The DC Homebrewers, DC's largest homebrewing club, hits the big 1-0 this weekend (they grow up so fast) and is celebrating with the release of a collaboration beer brewed with Right Proper Brewing Co. The beer, a dry-hopped Berliner weisse, will be available for sale around the region starting in mid-January.
The club began in 2008 when Mike Dolan (who also founded this website!) and his brother, Brian, pulled together some friends (and soon-to-be friends) who were interested in brewing. The club email list quickly grew and now includes over 1,200 people, according to a press release. The club gathers for monthly meetings as well as special events, providing a space for homebrewers to talk about their craft and share knowledge. Club members range from beginning brewers to brewers with decades of experience. More than a dozen DC Homebrewers members have gone on to start craft breweries or other craft beer businesses throughout the country. Additionally, Brian Barrows, a DC homebrewer, helped to bring a DC packaging brewery its first GABF medal when his collaboration with DC Brau, Your Favorite Foreign Movie, brought home silver in 2012.
More recently, a group of club members met for a brew day with Right Proper head brewer Nathan Zeender in December to make the collaboration beer. The beer will be poured at the club’s 10th anniversary meeting from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14 at Right Proper Brookland (920 Girard Street NE).
For those interested in getting involved, the club is set to run its 5th Annual Cherry Blossom Homebrew Competition in March. The competition, which is sanctioned by the American Homebrewers Association and Beer Judge Certification Program, draws almost 300 entries from across the country. Participants’ beers are evaluated by trained beer judges, who provide feedback and select winners in more than two dozen categories. Watch this space for more info.
The club is dedicated to the art and science of homebrewing. Its mission is to educate its members and the community at large, and provide a social atmosphere for its members. Membership is free and open to anyone (of legal drinking age) who would like to join by signing up for the email list via the club’s website, dchomebrewers.com. Follow the club on Facebook (facebook.com/groups/DCHomebrewers) or Twitter (@dchomebrewers).
Congratulations to the DC Homebrewers and thank you for being such a tremendous resource for beer knowledge in our area.
