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On Saturday, September 8, 2007, the
Lehigh Valley Homebrewers – a local group of avid home
beer and wine-making hobbyists - will host the Lehigh
Valley’s first sanctioned homebrewing competition, “Malt
Madness,” at the newly opened Allentown Brew Works.
Brewers from all across Eastern Pennsylvania and as far
away as North Carolina and Colorado, entered a total of
276 beers in all 23 beer, cider and mead style
categories as defined by the Beer Judge Certification
Program (BJCP; www.bjcp.org). The BJCP is a national
organization devoted to promoting beer appreciation and
developing critical beer analysis skills through the
training of certified beer judges.
“The response to our first competition has been amazing,
and is a testament to the strong interest in homebrewing
in the Lehigh Valley,” said Lehigh Valley Homebrewers
club president Mike Lessa. “We couldn’t do this if there
weren’t a significant amount of fantastic beer being
brewed by homebrewers in the region.”
Just as important as the prizes and rankings is the
feedback every single entrant receives from the BJCP
trained beer judges who volunteer to critically evaluate
each entry. “People take the information and
recommendations from the judges to improve their beers,”
said club treasurer Josh Bushey. “The point of a
competition like this is to help people make better
beer. Having people with trained palates comment on your
beer is a really important part of improving as a
brewer.”
Members of the media are welcome to attend Saturday’s
judging. Judging will begin at 9:30 a.m. and medals,
including Best of Show, will be awarded after 4:30 p.m.
Keystone Homebrew Supply, located in the Bethlehem
Commons, is the major sponsor of both the Lehigh Valley
Homebrewers and Malt Madness.
The Lehigh Valley Homebrewers (www.lehighvalleyhomebrewers.org)
meet on the last Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at
the Steelgaarden, which is part of the Bethlehem Brew
Works. Brewers of all experience levels from novice
brewers to seasoned brewers are welcome to participate.
For 2006-2007, the Lehigh Valley Homebrewers tied for
23rd place in the American Homebrewers Association (AHA;
www.beertown.org) Club of the Year.
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