Cerveceros 2016 Home Brew Competition at La Villiata

Saturday 11/12 we were fortunate to participate in this year’s Home Brew Competition hosted by San Antonio’s biggest home brew club, the Cerveceros.  It was at historic La Villita in downtown San Antonio and it was a beautiful day for an event.

Luck #7 (this was before the last 5 kegs had been added)

We got down there around 11:30 to deliver our keg and set up our tent and table.  We found out after setting up that some of the other competitors had other beers they were pouring from their tents, and I wish we had realized we could do that!  We would have brought some more things for people to sample other than our competition beer.  Oh well, we’ll know for next time (and besides, we’d have to buy a little more equipment to be able to o that so no loss this time).  Or maybe we’ll just fill a bunch of metal growlers! (no glass allowed)

Mehoopany, iPA – Pic by Hunter Hinton

Our newest beer, “Mehoopany, iPA” was entered in the competition.  We were assigned #7 (out of 22 entries).  This beer is a “Northeastern style” double IPA, clocking in at 8.5% and 68 IBUs.  This style is defined as being “hazy, soft, and juicy” with a very fruit forward aroma and mild bitterness compared to most styles of IPA.  We feel like we’ve got that description pretty well locked down.

No mo’ Mehoopany fo’ you!

Funny thing was, in the 21 other choices, there was actually another entry in the same style (they called it a New England IPA but tomayto tomahto) called Betty Hopper.  Betty Hopper was the first keg to float, and one pour later Mehoopany followed.  Then… voting. Mehoopany took 2nd place… by ONE VOTE… to Betty Hopper!  Congrats guys!

Celebrating 2nd with Pete Alanis, Cerveceros president

Overall it was a great event, and a great chance to get out and meet people both in the creating and consuming sides of craft beer.  There were many familiar faces that we have seen around (even at some of our own tasting event), as well as many new ones.  Thanks much to the Cerveceros for putting on the event, and thanks to everyone that came out, and a special thanks to everyone that gave us feedback.  If you were there and you did not check in our beer, please do! https://untappd.com/b/brazen-bexar-brewing-mehoopany-ipa/1771072

Here we are, about to drop our new hip-hop album?

Next up for us is a pair of Brazen brews.  We are making variants of Bogues Beauregarde, our saison.  As of now, they are named “Blue Bogues” (Bogues aged on blueberries) and “Bogues Bleus Sauvages” (Bogues on blueberries, then soured).  After those we are intending to ramp production back up because sometime this spring we would like to have a potential investors dinner where we can serve a variety of our beer paired with some food to people that might want to give us money! More to come.