Winner of Reuben’s Brews Hop Idol Homebrew Contest will have their beer distributed in Pacific Northwest, entered in 2018 GABF

Here’s a cool opportunity for all you would-be brewers. Seattle’s Reuben’s Brews is looking for the next great homebrew in its second annual Hop Idol Homebrew Contest — and you don’t have to live in Seattle to enter. BTW: Deadline for entries is February 12, 2018.

“The inaugural year of our Hop Idol competition was a great success,” said Adam Robbings, co-founder and brewmaster of Reuben’s Brews. “We had almost 40 beers entered from across the United States — from Seattle to South Dakota and Maine.”

Hop Idol is a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) homebrew competition. All entries are blind tasted and scored against the BJCP style guidelines, focusing on hoppy styles. Earlier this year, Jonathan Cooper, winner of the inaugural Hop Idol, brewed a 30-barrel batch of his IPA with the Reuben’s team. The finished brew was released in the brewery’s taproom and was distributed in draft and bottles throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“Homebrewing has a special place in our hearts,” said Robbings. “I started as a homebrewer in my garage, and it led me to start Reuben’s Brews. We’ve received such great support from the homebrewing community over the years, and we want to do our little bit to give some of that support back.”

Reuben’s Brews has been active with local Pro-Am competitions since it opened in 2012, winning multiple awards in commercial competitions for its scaled-up batches, including at the Washington Beer Awards, North American Brewing Awards and the US Beer Tasting Championships. Reuben’s also collaborated with Robbings’ former homebrew club on a special beer for Reuben’s Brews’ fifth anniversary party this past summer.

The Hop Idol winner will get to brew their beer with the Reuben’s Brews team at the brewery in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The brew will be released the Reuben’s taproom and be distributed throughout the Pacific Northwest. It is also planned to be entered in the Pro-Am category at one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the country — the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

Here are a few of the basic rules for entry:

• Contestants may submit up to five different beers. Entry forms and recipes are required for each submission.
• There is a $5 entry fee for each beer submitted. Make checks payable to “Reuben’s Brews LLC.”
• All entry fees will be donated to Seattle Children’s Hospital.
• Beers must be received by Reuben’s between Monday, Feb. 12 and Friday, Feb. 16. Late entries cannot be accepted.

We anticipate naming the winner on Tuesday, March 6. Read the complete list of contest details and rules here.