Thursday 3 June 2010

Attention Home Brewers!

Are you the best? Do you have what it takes to design a winning beer? Would you like to see that beer brewed on a commercial scale and enjoyed across the nation? Then you should enter the Sharp’s Big Lunch Beer Challenge.

The Big Lunch Beer Challenge is run by Sharp’s in association with the The Big Lunch http://www.thebiglunch.com/ and it aims to find the best homebrew in Britain. The challenge will be judged by a trained panel of tasters and beer experts led yours truly. All you need to do is to send 6x500ml bottles of your beer to me at Sharp’s Brewery, Rock, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL276NU.

The successful brewer will be invited to Sharp’s to work alongside me to produce a commercial version of their winning recipe which will then be sold in stores across the country. I will give as much practical feedback on the beers which do not come out on top as I have time to.

What am I looking for? I am not concerned with trueness to style or extreme flavour sensations. The winning beer will be technically sound with no off flavours and a good balance. Most importantly it should be pleasant to drink and moreish. The max ABV is 5.5%. You will have to move fast as the cut off date for entries is 10th July.

For more details and to enter please visit the Big Lunch Beer Challenge website. http://www.thebiglunchbeerchallenge.com/


Good luck and I’m looking forward to being wowed by your efforts.

9 comments:

BeerReviewsAndy said...

Nice one, there are a few of these competitions kicking around at the moment but i love the idea that the winner in this one can get into the shops!!

Sam said...

Very interesting. by the way I don't think that link is working

Stuart Howe said...

Yes sorry Sam. The Beer Challenge web site should go live this afternoon.

Mark said...

I'm in. I'm not even close to being the best home brewer in the country but I can blame it on my tools better than any one!!

It'll be fun and great to hear feedback as well.

Chunk.

Koops said...

Why limit the ABV?

Stuart Howe said...

Koops hi, I wanted to create a level playing field. In blind tastings stronger beers tend to impress more. It wouldn't be fair on the brewers who had made an excellent 4.5% beer to have it compared in terms of character with a 9% monster. Although there is no lower limit on ABV I exepect the microbiological practicalities of making a sound sub 4% brew to restrict entries to a band of 1-1.5% variation and hence a more level playing field.

The beauty of beer and brewing is that even in this slim band there is still a vast scope of colours, tastes and sensations attainable.

Anonymous said...

Sub 5.5% sounds sensible - and it's more than possible to make a sub 4% (or sub 3.5% even) beer with no problems whatsoever in terms of spoilage. Count me in - I'll even drop off personally if that's OK as I'm down that way in a few weeks - taking beers to a brewery = coals to Newcastle? ;)

Barry M said...

Do you have to be a UK-based home brewer to enter? :)

Barry M said...

Oh, never mind, just read the T&Cs (yes, I'm lazy).

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