FYI: Judging in Lincoln, NE if anyone is interested. - Al From: tehchriso(a)gmail.com [mailto:tehchriso@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Lincoln Lagers Beer Club Sent: Monday, August 18, 2014 10:42 PM To: Lincoln.Lagers.Beer.Club(a)gmail.com; Jason McLaughlin Subject: Call for Judges - The Sower's Cup Homebrew Competition - September 12-13, Lincoln, NE Calling for all Judges, Stewards, and Volunteers: On behalf of the Lincoln Lagers Homebrew Club of Lincoln, Nebraska, we would be honored to have you and your taste buds present at the first annual Sower's Cup Homebrew Competition to be held in Lincoln, Nebraska on September 12th and 13th, 2014. Our BJCP-registered competition will be the newest addition to the High Plains Brewer Of The Year circuit. Entries are being accepted in all beer, mead and cider categories, using the BJCP 2008 style guidelines, as well as for our special “Anything Red” contest. Entry registration opened on Monday, July 21st and registrations are being accepted through August 29th. The competition will held be at the beautiful brand-new Ploughshare Brewing Company <http://www.ploughsharebrewing.com/> facilities, located in downtown Lincoln, NE at 1630 P Street. Judge registration is open at the link below! http://www.lincolnlagers.com/cup/index.php?section=register <http://www.lincolnlagers.com/cup/index.php?section=register&go=judge> &go=judge Please mark your available times within the BCOEM Registration Site so that we can easily assign judges to flights. If you have already indicated your availability - Please note! - We edited a few of the time/date options to more easily organize our personnel. Please log in and review your selections to ensure they are still accurate. Here are a few other details that we are excited to share with you... Announcing our Guest of Honor: We are proud to announce that, with the generous assistance of Ploughshare Brewing Co. and managing partner Matt Stinchfield, the inaugural Sower's Cup Homebrew Competition will feature talks and participation from our guest of honor… ​ ​ Michael "Mufasa" Ferguson BJ's Director of Brewing, and host of the Emmy-nominated television series Beer Geeks Announcing our Judge, Steward and Volunteer "Perks": All of our judges, stewards, and volunteers will be provided with free meals on Friday evening, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon to reward them for their efforts. - Volunteers participating on Friday evening will be treated to a hot pretzel bar, featuring new, creative test flavors from the genius minds inside the Ploughshare kitchen – and after judging concludes, you will receive a drink ticket for one free pint up to $5.00 at the bar. - Those volunteering on Saturday morning will enjoy a hot breakfast spread featuring local, organic, and sustainable ingredients served up by Ploughshare Brewing Co. - If you help us on Saturday afternoon, please arrive a little while before your judging round begins. Upon arriving, you’ll enjoy a variety of hot and cold sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s Subs, with a few side items from the Lincoln Lagers and dinnerware provided by Ploughshare – Then after lunch, our guest of honor, Michael Ferguson, will give a guest lecture. For each round that you work, you will receive raffle tickets to enter in our Volunteer prizes raffle, which we’ll hold during the late-afternoon Best Of Show judging. (BOS judges, we’ll help you find a designated number-watcher to help you out!) We will also be selling tickets throughout the weekend for two additional prize raffles: our “Brew Swag Grab Bag” – a very large pile of merchandise and other brewing swag contributed by our competition sponsors – and our “Big Daddy Grand Prize Raffle”, which features massively awesome prizes including a Brewmaster Bucket steel fermenter from Ss Brewing Technologies, an enormous Draft Beer Prize Package from Micro-Matic Draft Solutions, an 11 Pound Box of Hops from the folks at Indie Hops, and much, MUCH more! One more thing: All volunteers will receive a commemorative The Sower’s Cup Homebrew Competition beer glass (Belgian tulip style)! We are extremely grateful to <http://www.empyreanbrewingco.com/> Empyrean Brewing Company for doing all the heavy lifting for us – they’ve coordinated the production of, and are donating all of the custom Sower’s Cup glassware for this event! Thank you Jim, Carla, Dakota, Ben, and the rest of the crew at <http://www.empyreanbrewingco.com/> Empyrean Brewing Co. for your support! Friday Night Homebrewers Social Gathering: On Friday, after we finish judging entries in the brewery, we will move out front to the Ploughshare bar and hold a Homebrewers' Social Gathering from 10:00pm-Midnight. Whether you're able to help us on Friday evening or not, we invite any and all of you to stop by after 10pm to drink quality craft brews on tap at Ploughshare while practicing your bottle skills with the FastRack storage system, socializing with your fellow brewers and judges, and some fine conversation and a beer with our guest of honor, Michael Ferguson. Tickets NOW ON SALE for our Saturday Night Banquet Dinner: In conjunction with Ploughshare Brewing Co. <http://www.ploughsharebrewing.com/> and Lincoln Beer Week <http://lnkbeerweek.com/> , we also want to invite you to our 3-Course Sustainable Beer Dinner from 6:30pm-8:30pm on Saturday, September 13th. We will be treated to an social/mingling beer from the Modern Monks to get things started, which is followed by three courses of local, sustainable, and delicious hand-crafted food from the Ploughshare Brewing Co. kitchen. Each course is paired with a locally-brewed beer, featuring offerings from Empyrean Brewing Co., Zipline Brewing Co., and a special, very limited release from Ploughshare Brewing Co. Our co-hosts for our banquet dinner are Matt Stinchfield, founder and managing partner of Ploughshare Brewing Co., and Michael “Mufasa” Ferguson, BJ’s Director of Brewing, and host of the Emmy-nominated TV show Beer Geeks. The banquet dinner will be a separate event, with tickets priced at $40 each. We are looking into subsidizing a portion of the banquet cost for all of our Sower’s Cup volunteers who wish to attend. Please stay tuned for more details on that as we finalize funds, pricing, etc. in the upcoming few days. Initially, we will set aside 32 of these banquet tickets specifically for Sower’s Cup participants to claim – the other 18 tickets are open to the public as of today (Aug. 18). The ONLY way to secure your banquet tickets is by telephone. Call Ploughshare Brewing Co. at (402) 742-0420 during open hours (4:00pm-Midnight, every day). Remember, only 50 seats in total are available, be sure to claim yours today! We'll open up the held seats to the public on August 23rd, so time is very limited! Saturday Night Sower’s Cup Awards Ceremony: After the banquet dinner concludes, we will grab a fresh pint and move back into the brewery for our final event of the weekend - the Sower's Cup Awards Ceremony and Grand Prize raffle drawings, from 8:30pm-10:00pm. We'll announce the winners of each category, as well as our Best Of Show winners. All Sower's Cup volunteers, stewards, and judges are invited to attend the ceremony. We will draw winners for our awesome Grand Prize Raffle items, including generous contributions from our sponsors. (See the bottom of this email for more information on the raffle!) 10 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER & TURN IN ENTRIES!! For those of you interested in entering beers to be judged, please visit the competition website for more information. Entries must be received by Friday, August 29th. Website: http://www.lincolnlagers.com/sowers-cup/ <http://www.lincolnlagers.com/sowers-cup> Nebraska Brewing Company Best Of Show in Beer: We’re proud to announce that <http://www.nebraskabrewingco.com/> Nebraska Brewing Company of Papillion/LaVista, NE is the sponsor of our Best Of Show award in Beer. The winner will receive a specially designed and crafted trophy made just for our competition. The BOS Beer winner will also receive a 7.5 gallon Brew Bucket stainless steel fermenter, donated by <http://www.ssbrewtech.com/> Ss Brewing Technologies. Moonstruck Meadery Best Of Show in Mead: Thank you to <http://www.moonstruckmead.com/> Moonstruck Meadery of Bellevue, NE for sponsoring our Best Of Show award in Mead! The winner will receive a specially designed and crafted “Golden Honey Dipper” trophy made just for our competition. The BOS Mead winner will also receive 1 Gallon of premium honey ($75 value), donated by <http://www.kirksbrew.com/> Kirk’s Brew of Lincoln, NE. Fermenter’s Supply Specialty Beer Contest: “Anything Red” We’re excited to announce that <http://www.fermenterssupply.com/> Fermenter’s Supply of Omaha, NE is the sponsor of our special “Anything Red” beer contest! Rules: Enter any beer, mead, or cider that is red in color — in an approx. SRM range of 7 – 28 — and make sure it tastes really good. Entries in this category will be judged in a very simple “Best Damn Beer” format, and will receive specially-designed score sheets (which are non-BJCP-conforming). The “Anything Red” category is not eligible for overall Best Of Show, but the winning beer in this category will receive a special Big Red Certificate commemorating their achievement. Our winning Big Red Brewer will also receive A Textbook Of Brewing, Vol. 1 & 2 by Jean De Clerck, donated by the <http://www.siebelinstitute.com/> Siebel Institute of Technology. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. Best wishes, and happy brewing! Jason McLaughlin Competition Organizer iasanlee(a)hotmail.com Chris Evans Competition Office Manager lincoln.lagers.beer.club(a)gmail.com Web: http://www.lincolnlagers.com/sowers-cup/ <http://www.lincolnlagers.com/sowers-cup> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSowersCup Twitter: <https://twitter.com/TheSowersCup> https://twitter.com/TheSowersCup Sower's Cup Schedule Pre-judging of small rounds: Tuesday 9/9, Wednesday 9/10, and Thursday 9/11 – 7:00pm Each Day - Ploughshare Brewery (back room). Friday Evening Beer Judging: 9/12/2014 - Ploughshare Brewery (back room) – Judge Check-In starts / Appetizers served at 5:30pm. A Hot Pretzel Bar will be provided for judges/stewards featuring new test flavors from the Ploughshare kitchen. You will receive 1 free Drink Ticket (up to $5) after you're done judging. Friday Night - Homebrewer Social Party at Ploughshare Brewing Co. - 10:00PM to Midnight – Ploughshare Front Taproom. Saturday Morning Judging: 9/13/2014 - Ploughshare Brewery (back room). Judge Check-In starts and Breakfast & Coffee served at 7:30am. We’ll have a local, sustainable hot breakfast buffet served up from the Ploughshare kitchen staff! Saturday Afternoon Judging: 9/13/2014 – Ploughshare Brewery (back room). Judge Check-In starts and Lunch served at Noon. We’ll serve a variety of hot and cold sandwiches catered from Jersey Mike’s Subs, backed up with a few sides and dinnerware provided by Ploughshare. After lunch, we'll have a beer-related lecture from our guest of honor, Michael "Mufasa" Ferguson You will receive 1 free Drink Ticket (up to $5) to redeem after judging. Volunteer Prize Raffle - late-afternoon, during BOS Judging - Ploughshare Brewery (back room). Win tickets for each round you judge or help with! Beer Pairing Banquet Dinner & Keynote Speaker: 9/13/2014 – Dinner starts at 6:00PM - Ploughshare Loft - with Co-Hosts Matt Stinchfield & Michael "Mufasa" Ferguson. See above info for ticket sales. ONLY 50 SEATS AVAILABLE! Awards Ceremony & Grand Prize Raffle: Saturday 9/13/2014 – approx. 8:00 PM. – Ploughshare Brewery (back room) – after dinner. Each volunteer, steward, and judge attending the Awards Ceremony will receive 1 free Drink Ticket (up to $5) in appreciation for their service. Watch us on Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/lincolnlagers/> @LincolnLagers for live results! These dates & times are always subject to change as we gain a better idea of how many entries, in what categories, need to be judged. We will do our best to keep the most current and up-to-date information posted here on this web page, at <http://www.lincolnlagers.com/sowers-cup/> http://www.lincolnlagers.com/sowers-cup/. More information about our Sponsors and Raffle Prizes: The Sower's Cup Homebrew Competition will feature three separate drawings. 1) Volunteer Prizes - our way of saying "Thanks!" for helping out... This drawing takes place during the BOS Judging Round. 2) The "Swag Grab Bag" - as time permits during BOS Judging, continued after Awards Ceremony - featuring T-Shirts, koozies, hats, beer gadgets, and other merchandise from any of the following sponsors: · Moran's Liquor Works · 21st Amendment Brewery · Home Brew Mart by Ballast Point · BeerSmith Home Brewing Software · Brew Your Own (BYO) Magazine · Cornhusker Beverage & Bridal · FastRack · Freshops · GrogTag.com · Hopsteiner · Kirk's Brew · Label Peelers · Nebraska Beer Blog · Patriot Homebrew Supply · Siebel Institute of Techonology · Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. · The Brewing Network · Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery (Lincoln) · White Labs · William's Brewing · Yakima Valley Hops · Candi Syrup, Inc. · HomeBrewStuff.com · 5 Star Chemical · Blichmann Engineering · Blue Blood Brewing Co. · Borgata Brewery & Distillery · Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine · Crow Peak Brewing Co. · Duffin Knudsen Hop Growers · Farnam House Brewing Co. · Founders Brewing Co. · Granite City Food & Brewery · Heartland Hops · Infusion Brewing Co. · Lagunitas Brewing Co. · Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. · Midwest Supplies · Northern Brewer · Spirit World · Wyeast Laboratories, Inc. 3) The Grand Prize Raffle - during Awards Ceremony - featuring the biggest, baddest toys that you know you want to get your hands on! · Draft Beer Prize Package (valued at $575) from Micro-Matic Draft Solutions · 11 Pound box of hops (valued at $350) from Indie Hops · 7.5 gallon Brewmaster Bucket stainless steel fermenter (valued at $255) from Ss Brewing Technologies We also owe a huge round of applause and thanksgiving to each of our Award & Category Sponsors!!! Hosting Venue Sponsor: Ploughshare Brewing Company, Lincoln, NE The Nebraska Brewing Company “Sower’s Cup” Award for Best Of Show – Beer: Nebraska Brewing Company, Papillion/LaVista, NE The Moonstruck Meadery “Golden Honey Dipper” Award for Best Of Show – Mead: Moonstruck Meadery, Bellevue, NE Commemorative Glassware Sponsor: Empyrean Brewing Company, Lincoln, NE Special “Anything Red” Contest Sponsor: Fermenter’s Supply, Omaha, NE Beer Category Sponsors: Cat. 1 – Light Lager sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/MoransLiquor> Moran’s Liquor Works Cat. 2 – Pilsner sponsored by: <http://www.borgatabeerandspirits.com/> Borgata Brewery & Distillery Cat. 3 – European Amber Lager sponsored by: <http://www.luckybucketbrewing.com/> Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. Cat. 4 – Dark Lager sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/MoransLiquor> Moran’s Liquor Works Cat. 5 – Bock sponsored by: <http://www.jadedbrewing.com/> JaDeD Brewing Cat. 6 – Light Hybrid Beer sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/MoransLiquor> Moran’s Liquor Works Cat. 7 – Amber Hybrid Beer sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/MoransLiquor> Moran’s Liquor Works Cat. 8 – English Pale Ale sponsored by: <https://untappd.com/brewery/111617> Scriptown Brewing Co. Cat. 9 – Scottish and Irish Ale sponsored by: <http://www.tiltedkilt.com/locations/lincoln/> Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery Cat. 10 – American Ale sponsored by: <http://www.rhynaldshops.com/> Rhynalds Hop Growers Cat. 11 – English Brown Ale sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/brokenrobotbrewing> Broken Robot Brewing Co. Cat. 12 – Porter sponsored by: <http://www.infusionbrewing.com/> Infusion Brewing Co. Cat. 13 – Stout sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Duffin-Knudsen-Hop-Growers/603024986379914> Duffin Knudsen Hop Growers Cat. 14 – India Pale Ale sponsored by: <http://www.rhynaldshops.com/> Rhynalds Hop Growers Cat. 15 – German Wheat and Rye Beer sponsored by: <http://www.jadedbrewing.com/> JaDeD Brewing Cat. 16 – Belgian and French Ale sponsored by: <https://untappd.com/brewery/111617> Scriptown Brewing Co. Cat. 17 – Sour Ale sponsored by: <http://wyuka.com/2012/04/24/sloane-michael-peterson/> In Memory of Sloane Peterson Cat. 18 – Belgian Strong Ale sponsored by: <https://plus.google.com/100253773453651008136/about?gl=us&hl=en> Special Tee Remodeling Cat. 19 – Strong Ale sponsored by: <http://www.lagunitas.com/> Lagunitas Brewing Co. Cat. 20 – Fruit Beer sponsored by: <http://www.foundersbrewing.com/> Founders Brewing Co. Cat. 21 – Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer sponsored by: <http://www.bensonbrewery.com/> Benson Brewery Cat. 22 – Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer sponsored by: <http://www.untappd.com/MinervaBrewing> Minerva Brewing Cat. 23 – Specialty Beer sponsored by: <https://www.facebook.com/pages/KZ-Distributing/150066175011130> K & Z Distributing Mead & Cider Category Sponsors: Cat. 24 – Traditional Mead sponsored by: <http://www.wamstadevans.com/> Wamstad+Evans Cat. 25 – Melomel (Fruit Mead) sponsored by: <http://www.wamstadevans.com/> Wamstad+Evans Cat. 26 – Other Mead sponsored by: <http://www.wamstadevans.com/> Wamstad+Evans Cat. 27 – Standard Cider and Perry sponsored by: <http://www.wamstadevans.com/> Wamstad+Evans Cat. 28 – Specialty Cider and Perry sponsored by: <http://www.wamstadevans.com/> Wamstad+Evans