Today, May 4, is National Homebrew Day, a celebration of our favorite pastime and a chance to hone skills, introduce new brewers into the fold, and push the boundaries of flavor exploration. To celebrate, the American Homebrewers Association is hosting the twenty-second annual Big Brew, a larger gathering of homebrewers at events spread across the country.
There are a number of ways to officially participate in the events. First, you can check out an interactive map of Big Brew events happening across the United States. Each of the more than 5,000 locations will feature demonstrations, educational information, and more.
If you’d like to brew at home, this year’s official Big Brew recipes are the TransAtlantic Blonde Ale from Simple Homebrewing, the forthcoming book from Drew Beechum and Denny Conn, and Battlecow Galacticose New England IPA from Providence Brewing Company (North Providence, Rhode Island). Providence will play host to Homebrew Con later this summer.
Recipes and brewing instructions can be found online. A nationwide toast to homebrewing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. If you’re looking to do something different today, to mash to the beat of your own drum, here are a few suggestions.
Reach out to a friend who has expressed an interest in homebrewing but has yet to take the plunge. Use today to introduce them to this most inviting and welcoming of hobbies. Be the good kind of teacher you had (or wish you had) and be patient and helpful. Walking through the basics again might also be good for your own memory.
You can also incorporate other events and holidays. Today is both Star Wars Day and the running of the Kentucky Derby. Make a beer in honor of a galaxy far, far away or find creative ingredients that will help create a beer that will fuel the fight against the empire.
Try your hand at a mint-forward beer in honor of the Derby or try some other summer inspiration that you can bring to a lager or ale that will keep you refreshed for the summer and on the two other big race days of the season.
Revisit your first homebrew. Not many of us were happy with the first batch we ever made. Through trial and error and perseverance and hard work, the dedicated have moved well past that first blunder into some fine drinking recipes. If you haven’t been down that particular memory lane in quite some time, maybe it’s time to re-brew your first beer for a real benchmark to show just how far you’ve come.
Or use today to brew the beer that you’ve been putting off for some reason or another. Know that around the country there are thousands of other dedicated homebrewers mashing in, sharing pints, and being inspired. Use that energy to tackle a brewing project you’ve been putting off for a while. You’ll likely be thankful you did, and in the process you’ll be pushing this great hobby forward and hopefully inspiring others to take up the cause.
Tell us how you celebrated the 2019 Big Brew by visiting us and tagging us on Instagram @CraftBeerBrew.