Kentucky State Fair homebrewing competition winners for 2015.

Henry Hunt speaks with Tim Rosenberger, coordinator of the annual Kentucky State Fair homebrewing competition, and provides a complete 2015 winner’s list.

State Fair Hardware, by Henry Hunt (Louisville Beer Dot Com)

The Kentucky State Fair opens in Louisville this week with all the rides, exhibits, animals and fan fare. Homebrewers competed for state bragging rights this weekend. Local, Regional and National judges selected winners in each of the 28 beer categories, as well as overall winners in Best of Show and the Brewer of the Year.

Dibbs Harting: Homebrewer, beer judge, sausage maker and rocket scientist.

I've known Dibbs Harting (see below for newspaper profile) for something like 20 years, and still recall the conversation way back then, when one of my friends told me about this fellow from Pekin who made great homebrewed beer.

Me: I haven't heard of him. What's he do for a living?

Friend: He's a rocket scientist.

Me: (arches eyebrows)

Friend: No, really!

Yes, really, in the sense of explosives destined for rockets and the like.

Politically, Dibbs and I probably are a few poles apart, but that's the great thing about the world of better beer, because it brings us all together around the table.

If the irish Rover's Michael Reidy is correct, and the pub is a poor man's university, then I took care of few elective courses with Dibbs around. In fact, he was my teacher in the runup to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) test in 2002 (?), and the exam's proctor. He hasn't yet determined how I managed to pass it, given my abysmal grasp of science.

Speaking of the BJCP, consider the similarities between Henry Hunt's account of state fair judging in 2013, and mine from 2005.

And so, these many years later ... about Dibbs, and what he does for a lving.

MOSS: Indiana Ordnance Works winds down mission, by Dale Moss (News and Tribune)

Indiana Ordnance Works, Inc. President and CEO, Dibbs Harting, began working for Picatinny Arsenal helping manufacture smokeless powder in the former Army ammunition plant along Ind. 62 nearly 50 years ago. While the Indiana Ordnance Works and Harting still have continued purpose disassembling large-caliber propellant charges, both will be moving on from River Ridge following the completion of currently contracted duties with the Army in 2018.

Judges and stewards needed for the Kentucky State Fair Homebrew Beer Competition on Sunday, August 14.

From Tom Person, Vice President of Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS). Regrettably for me, the judging always takes place the same weekend as Great Taste of the Midwest.

Fellow BJCP judges and appreciators of fine homebrew:

The Kentucky State Fair Homebrew competition is coming up soon. It will be held Sunday, August 14th ... starting at 10:00 a.m. sharp. We are anticipating up to 500 entries this year, so your exhaustive beer knowledge and superb sensory and judging skills are sorely needed and will be greatly appreciated. Judge registration will be from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., with a light breakfast available (so come early!)

We are planning on two judging sessions: an a.m. session (10:00 – 12:00), and a p.m. session (1:00 – 3:00) ... with a lunch provided between sessions. The p.m. session will be followed by a Best of Show judging, and after wards we are planning an awards ceremony to announce the winners.

Use the link below to register to be a judge or steward at this competition:

http://www.lagersclub.com/kystatefair/competition/

Here are the steps once you get to this site:

1. Under the Judge and Steward section ... If it is your first time to this site, then click on the “please register” link. Note: If you have already entered beers with the 2011 Kentucky State Fair competition this year, then you already have an ID. Just click the “log in” link.

2. The first page is where you create your account with an e-mail address, a password for this site, and a security question.

3. Second page is where you put in your name, address, etc.

4. Third page is where you put in your judge info ... BJCP number, rank, beer preferences and dislikes, etc. Under the beer preferences and dislikes, just select any one of the sub-categories that you like or dislike. We will consider your choice to be for all beers in that class. Example: I want to judge Stouts, so I check 13A – Dry Stout. (you don’t have to check all 6 stout categories)

When you have completed your judge registration, there will be a summary page, and you will also see a link to print your Judge Waiver sheet. Please use this link to view and print your judge registration sheet, sign and date it, and then bring it with you to the competition. (If you don’t print it at home, don’t worry ... you’ll just have to sit there the morning of the competition, blurry-eyed, and fill out one of these forms while every one else is drinking coffee and eating donuts!)

Thank you for your help in judging the 2011 Kentucky State Fair Homebrew Competition.

"It Came from the Cellar" -- A homebrewing competition for Louisville Craft Beer Week.

(Submitted, and fully endorsed by the Curmudgeon)

My Old Kentucky Homebrew, in connection with Louisville Craft Beer Week, will be holding a Homebrew Competition at the end of the month.

This is a very last minute kind of thing, so we're calling it the 'It Came From the Cellar' Homebrew Competition ... see what you might have lying around or give a beer a second chance for greatness.

There will be Five Categories:

Light Lager
Dark Lager
Light Ale
Dark Ale
Specialty Beer

Only one entry per person consisting of (2) 12 oz bottles, (1) 22 oz Bottle or (1) Growler.

FREE TO ENTER

Entries can be turned into My Old Kentucky Homebrew or The BBC Taproom between Sep 24th and Oct 1st by 5:00 pm. Judging will be in the evening on Oct 1st at the Taproom with awards given out during Volksfest at the BBC Taproom on Oct 2nd.

If you have any questions please contact Paul Young at My Old Kentucky Homebrew: (502) 589-3434

Thanks,

Paul Young
My Old Kentucky Homebrew
1437 Story Ave
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 589-3434
E-mail
Website

Kentucky State Fair homebrew competition judging will be Sunday, August 15th.

The following was forwarded by FOSSILS via Chuck Harp. Note that there is no spreadsheet attachment; of course, you may contact Chuck directly if you're interested in judging and stewarding. I regret that in recent years, the judging has conflicted with the usual day for returning home from the Great Taste of the Midwest. One of these days, I'll make it back to the fairgrounds.

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The Kentucky State Fair homebrew competition will be held on Sunday, August 15th. We are looking for lots of judges and stewards to help out with our competition. The judging will be held in the south wing conference center of the Kentucky Exposition center in Louisville, Ky. If you are not familiar with this location, please see the KY state fair website for details.

Our schedule for the day is as follows:

10:15 am Start judge check-in (coffee, juice and donuts are planned)

10:45 am Calibration Beer

11:00 am Start judging first round

1:00 pm Finish first round

After each judge is finished with his/her flight, there will be a box lunch provided. Our hope is that by allowing each judge to eat as soon as they are done, we can quickly start on the second round of judging.

1:30 pm Start second round (or earlier)

3:30 pm Finish second round

3:45 pm Best Of Show

Due to the large number of entrants to this competition who are also judges, stewards and organizers, we have decided to also try to have an awards ceremony immediately following the judging. It is scheduled as follows:

4:30 pm Start Awards Ceremony

5:30 pm End Awards Ceremony

We are hoping you will be able to participate, and I would also like to pre-assign judges prior to the event so things can go smoothly

Please e-mail back if you are going to be able to judge or steward this year, and also please fill out and return the simple attached spreadsheet. There is an example tab to show how to fill the form out, and a tab called JudgeList which should take about 30 seconds to complete. The purpose of the form is to let us know if you entered any beers in this years competition (and your likes/dislikes for judging styles). All we need is the class number of the beer or beers you entered, prefer to judge, and prefer not to judge (if you have a preference).

Thanks for your help, and may the next beer you drink ... be the best beer you have ever tasted!

Chuck Harp