka “Joe Six Pack”) of
Philadelphia Daily News and esteemed beer writers Jay Brooks and Lisa Morrison.
·
The Sam Adams employee winner is voted on by visitors to the Boston Brewery.
How to get your hands on these beers:
The Samuel Adams LongShot Variety Six-Pack is
available nationwide in select retail stores beginning in April for a
suggested retail price of $9.99 -$10.00 (prices vary by market).
Samuel Adams, Sam Adams, Boston Lager,
Brewing the American Dream, LongShot, and American Homebrew Contest are registered trademarks of The Boston Beer Company.
The Boston Beer Company
began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and
Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. Inspired and unafraid
to challenge conventional thinking about beer,
Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results
of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the
hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he
brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly
named Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in recognition of one of our nation's
great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did
Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager would soon become a
catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.
