MEDIA RELEASE. 17th July 2012.

THE AUSTRALIAN BEER FESTIVAL HOME BREW CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURNS

The 8th Annual Australian Beer Festival, hosted by Sydney’s iconic Australian Hotel kicks off this spring over the weekend of Saturday 27th from 12 – 8pm and Sunday 28th October from 12 – 6pm.

2011 Home Brew Championship winner Stuart Boag

After the success of last year’s festival and the burgeoning growth of the beer industry, the Home Brew Championships are back, giving local brewers a chance to put their beer making skills to the test and stand alongside some of Australia’s most renowned boutique breweries with their very own stall at the festival.

The Australian Beer Festival is calling ALL home brewers who think they’ve got what it takes to ENTER NOW.

Brewers will be required to design and formulate their own ‘Single Batch’ especially for the festival, based around the theme Australiana. Brewers are expected to blend a beer that is symbolic and representative of our nations heritage and culture.

An expert panel of judges will be selected from The Australian Hotel with points awarded for appearance, aroma, flavour and body, technical quality and the brewer’s ability to integrate flavours that represent the competitions theme.

The winner of the Home Brew Championships will be awarded a stall at The Australian Beer Festival along with an all-inclusive trip to Melbourne to learn from the Matilda Bay team in their new brewery in Port Melbourne.

The runner up is also lucky enough to receive their very own stall on the second day of the festivities. Both first and second place will receive $1 for every taste of their beer over the festival weekend, which will go towards a voucher to be spent at their favourite Home Brew shop.

Beer submissions close 16th August with the winners announced Thursday 24th August so let the malting, mashing, boiling and fermenting begin! For entry forms and further information head to www.australianheritagehotel.com.