Steve Hoffman at McLadden's Northampton next to the tap for his winning recipe "Chiquita" later named "Hoffman's Hefe". Steve and wife Bonnie proudly displaying his winning beer along with the two category medals and the Home Brew Challenge Cup. Steve with the Left's Brewing Company Team | Hey Fellow Homebrewers, Just a quick note in hopes of inspiring/encouraging you to participate in the 2nd Annual Northampton Jazz Fest Homebrew Challenge. I competed last year and was fortunate to edge out on top against a delicious selection of worthy brews. What a fun day, and the notion of my own brew being commercially available through the generosity of Lefty’s Brewing Company was truly inconceivable. I didn’t really know how the process would go after that; maybe shake a few hands, drop off the recipe, and later taste it when it was done? Not at all. I was kept totally in the loop every step of the way. Head brewer Chris Fontaine worked extensively with me in figuring out a scaled up version of my brew. When brew day came, I was handed the hat of ‘Head Brewer’ by Lefty and the crew. Sure, I didn’t know what I was doing with their equipment, and I probably would have burned the place down without the team’s direct guidance every step of the way, but they really made me feel welcome and seemed to be having fun sharing the process (they seemed to have the most fun watching me struggle to shovel out the mash tun - hey, my grain, my pain). I was called back to the brewery for every step of the process, and I’ll never forget seeing a pallet of kegs with my beer’s name on it. But it didn’t end there. I was invited to return one day a week as an apprentice. What an honor to work alongside such a dedicated, fun-loving team. The one-on-one, hands-on training is invaluable, but becoming a part of Lefty’s close knit family has been the real competition’s award. So here we are, NJF Home Brew Challenge year two. You can’t win if you don’t enter. Best of luck to you all. Steven Hoffman |
"You can't win if you don't enter" ... Words from the 2014 Home Brew Challenge Winner, Steve Hoffman8/21/2015
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