Homebrew Rendezvous rocks Cleveland

In addition to the more than 24 scheduled Conference presentations and events, homebrewers were spotted swapping recipes and ideas, picking up pointers from beer experts and, of course, sampling plenty of homebrew from early one morning to early in the next.

"Homebrew Rendezvous truly exceeded all of our expectations," said Jim Parker, American Homebrewers Association (AHA) director. "Between record attendance, fantastic speakers and more fun than anyone should be allowed to legally have, this was a great way to kick off our 20th year."

Fermented fun

The centerpiece of the weekend was Friday night's Great Lakes Luau Cruise, Banquet and Awards Ceremony. The Brew Boat (otherwise known as the Good Times III charter boat) was host to more than 500 honorary homebrew Hawaiians. Parker, wearing a grass skirt, coconuts and a smile, and the rest of the AHA staff were on hand to bestow a free lei on each and every attendee. As the boat wound through the city of Cleveland via the Cuyahoga River, homebrewers of all stripes enjoyed both the views and the brews of the city.

The SNOBS (Society of Northern Ohio Brewers) homebrew club and the BrewKettle provided an incredible array of quality homebrewed suds for sampling. In addition to the food, fun and fellowship, the winners of the 1997 National Homebrew Competition, the worlds oldest and largest homebrew competition, were announced. In contrast to past awards banquets held in hotel function rooms, the boat provided an intimate and exciting venue for the annual awards grab.

Speakers galore

An all-star speaker line-up of international brewing experts enlightened and entertained the record-setting crowd on topics ranging from gadgets to grain. Highlights included Charlie Papazian, best-selling author and the worlds most recognized homebrewer, discussing the mysterious art of evaluating beer; keynote speaker Michael Jackson, legendary author and the "Bard of Beer," regaling attendees with tales of his international beer adventures; and Mark Dorber, real ale expert and cellar master of the White Horse Pub in England, teaching attendees how to put the "real" back in real ale.

Also featured was Jan van Schaik, President of the Dutch Federation of Homebrewers, Winemakers and Distillers, author of one of the few books on homebrewing to be found in the Dutch language.

The fun and information continued to flow at a variety of workshops and hands-on brew labs. Featured speakers included Ray Daniels, renowned homebrewer and author of Designing Great Beers (Brewers Publications, 1996); Keith Villa, research scientist for Coors Brewing Company's Blue Moon Brewery; David Logsdon, president of Wyeast Laboratories; Ralph Olson, vice president of HopUnion; Mary Pellettieri, analytical chemist at Siebel Institute; and Steve Miller, head brewer at Cleveland's own Crooked River Brewing Co. Major sponsors for the Conference included Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery and Five Star Products and Services.

"Homebrew Rendezvous was particularly exciting because it signaled a strong commitment by the AHA staff to a renewed era of working with and improving the relationship between the staff and AHA members," said David Houseman, AHA Board of Advisers. "This years Conference provided a great opportunity to share information and ideas and to put faces to names, both within the AHA and with others I've "met" through the Internet. The camaraderie of renewing old friendships and making new ones with others who have that special shared interest in homebrewing was very rewarding."

The Conference culminated with two big events on Saturday. In the afternoon, attendees packed the Sheraton Grand Ballroom to taste, shop, mingle and play with all things beer at the popular Homebrew Rendezvous Festival and Expo. In the evening, two bus loads of fermenting folks visited some of Cleveland's best breweries and brewpubs during the sold-out Great Lakes Pub Crawl.

Next years AHA National Homebrewers Conference is scheduled for July 28-31, at the Double Tree Hotel Lloyd Center in Portland, Ore. The 1998 Conference will immediately precede the popular Oregon Brewers Festival.