State Home Brew Competition Winner Will See Winning Brew Made by Utica Brewery

Here's a release from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets:


State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today announced that the Great New York State Fair is teaming up with one of the state’s largest breweries to offer one home beer hobbyist the opportunity of a lifetime.


It all begins with the State Fair’s annual Home Brew competition, which takes place May 31 and June 1. In 2012, dozens of amateur beer brewers submitted bottles of their best work for judging.  Judges from the Salt City Brew Club handed out bronze, silver, gold and double gold medals in the American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned event.  This year, there’s an additional prize for the best beer in the competition.

Utica’s F.X. Matt Brewing Co., brewers of Saranac beers, will offer the winner the opportunity to have his or her beer recipe brewed in Saranac’s new pilot brewery, its research and development facility.  The beer that results from the work in the pilot brewery will be entered in the Pro Am Competition at the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado.

“This is a great opportunity for us to work more closely with the homebrewing community,” said F.X. Matt’s Product Development Manager Rich Michaels, who runs the state-of-the-art pilot brewery. “There’s actually a chance for us and the homebrewer to win a medal.”

Michaels said the winner will provide him with two bottles of the winning brew. The beer will then be analyzed in the pilot brewery. The recipe may undergo slight modification, if necessary, so it can be brewed in a commercial facility. Michaels will set a date for the beer to be brewed and the winning homebrewer will be on hand to watch and assist in the production of the final product to be sent to the competition.

“This competition and our partnership with F.X. Matt Brewing Co. is one more way that the fair will live up to its theme of ‘Sharing the Bounty and Pride of NY’ and its mission of showcasing the state’s agricultural industry,” said New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine.  “Our support of amateur brewers in turn helps them support a growing sector within agriculture, strengthening farms and local economies.”

Home brewers interested in entering the competition should be advised that the deadline for entries is May 16.  Go to http://www.nysfair.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-Home-Brew-rules-classes.pdf or http://www.nysfair.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-Home-Brew-entry-form.pdf for more information or for an entry form.


The New York State Fair features competitions in a wide range of categories, involving animals, crops, cuisine, cars and more.  Any New York State resident can enter any State Fair competition.