National Homebrew Day, Big Brew Update

By Steve Siciliano

Image courtesy of the AHA

Picture the following: It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon in early May at an outdoor venue in downtown Beer City, USA. The tulips are in bloom and the canopies of the urban trees are exploding in bright spring colors. The sweet aroma of boiling wort emanating from forty-eight batches of “Beer City IPA” is wafting through the downtown streets. At precisely 1 p.m., the assemblage pauses to join in a simultaneous, country-wide toast to the enriching hobby of homebrewing.

A few weeks ago we announced that on Saturday, May 4, 2013, Siciliano’s Market will help celebrate National Homebrew Day by sponsoring an American Homebrewers Association “Big Brew.” We are in the process of securing a downtown Grand Rapids location for this celebration and the venue will be announced as soon as the paperwork is finalized. In the meantime, here are a few pertinent details:

• Siciliano’s will be donating all the ingredients for forty-eight all-grain batches of “Beer City IPA.” We have been in contact with homebrew clubs in Asheville, North Carolina, to determine if they have an interest in brewing a similar recipe at a Big Brew in their area.
• You do not have to be a Siciliano’s customer or a current member of the AHA in order to participate. We will make every effort to include, in some capacity, anyone who wishes to take part in this celebration. Volunteers will also be needed to pass out homebrewing literature, aid in clean up, etc. 

We feel that a Big Brew in a highly visible, downtown location would be a great way to begin generating media buzz for the 2014 AHA national convention that is coming to our city in 2014. Please join us in making this a celebration worthy of our “Beer City, USA” moniker, and in showing the area, the state, and the country that West Michigan has a vibrant homebrewing community. 

Stay tuned to The Buzz for more information.