2014 Homebrew Competition: Judging is Complete

Judging the Best of Show

By Steve Siciliano

Preparations were going smoothly this past Saturday morning at the Guest House in Grand Rapids, the site of the judging for the Eleventh Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition.

The entries had been carefully unboxed and the bottles were safely sitting on tables in the staging area. Water pitchers, dump buckets, sharpened pencils, tasting glasses, bottle openers, BJCP style guidelines and crackers for palate cleansing had been laid out for the judges. The sound system had been set up, the keg of New Holland Full Circle for post judging refreshment was on ice, and Barb, Greg and Katie and were setting up the computer and the printer on the registration table. I checked the time. There was still a half hour before the judges and stewards would begin arriving. We were ready.

I was in the kitchen talking to the caterer about the post-judging meal when the double swinging doors flew open. “Steve, there’s a problem with the score sheets,” Barb said. “A big one.”

The problem was indeed a big one. On Friday I had taken the flash drive with the forty-five PDF files of the judging packets to the printer. There should have been one separate pre-printed cover sheet and two separate score sheets for each of the two-hundred plus entries. The packets had instead been printed on both sides of the paper and couldn’t be used.

Crises mode. Barb retrieved the flash drive from her purse. We debated whether we should reprint the packets ourselves. Did we have enough paper? Probably. Did we have enough ink? Maybe. Did we have enough time? No, not with the basic, slow-moving printer we have at home. Barb raced off to get the packets reprinted at Office Max.

I’m happy to report that despite that rather major bump in the road the rest of the judging went smoothly. Some stellar beers were entered, six of which advanced to the round of Best-of-Show. You’ll have to wait until the May 17 Homebrew Party to find out which entry won but I will share this tidbit of information now—this year the winning homebrewer is from West Michigan.

Much thanks to the stewards and judges, some of whom traveled from as far away as Detroit and Chicago to participate in the judging. Thanks also to New Holland Brewing Company for their co-sponsorship of this year’s competition.

Score sheets and medals will be available for pick up at the Homebrew Party on May 17. Those not attending the party may pick up their score sheets and medals at the store beginning on May 18. Those residing outside the Grand Rapids area may request to have their results and medals mailed by contacting me at this address: steve@sicilianosmkt.com.

Siciliano's Upcoming Homebrew Events: Info & Updates

By Steve Siciliano

On Saturday, April 19, over eighty BJCP-certified judges, professional brewers, experienced homebrewers and industry professionals will gather at the Guest House in Grand Rapids to participate in the judging for the Eleventh Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition. Included in this year’s record number of entries are submissions from homebrewers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Florida, Texas and Montana.

The competition’s Best-of-Show winner will be announced at the Eleventh Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party on Saturday, May 17 at Townsend Park. Those not attending the party may pick up score sheets and medals at Siciliano’s Market beginning on Sunday, May 18.

If you live outside of the Grand Rapids area and would like your score sheets and medals mailed to you, please contact me at this address: steve@sicilianosmkt.com. If you are planning on attending the party and have not yet purchased a ticket you should do so as soon as possible as space is limited. You may purchase tickets in person at the store or with a credit card over the phone by calling 616-453-9674. Tickets are $40.00.

We are in the final planning stages for the Second Annual Siciliano’s Big Brew on the Calder. Fifty-three teams of homebrewers will be brewing up batches of “Beer City Brown” on the Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday, May 3, from 9 am to 2 pm. The Big Brew event is free of charge and is open to the public. Entertainment will be provided by local music legend Jimmie Stagger.

Homebrew Competition Update: Registration Closed

By Steve Siciliano

Entry registration for the Eleventh Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition is now closed. I would like to remind everyone who registered entries that we must receive your two 12 ounce amber bottles by Sunday, April 13. If you are shipping your bottles please ensure that they are packaged securely as we have received a few that were damaged in transit.

A total of 228 entries were registered for this year’s competition, the highest total for a Siciliano’s competition to date. The following is the breakdown of the registered entries according to BJCP styles:

• Premium American Lager 1
• Munich Helles 1
• German Pilsner 3
• Bohemian Pilsener 1
• Classic American Pilsner 1
• Vienna Lager 3
• Schwarzbier 1
• Maibock/Helles Bock 3
• Traditional Bock 1
• Doppelbock 1
• Cream Ale 2
• Blonde Ale 1
• Kölsch 4
• American Wheat or Rye Beer 4
• North German Altbier 1
• California Common Beer 1
• Standard/Ordinary Bitter 1
• Special/Best/Premium Bitter 1
• Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English) 3
• Irish Red Ale 2Strong Scotch Ale 7
• American Pale Ale 13
• American Amber Ale 4
• American Brown Ale 5
• Mild 2
• Northern English Brown Ale 2
• Brown Porter 3
• Robust Porter 2
• Baltic Porter 1
• Dry Stout 1
• Sweet Stout 5
• Oatmeal Stout 5
• Foreign Extra Stout 1
• American Stout 2
• Imperial Stout 9
• American IPA 20
• Imperial IPA 11
• Weizen/Weissbier 5
• Dunkelweizen 2
• Witbier 5
• Belgian Pale Ale 1
• Saison 10
• Belgian Specialty Ale 4
• Flanders Red Ale 4
• Fruit Lambic 1
• Belgian Dubbel 2
• Belgian Tripel 1
• Belgian Dark Strong Ale 5
• Old Ale 2
• English Barleywine 3
• American Barleywine 3
• Fruit Beer 7
• Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer 9
• Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer 2
• Other Smoked Beer 3
• Wood-Aged Beer 8
• Specialty Beer 22

Entries will be judged on their own merits according to BJCP style guidelines by a staff of certified judges, professional brewers, experienced home brewers and industry professionals. Judging will take place on Saturday, April 19.

The Best-in-Show winner will be announced at the Eleventh Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party on Saturday, May 17. Details for the party can be found here. Those not attending the May 17 event may pick up medals and score sheets at Siciliano’s Market beginning on Sunday, May 18.

Siciliano's 2014 Homebrew Events: Updates and Reminders

Homebrewers on Calder Plaza

By Steve Siciliano

We will begin accepting entries for the Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition on Monday, March 17. Online entry registration will open Monday, March 17 and will close Sunday, April 6 or until the 250 cap is reached, whichever comes first. You will have until Sunday, April13 to drop off entries. No entries will be accepted after this date.

This year’s Best-of-Show winner will receive a $500.00 gift card from Siciliano’s Market and will have the opportunity to brew the winning recipe on New Holland Brewing Company’s seven-barrel pub system. Complete competition details can be found here. Information on how to register entries through the Beers to Fear on-line competition center will be posted on The Buzz later this week.

Also, there are still a few open spots for brewing teams for the Second Annual Siciliano’s Big Brew on the Calder. Complete details for the May 3rd event can be found here. Anyone interested in being assigned as a brew team captain can contact Steve at this address: steve@sicilianosmkt.com.

Finally, the Eleventh Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party is going to be held this year on Saturday, May 17 at Townsend Park. Tickets are $40.00 per person and will go on sale on Monday, March 24. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. Please note that party attendees will be receiving T-shirts this year and we will be asking for sizes at the time you purchase your ticket. If you are purchasing tickets for a spouse, friend, family member or significant other, you are going to need to know the correct size. Please don’t guess.

Please contact Siciliano's or email me directly with any questions that you have.

Siciliano's Upcoming Homebrew Events: Update

Sarah & Barb pick out door prizes
for the 11th Annual Homebrew Party

By Steve Siciliano

Team Siciliano has been busy lately touching base with merchandise vendors, T-shirt designers, caterers, entertainers, printers, banner makers, venue managers, food truck operators, the Grand Rapids water department, the Grand Rapids fire department, the Mayor’s office and the office of special events. We’ve been dotting our i’s, crossing our t’s and putting our ducks in a row. I detest using clichés, but I just couldn’t think of a better way of saying that right now we have a lot on our plates.

Here's what the team has been so busy working on of late: The upcoming homebrew competition and judging, the 11th Annual Siciliano's Homebrew Party, the 2nd Annual Siciliano’s Big Brew on the Calder and last, but certainly not least, our participation in the American Homebrewer Association annual convention.

We will be providing more details on each of these events in future Buzz posts. In the meantime here’s a plate of tasty appetizers:

• Entries for the Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition will be accepted from Monday, March 24th through Sunday, April 13th. This year’s Best-of-Show winner will receive a $500.00 gift card from Siciliano’s Market and will have the opportunity to brew the winning recipe on New Holland Brewing Company’s seven barrel pub system. Complete competition details can be found here.
• Last year’s inaugural Siciliano’s Big Brew on the Calder was a huge success and we’re making a few changes that will make this year’s Big Brew Day even better. The 2nd Annual Siciliano's Big Brew on the Calder is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd. Details on how to captain or participate on a brew team will be posted within the coming weeks.
• We are returning to Townsend Park on Saturday, May 17th for our 11th Annual Homebrew Party. Tickets are $40.00 per person and will go on sale on Monday, March 24th. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. 
• The American Homebrewers Association is bringing its annual convention to Grand Rapids in June and Siciliano’s Market will be participating in a big way—we have signed on as both the Keynote Speaker Sponsor and the Volunteer Sponsor for this year’s event. Information pertaining to the convention can be found on the AHA web site.

Siciliano's Homebrew Competition Update: New Date & Venue for Judging

By Steve Siciliano

In a recent Buzz post we reported that the judging for the 11th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition was to be held at the Rockford Community Cabin on Sunday, April 20th. This past Friday afternoon I received an email from Isaac Hartman from New Holland Brewing Company. Did we realize, Isaac asked, that we had scheduled the judging to take place on Easter Sunday?

Nope, we didn’t.

After informing my wife Barb and staffers Sarah Derylo and Doug Dorda of the oversight we immediately went into crises mode. We discussed contingencies and decided that the best scenario would be rescheduling the judging for Saturday the 19th, provided we could still secure a venue. An email was sent inquiring whether the Rockford cabin was available. It wasn’t.

After coming up with a list of other possible locations we made phone calls and left messages. While I waited for the calls to be returned I fretted. Laura Sczcepanek, a caterer who operates out of the Guest House on Stocking Avenue in Grand Rapids, was the first to call back. Yes, she informed us, the venue was available on the 19th and yes, she would be able to provide a post-judging meal. That’s all I needed to hear. “Book it,” I told Sarah.

In the end the crises was averted and a valuable lesson was learned—when scheduling our competition judging on Sundays in April keep cognizant of the fact that Easter is a movable feast.

Anyone wishing to participate in this year’s competition on Saturday, April 19th , either as a steward or a judge, can contact Steve at steve@sicilianosmkt.com. A call for stewards and judges who have participated in past Siciliano’s competitions will be sent via email within the coming week.