More than 2,700 homebrewers attended last week’s 36th Annual National Homebrewers Conference, held by the American Homebrewers Association in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The conference included seminars covering topics from new hop varieties to funky and sour meads to yeast wrangling; sessions with homebrew stars such as Ron Pattinson and Stan Hieronymus; and the popular Club Night, highlighting homebrew clubs and their beers from across the country.
BJCP Style Guidelines Updated
Gordon Strong, president of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), presented the updated BJCP beer style guidelines at this year’s conference. Last updated in 2008, the guidelines have been revised only five times, in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2008.
Much has happened in the brewing world in the past six years, and the new version of the BJCP style guidelines reflect that. There is now an American Wild Ale category, for example, that includes Brett Beer, Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer, and Soured Fruit Beer. The Specialty IPA category includes a rainbow of IPAs: Black, Brown, Red, White, Belgian, and Rye, and by strength: session, standard, and double. Several styles were renamed (Imperial IPA is now Double IPA; Strong Scotch Ale is Scottish Wee Heavy), while others were deleted (so long, Belgian Specialty Ale, which is now grouped into Specialty Beer).