Free Beer Tonight! And You Can Judge Me . . .

Tonight is the first round of the 75th Street Homebrew Contest; they'll be narrowing the field to 5 choices tonight. Customers will get the opportunity to taste the submissions and cast their votes. I have 5 submissions, so get out and vote for one of them (or whichever beer you think is best, even if it's not one of mine).

Here's what I submitted:

"'Round Midnight" - a schwarzbier. It's dark but smooth and easy-drinking. Just a touch of roasted malts and german hops in a smooth German lager. It's my favorite of the beers I submitted.

"Jim's Milk Stout" - a sweet stout based on Left Hand Brewery's version. No real milk is put into the beer, but it gets a dose of lactose, the natural dairy sugar. The lactose adds body and just a touch of sweetness. This one is very easy to drink.

"Not my Brother" - a Hefewezen. Get it? The name is a play on "he's not heavy (hefe), he's my brother"? Oh, never mind . . . This is the beer I wrote about brewing in this post, and that proved more popular than the milk stout in this post. Hefeweizens are funky beers, but people love them.

"Power Porter" - a Robust Porter. It's pretty tasty, but there's probably not enough left to make it through the contest, so don't waste a vote on it. But take a sample, anyhow, and let me know what you think.

"NOLA Voodoo" - a Dark American Lager. I brewed this beer more for the challenge than for enjoyment. It's based upon normal American mega-beer, with added darkness and just a touch of added flavor. It's the only beer I've ever brewed that included corn and rice, just like the big breweries do. The beer itself is pretty flavorless, which is a virtue for this style, and a bit of a challenge to accomplish as a brewer. Obviously, I'm not a huge fan of the beer, but it might appeal to some people, and, by submitting it to the contest, I hope I get rid of enough that I can use the keg for something I enjoy more!

I don't know what else got submitted, or how many other beers will be available for tasting. But I'm certain there will be some great beers there for the free sampling, so come out and vote for your favorites.