2013 NHC in Philly! Who's going?

[brettwasbtd]

My can survived but drinking before it blows. Definite lactic character. Its actually still quite good.

Was my first conference. Was glad i went, even blowing off a wedding to do so. Plus club night folks loved my beers, plus John Palmer hanging out in our room drinking was awesome.

Ya, this was contaminated. I sampled someone elses and it was just "off." My buddy and myself ended up dumping ours rather than risking explosion. I'm sure the brewery does really good stuff, but this was a disappointment and slightly embarrassing!

IMHO, The gems of our booth were the Russian Imperial Stout, Framboise, and the ice ciders. I hope everyone got to try at least one of them. They all kicked pretty early.

That Palo Santo RIS was easily top 5 beer of the weekend. Great stuff from your club!

I felt like I was always looking for you! Remember one of my first phrases- it's a marathon, not a sprint!

It was such an honor to meet you and your wife- and I'm so glad I did.



I think the dinner is worth doing at least once, but I feel like you do and that's why I skipped it. I think it's great in many ways, but I can do much better for dinner for $50. Heck, at Monk's I had fantastic mussels and a pint of Damnation and three pints of Pliny the Elder for $40, and $30 of that was bar tab.

Ya, the dinner was ok. It was my first NHC so I definitely had to do it. I felt there could have been more direction earlier on for which beer was to be consumed with each course (most people drank the honey kolsch with the salad instead of the amber ale). The dessert was the best part - absolutely delicious cheesecake and beer pairing.


I wish I had known the leftovers from the competition were going to be "up-for-grabs" at the social well after the awards. Sampling an array of those was awesome! Some really great beers. I also sampled mead for the first time - great stuff from moonlight meadery

 

[Gitmoe]

Ridiculous convention. Was my first NHC. I was working at the Keystone Homebrew booth Thursday and Friday. If you stopped by and got a sample of Super Pro-Zyme I probably handed it to you. It was great to meet so many new faces. It was also nice being in Philly since a lot of people I know from the area attended. I had to leave early due to illness Friday night and I missed club night which really bummed me out. My club (GLUB) all said they had a great time and it was an amazing night.

I felt awful for Round Guys with the can problem. They are very close to the LHBS I work at and we know them very well. I haven't seen the owner or brewers since the convention to ask what they think happened. I'm 99% sure that was the first beer they ever canned. Round Guys makes great beer and are known locally for their Berliner which is amazing.

Looking forward to NHC '14 in Grand Rapids!

 

[FireBrewer]

Did anybody else notice that it wasn't really a big deal that the Homebrewer of the Year was a woman?

I think more people were surprised that it was a Light American Lager she won with. Not that that should really surprise anyone either. Sure as hell wasn't gonna be an IPA.

The whole women's group in brewing really irks me. Who cares??? Gender/race/whatever does not matter. Can you brew? If not, wanna learn? Good.

Anyway it was great to meet and put a face to names and see some old friends too. Was great almost getting tackled by Yooper. Wonderful NHC, hope to see everyone again next year.

 

[Yooper]

Anyway it was great to meet and put a face to names and see some old friends too. Was great almost getting tackled by Yooper. Wonderful NHC, hope to see everyone again next year.

Well, in my defense- I didn't know you were going to be there, and I haven't seen you in like 5-6 years! When you walked in that party (was that around 2 AM?), I was so surprised that I couldn't help myself. Oh, and there may have been some, er, alcohol accelerated, emotion also!

 

[machfive55]

I have seen more and more lighter beers winning comp BOS. I think judges are realizing the difficulty in brewing a terrific light beer.

 

[FireBrewer]

Well, in my defense- I didn't know you were going to be there, and I haven't seen you in like 5-6 years! When you walked in that party (was that around 2 AM?), I was so surprised that I couldn't help myself. Oh, and there may have been some, er, alcohol accelerated, emotion also!

No complaints here, was a great welcome to a room full of people I didn't know. And thank you to Eric for the invite.

 

[remthewanderer]

Thanks Jeremy! That one was mine and I was really proud of it. Kinda freaked out when Jamil Z. come over and asked for a full glass, like 3 times. I was beside myself for about a day after that.

Care to share the recipe?

 

[AnOldUR]

Care to share the recipe?

Let Adam share the details, but a hint is that when you're done adding the hops, go get more and repeat.

 

[stratslinger]

what does everyone think of a light lager winning bos?

I figured it had to be a freakin' amazing light lager... Then, as I was roaming around the social club with a group of guys from my club, we bumped into John Palmer and asked if he had found anything good. He handed us a bottle that was someone's American Light Lager. Part of me wonders if John Palmer didn't somehow manage to track down the BOS winner, and hand it to us. That, or just being handed a beer by John Palmer made it just that much better.

Awesome weekend!

 

[sweetcell]

i would be in favor of dropping pro night in favor of splitting up club night, but i'm wondering if the AHA would be in favor. there might be some sponsorship considerations...

anyhoo, if anyone is serious about this idea they should propose it on the AHA forums. it'll get the GC's attention there (hopefully).

Why didnt the use more of the convention center for club night? They had the whole other half to spread it out and it would have flowed a lot better if they just gave it a little more room.

On another note, did anybody have the jalapeño cream ale near the entrance? Really enjoyed that one. Think it was served by the guys in old lady dresses.

eh, i liked the spacing of club night. if they used the entire space, it would have been a long walk from one end of the room to the other. i liked that it was small and easy to get around.

i believe that the men in 50's housewife drag were from the Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society (CRABS). it was definitely a Maryland club. i loved how there was a "maryland alley" and the clubs organized a scavenger hunt. so many MD clubs that one couldn't fit in that alley.

 

[galttfwo]

Let Adam share the details, but a hint is that when you're done adding the hops, go get more and repeat.

Pretty much exactly this. Anyone who tried it can thank my wife for telling me to get rid of the giant bag of whole leaf Mosaic in my freezer.

The recipe is actually really simple. The hop additions were an exercise in excess.

10 gallons at the end, but due to the crazy loss of wort due to the hops, it uses a 12 gallon batch in the software. FreshHops are amazing, but they suck up beer like mad.

Maris Otter to an OG of 1.055. (for me it was 23lbs)
Mash at 152 for 60 minutes.

1 oz bagged whole leaf Mosaic at 60 minutes (17 IBU)
2 oz bagged whole leaf Mosaic at 5 minutes (7 IBU)
9 oz bagged whole leaf Mosaic at Flameout

Chill to 170, and then add 3 oz of mosaic in a hopback / hop rocket, and recirculate for 20 minutes.

Chill and rack to fermentor.

big pitch of 1056 - American Ale.

After primary fermentation is done. 4 oz of whole leaf Mosaic dry hops for 9 days or so.

 

[FireBrewer]

i believe that the men in 50's housewife drag were from the Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society (CRABS). it was definitely a Maryland club.

That is correct. The lesser nationally-known Hon. It's a Baltimore thing.

i loved how there was a "maryland alley" and the clubs organized a scavenger hunt. so many MD clubs that one couldn't fit in that alley.

Me too. Great showing by the MD clubs.

 

[stratslinger]

My can survived but drinking before it blows. Definite lactic character. Its actually still quite good.

Was my first conference. Was glad i went, even blowing off a wedding to do so. Plus club night folks loved my beers, plus John Palmer hanging out in our room drinking was awesome.

Both my and my wife's cans almost popped on the way home - clearly deformed, but didn't quite blow. I carefully opened them to sample - I get what seems like a carbonic bite, but maybe not lactic. It's clearly carbonated up the wazoo - pouring one can between two pint glasses leaves an ounce of beer and 15 ounces of head in each glass. Crazy... Even once the head settles the beer bubbles like seltzer.

It was my first conference too. Club night was great - seeing how folks received my club's booth and beers was a blast, and getting to sample so many awesome beers from all over the place was a privelege. Wish I would've made it a point to meet a few HBT'ers though...

 

[pjj2ba]

Both my and my wife's cans almost popped on the way home - clearly deformed, but didn't quite blow. I carefully opened them to sample - I get what seems like a carbonic bite, but maybe not lactic. It's clearly carbonated up the wazoo - pouring one can between two pint glasses leaves an ounce of beer and 15 ounces of head in each glass. Crazy... Even once the head settles the beer bubbles like seltzer.

We took our cans to a friend's in Philly yesterday and tried them there - rather than risking them for the 3.5 hr drive home. Definitely overcarbed, but not lactic really. It tasted more like some Belgian yeast strain got in there, which might have led to them package when the thought they hit the target FG. So they canned it up and then the Belgian yeast kept chugging away

 

[Denny]

what does everyone think of a light lager winning bos?

Are you implying there's something wrong with that?

 

[stratslinger]

Are you implying there's something wrong with that?

Personally, I think it speaks super highly of the beer, and the brewer. There's absolutely nowhere to hide a flaw in that style. It has to be perfect. And then, to beat out everything else to take Best of Show? My wife, who's not a brewer, was impressed to hear that a woman took best of show. I was far more impressed at what she brewed to do it, that at the fact that she was a she!

 

[Qhrumphf]

We took our cans to a friend's in Philly yesterday and tried them there - rather than risking them for the 3.5 hr drive home. Definitely overcarbed, but not lactic really. It tasted more like some Belgian yeast strain got in there, which might have led to them package when the thought they hit the target FG. So they canned it up and then the Belgian yeast kept chugging away

I got a lactic sour like I get from Berliner Weisse. But I could have been mistaken.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Personally, I think it speaks super highly of the beer, and the brewer. There's absolutely nowhere to hide a flaw in that style. It has to be perfect. And then, to beat out everything else to take Best of Show? My wife, who's not a brewer, was impressed to hear that a woman took best of show. I was far more impressed at what she brewed to do it, that at the fact that she was a she!

Couldn't agree more.

 

[stonebrewer]

Couldn't agree more.

I wonder how much this was influenced by Gordon...reading his book last night he mentions how truely difficult it is to brew a clean, crisp, low ABV beer like that and hit the nail on the head. Like people have been saying, can't hide a single flaw...Cheers to her and everyone else who entered the contest! I learn lessons from every facet of a competition like this, even if I don't enter: want to see how good you are? Brew a light american lager or a simple pilsner and see how it holds up. Low ABV, clean, crisp beers will magnify any flaws in your process, which you can then analyze and fix your issue(s) and make better beer. Thanks for another lesson I can apply to my brewing, and hopefully make better beer!

 

[njale]

Are you implying there's something wrong with that?

Does me asking what everyone thinks about it imply that i think something is wrong with it?

 

[FireBrewer]

I wonder how much this was influenced by Gordon...

Probably not much. Homebrewers and judges have known that for quite some time, longer than Gordon's book has been out. I remember being told that 10 years ago when I started.

 

[TBBrewer]

eh, i liked the spacing of club night. if they used the entire space, it would have been a long walk from one end of the room to the other. i liked that it was small and easy to get around.

i believe that the men in 50's housewife drag were from the Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society (CRABS). it was definitely a Maryland club. i loved how there was a "maryland alley" and the clubs organized a scavenger hunt. so many MD clubs that one couldn't fit in that alley.

I would not have used the whole space, maybe 20-30% more. It would not have hurt to make the aisles a little longer and with more space between the booths. This way people could get their beer and congregate to the side of the club booth rather than stand right in front of it and hinder others from sampling too. That was my main complaint. People would get a sample and just stand there while others were waiting. It was cramped, but lack of common sense was an issue also.

 

[FireBrewer]

People would get a sample and just stand there while others were waiting.

Happened at every beer festival I've ever been to, no matter how big or small. I hate it too.

 

[Coff]

Just an FYI, I got a DM message on Twitter from We Can Mobile canning (the guys who canned the beer for Round Guys). Here is what they said.

Ed, Talked with Scott from Round Guys and found out the beer was over carbonated. Apologies about the explosion. I assure you it's not seam

 

[remthewanderer]

Pretty much exactly this. Anyone who tried it can thank my wife for telling me to get rid of the giant bag of whole leaf Mosaic in my freezer.

The recipe is actually really simple. The hop additions were an exercise in excess.

10 gallons at the end, but due to the crazy loss of wort due to the hops, it uses a 12 gallon batch in the software. FreshHops are amazing, but they suck up beer like mad.

Maris Otter to an OG of 1.055. (for me it was 23lbs)
Mash at 152 for 60 minutes.

1 oz bagged whole leaf Mosaic at 60 minutes (17 IBU)
2 oz bagged whole leaf Mosaic at 5 minutes (7 IBU)
9 oz bagged whole leaf Mosaic at Flameout

Chill to 170, and then add 3 oz of mosaic in a hopback / hop rocket, and recirculate for 20 minutes.

Chill and rack to fermentor.

big pitch of 1056 - American Ale.

After primary fermentation is done. 4 oz of whole leaf Mosaic dry hops for 9 days or so.

Thanks so much! Mosaic is my new favorite hop by FAR.

 

[remthewanderer]

BTW is it possible to store hop oil in your body and slowly release it over the course of a week? I swear my skin still smells like hops.

My other new favorite thing is hop candy.

 

[njale]

Does me asking what everyone thinks about it imply that i think something is wrong with it?

but i do find it surprising that a beer that BJCP desribes as watery and lacking flavor, was the best beer that entered NHC

Mouthfeel: Very light body from use of a high percentage of adjuncts such as rice or corn. Very highly carbonated with slight carbonic bite on the tongue. May seem watery.

Comments: A lower gravity and lower calorie beer than standard international lagers. Strong flavors are a fault. Designed to appeal to the broadest range of the general public as possible.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Philly was my first NHC too and I had a great time.

I have to say, attending the conference made me proud to be included among the Homebrewing clan. Everyone I met this weekend was kind, generous, interesting and interested. This includes both lay homebrewers and the 'celebrities' we've crowned.

I went to Philly with a list of people to thank should I see them (Jamil Zainasheff, John Palmer, Mike McDole, Charlie Pappazian, Randy Mosher, Gordon Strong, Brad Smith, The BN crew, Bobby M.) - all the folks who've helped me in my two years of brewing. Everyone I wanted to thank was there and everyone I approached was friendly and genuine. What a great group of people.

On top of that, I was approached after the banquet by Sean Paxton. He actually came up to our group to introduce himself and ask how we enjoyed the dinner. What a great guy.

I was also able to meet and speak with Mitch Steele - and he was as kind and approachable as all of the others.

It says a lot about the community homebrewers have created that there is so much genuine comradery even among those of us who have transcended the 'hobby'. Truly inspiring and infinitely satisfying.

That would have been enough to make it a successful conference for me, but I also encountered countless fellow brewers who were even more fun and informative. To the one, everyone I met was great. Considering the amount of alcohol being consumed, it's almost a statistical impossibility for everyone to have held it together so well. I was left incredibly impressed, humbled to be included and looking forward to next year.

I would agree though that they should have opened up the space a bit on Club Night. My brewpal was in a cast and confined to a wheelchair and pushing him through the crowd was a bit of a challenge. Even moving about on my own was a problem as was determining where the lines for each club booth began and ended. I'd would have loved to see them ring the club booths along the walls and leave the center area open for congregating and navigating.

But that is splitting hairs in what was a tremendously successful conferences. Nicely done everyone.

 

[LakesideBrewing]

My wife and I had a blast at the NHC! Even the exploding can in my swag bag makes for a great story! Also, Philly is a great city. Village Whiskey and Monk's Cafe were awesome. But for us, Reading Terminal Market was a highlight! It is such a cool place to walk around and sample a ton of great food!

 

[Qhrumphf]

My wife and I had a blast at the NHC! Even the exploding can in my swag bag makes for a great story! Also, Philly is a great city. Village Whiskey and Monk's Cafe were awesome. But for us, Reading Terminal Market was a highlight! It is such a cool place to walk around and sample a ton of great food!

Agreed. Reminds me of Eastern Market in DC.

I opted not to hit up Monk's if for no other reason than it was probably a zoo all weekend, and it's not too big of a deal for me to go up another weekend. But I've been dying to go there for a long time.

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Agreed. Reminds me of Eastern Market in DC.

I opted not to hit up Monk's if for no other reason than it was probably a zoo all weekend, and it's not too big of a deal for me to go up another weekend. But I've been dying to go there for a long time.

If you do make another trip up to Philly you should also check out Eulogy (if you haven't already.) Another great bar.

 

[Yooper]

If you do make another trip up to Philly you should also check out Eulogy (if you haven't already.) Another great bar.

It really was! I had a wonderful Belgian with some of the largest mussels I've ever seen.

I loved Monks (where again, I had mussels) because I really really REALLY wanted Pliny on tap. It was busy, but we didn't wait for a table or very long for our food. I had a pint of Damnation (of course great) followed by three pints of Pliny. They have other beers, too!

McGillins was "ok" for me. Nice history, cheesesteak "ok".

 

[Yooper]

Oh, I wanted to mention my arrival home. I got off the plane, and there was Bob (it's a super small airport). He grabbed me and pulled me so close and said, "I am so glad you're home. I couldn't last another day!" I was so touched, that he missed me so much.

But he continued, "Three kegs kicked, and I'm out of beer at the cottage and I don't know how to change them. Also, I have an infected tick bite on my foot, and a splinter in my hand and I need you to treat them."

He really does need IV antibiotics for that infection (he absolutely refuses), but it's already quite a bit better after I treated it with home remedy stuff. New keg ready for the cottage, IPA ready to dryhop and go online in 5 days, splinter removed.

It's great to be needed!

 

[Gitmoe]

Monk's and Eulogy are OK. Don't think I've been to either in quite a few years. The neighborhoods in north Philly of Fishtown and Northern Liberties are where the best beer bars are now. Center City kinda sucks and South Philly doesn't have a lot to offer either. Places like Memphis Taproom, POPE (south philly exception), Interstate Draft House, Cedar Point, Barcade, Frankford Hall, and Johnny Brendas are some of the highlights just north of where the conference was. I tried to tell people at the conference to head that way. Not sure how many people made it up there.

 

[TBBrewer]

Anybody notice that the wrong date was on the cup from BNA8? Also, anybody see how knocked over drunk doc was at club night from the BN? I saw Justin come by the Whales corner and he and kate were damn near holding doc upright, weekend at bernies style. Funny stuff.

 

[TBBrewer]

Monks was quite impressive. It was busy, but not unbearable. Did anybody try Monks house sour? It had a nice balance, not too tart. Really enjoyed that one more than the other brews there.

 

[milldoggy]

Hope I meet some of you, wish I remembered. Club night was really fun. If anyone stopped by bruclear, I was there. Had an apricot sour on at one point.

 

[AnOldUR]

I loved Monks (where again, I had mussels) because I really really REALLY wanted Pliny on tap. It was busy, but we didn't wait for a table or very long for our food. I had a pint of Damnation (of course great) followed by three pints of Pliny. They have other beers, too!

I had only had Pliny one other time and it was an old bottle. Monks taps did not disappoint! My wife said, "No offense to your brewing, but this is the best beer I've ever had." I can live with that.

We lucked out with a table at Monks too. There was supposed to be a 45 minute wait, but a group of four NHC people sat at a table for six and asked if anyone wanted to join them. Got to love homebrewers! Had a Damnation, two Plinys and a Quad from Holland.

Yeah, forgot about the “pace yourself” recommendation. Saturday night ended earlier than I wanted it to.

 

[TNGabe]

Hope I meet some of you, wish I remembered. Club night was really fun. If anyone stopped by bruclear, I was there. Had an apricot sour on at one point.

You posted pics of your clubs booth before the conference, right? I introduced myself when I stopped by on my sour tour.

 

[mmonroe1050]

Hey All,

Great time this year in Philly! I had never been to that great city before, and myself as well as everyone else from MoreBeer! was extremely pleased with the people, the food, the atmosphere, and most of all - the beer! Got to go to Eulogy, Monks, Bru and a couple of small shops as well. Really enjoyed all of them!

Wanted to say thank you to everyone that was there - we got the chance to talk to A LOT of you, and have to say that the energy and interactions were both a lot of fun throughout the entire conference. Congratulations to all of those out there that won a medal at the banquet, and really to all of those that had beers move to Philly this year.

We had a great time during every day and night, but thoroughly enjoyed club night (a little too much . Thanks to everyone that came to our booth, and to all of those that helped us put a good number of kegs down on our mobile beer cart - couldn't have done it without you!

Hope everyone made it home safely, and we can't wait to see you all in Grand Rapids, MI in a year! Cheers!