DENVER, CO Oct. 11, 2016 From kitchens, basements and garages around the country, homebrewers created and put forth their best brews for the 2016 Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Competition. Over 1.2 million people in the U.S. brew their own beer and for the past 20 years Sam Adams has provided an unmatched opportunity for three homebrewers to have their beer brewed and distributed nationally for beer lovers to enjoy. Winning entries for this year's national LongShot contest are David Cousino's Saison and Duane Wilson's American Wild Ale, and, in the competition among Samuel Adams employees, Graham Johnson's Imperial Stout.
The brewers from Sam Adams announced the three winners during the annual gathering of tens of thousands of brewers and aficionados during the celebrated Great American Beer Festival in Denver-the same festival that helped propel Samuel Adams to national acclaim by declaring Samuel Adams Brewer and Founder Jim Koch's first homebrew, Boston Lager the "Best Beer in America" in the Consumer Preference Poll in 1985. The 2016 LongShot winners join a distinguished group of homebrewers, including some that launched professional brewing careers after their win including: Don Oliver, a 2006 winner; Mike Robinson, a 2009 winner; Cesar Marron, a 2013 winner; Tim Thomssen, a 2015 winner, to name just a few.
For more than 32 years, Samuel Adams has continued to support the craft beer industry through programs such as Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, sharing hops with other brewers when there have been shortages, and the LongShot Homebrew Competition.
"I started out as a homebrewer and saw my dream of becoming a professional brewer turn into a reality," said Jim Koch, Samuel Adams Brewer and Founder. "Since we started the LongShot competition 20 years ago, we've seen an explosion of interest in brewing, and we're honored to showcase top emerging talent from the homebrewer community with this year's Contest."
Samuel Adams prides itself on having a company filled with "beer geeks" who have a genuine passion and love of craft beer. To encourage experimentation and education about the brewing process, each year employees from across the company compete to be recognized for their skills as a homebrewer and to be included alongside the two consumer winners.
About the 2016 LongShot winners:
- David Cousino's Saison, Avon, OH
David began homebrewing nearly 25 years ago in college, and, after a long hiatus, jumped back into brewing 4 years ago. As a pharmacist, he now applies the precision of his profession to his homebrews--moving well beyond his days of extract brewing in college. David's Saison imparts a soft malt character, delicate floral notes and a hint of pepper. - Duane Wilson's American Wild Ale, Horseheads, NY
Duane and his co-brewer Mike Edwards have been brewing regularly for eight years and strive to constantly improve on the styles they create. Duane's mixed-fermentation American wild ale brew leads with an aroma of apricots. Kumquats impart a dry, fruity flavor and the brew finishes with a pleasant, lingering tartness. - Graham Johnson's Imperial Stout, Marblehead, MA
Graham works in Business Analysis for Samuel Adams and has a passion for homebrewing. Graham's Imperial Stout uses whole coffee beans and chocolate and has decadent flavors of cocoa, espresso with hints of brandy and raisin, and finishes with a lingering sweetness.
How the winners were selected:
Submissions for the LongShot Contest were judged based on the BJCP style category under which they were submitted. The final winners were selected by a panel of industry judges including Jim Koch, and the winning brews were judged as the best example of their style. Industry judges included John Holl, Author and Editor of All About Beer Magazine; Tony Forder, Editor ofAle Street News; Jason Alstrom, Founder and Publisher of Beer Advocate and Norman Miller, Author and "The Beer Nut" from Wicked Local. And for the first time two past winners who went on to become professional brewers were invited to judge the entries: 2009 winner Michael Robinson of Newburyport Brewing Company and 2013 winner Cesar Marron of Sketchbook Brewing both judged alongside Jim and the other judges. For the Samuel Adams employee winner, the beers were voted on by visitors to the Boston Brewery.
Craft beer drinkers across the U.S. will be able to enjoy the Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest variety pack, in the spring of 2017.
Learn more about Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest at http://www.samueladams.com/longshot.
Samuel Adams, Boston Lager, LongShot, and American Homebrew Contest are registered trademarks of The Boston Beer Company.
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