War of the Worts XVII
On February 18, Keystone Homebrew Supply will host the first major regional homebrew competition of 2012 – the 17th annual War of the Worts. The War of the Worts is consistently one of the largest homebrew competitions in the country, and the largest on the East Coast, drawing entries from all over the United States. Although primarily a competition for homebrewed beer, many styles of hard cider and mead are entered into the competition as well. Last year, the War of the Worts had 765 entries being judged according to Beer Judge Certification Program (“BJCP”) guidelines by BJCP certified judges, and this year the number of entries is estimated to have grown to approximately 880. More than fifty beer and homebrew industry sponsors have graciously donated prizes worth thousands of dollars, which will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category. The highlight of the day is a final judging of all the 1st place category winners by senior ranked judges to determine Best of Show. Prizes and bragging rights aside, the awards ceremony brings together a large portion of the homebrew community, along with local professional brewers and their beer for the enjoyment of all on hand. The judging for the War of the Worts will take place all day on February 18th, with the awards ceremony commencing at approximately 6:30pm. All are invited to attend the ceremony and of course share in tasty beer.
Between 4:30pm and 6:30pm, attendees can sample free beers from both established and up-and-coming local breweries, including the Cabinet Artisanal Brewhouse, Forest & Main Brewing, Freewill Brewing, Iron Hill Brewery, Naked Brewing, Prism Brewing and Round Guys Brewing, plus hard cider from Fratelli Desiato Vineyards. Also starting at 4:30pm, there will also be a free seminar about beer chemistry presented by local author Roger Barth, phD.
The War of the Worts is the first qualifying competition for the Eastern Pennsylvania Homebrew of the Year, which is given to the winningest local homebrewer in the 4 major homebrew competitions in the eastern Pennsylvania region. It is also a qualifying event for Philly Beer Geek and Clone Brew Wars, both popular Philly Beer Week events.