Registration open for home brew competition

Beverage Warehouse in Winooski and 14th Star Brewing Company in St Albans have collaborated on a home brew competition that will offer an amateur Vermont home brewer the chance to see if their product can compete commercially.

Partnering with Farrell Distributing and revered craft beer destinations, The Farmhouse Tap & Grill (Burlington), Three Penny Taproom (Montpelier), Worthy Kitchen (Woodstock), Prohibition Pig (Waterbury), and Mule Bar (Winooski), the competition, currently titled “Make the Cut” will consist of three phases:

Registration and initial entry: Competitors can register at www.makethecut.beer beginning Jan. 9. Registration is only open to Vermont residents and proof of residency will be required of the finalists. Registration fee is $10, 100 percent of which will be donated to charity. Competitors (individuals or a team) will brew their single best recipe and mail or deliver six 12 oz. or three 22 oz. bottles to 14th Star Brewing at 133 North Main St in St Albans. Mailed entries must arrive before March 31. Delivered entries can be brought to the brewery between March 30 and 31 only. These initial entries will be judged by a panel of professional beer judges, as well as amateur judges comprised of members of the industry and the media. Registration will also be capped.

The two finalists will be contacted to brew a 120 gallon batch of their beer at 14th Star Brewing, which will then be sold in tasting pairs at the participating accounts, listed above for a short time period, along with a ballot for voting. The votes will be collected from each bar and will have an impact on deciding the competitions winner.

The winner will brew production sized batches of the winning beer at 14th Star Brewing and the will be announced the week of the Vermont Brewers Festival in July. Upon announcement, the winning beer will be available at select bars and restaurants, as well as in cans at local craft beer stores statewide. The winner will also be invited to pour their beer at 14th Star’s tent at the festival, and a donation will be made to a non-profit of their choice.

Full competition rules and restrictions are available at www.makethecut.beer.

14th Star Brewing was founded in 2011 by Vermont Army National Guardsmen upon returning home from Afghanistan, with the goal of being a responsible corporate citizen of their state and local communities and to give back to the communities from which they came, all while brewing world-class craft beer. 14th Star recently moved into a brand new 16,000 square foot facility on Main Street in St Albans. The brewery can be reached at (802) 528-5988 and Steve can be reached via email at steve@14thstarbrewing.com.