What Is 'Sasquatch Ale'? Homebrewers Will Decide

This Saturday, 2/11, I will participate as a BJCP Judge for the Sasquatch Ale Homebrew Competition.  This is the first Sasquatch Ale Homebrew Competition and it's being influenced by the impending arrival of the National Homebrew Conference, which will be held in Seattle this June 21-23. 

(Courtesy wahomebrewers.org):
"With the 2012 National Homebrewers Conference in Bellevue next June, the Washington Homebrewers Association is looking for a special beer that Sasquatch (the honorary conference organizer) can be proud to serve to conference goers. We're looking to Washington homebrew club members to come up with they consider to be the embodiment of a "Sasquatch Ale" capture a special, Northwest, "Sasquatchian" flavor.

But what is a "Sasquatch Ale?" Ask yourself, "What Would Sasquatch Brew?" We are looking to Washington homebrew club members to come up with they consider to be the embodiment of a "Sasquatch Ale." Is it malty? Hoppy? Dark? Light? Hairy? Mysterious? Spiced? Smoky? Mossy? Woody? Who knows? But we want you to help us discover this style by entering the "Sasquatch Ale Homebrew Competition.""

As you can see, exactly what 'Sasquatch Ale' is has yet to be defined.  The competition is limited to AHA/BJCP Category 23A, which is for 'Specialty Beer'.  This is a somewhat more loosely defined beer catagory, and opens up the brewer to get creative with any number of 'specialty' ingredients.  Per the BJCP style guidelines:

"The distinctive flavor character associated with the stated specialty nature (i.e. the specialty ingredient(s) the brewer uses) should be noticeable, and may range in intensity from subtle to aggressive."

So, as a judge for this competiton I (along with many other and far more experienced BJCP Judges) will get to make the call on exactly what 'Sasquatch Ale' is.  Good luck to all the entrants!  Judging will be taking place at Larry's Brewing Supply in Kent this Saturday. 

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

(Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware there used to be a beer called "Sasquatch Ale", which was brewed by Six Rivers Brewery out of California.  However, this beer no longer exists/is no longer in production.)

Belgianfest, Judging & Barleywine Festivals

Snowpocalypse 2012 has passed.  I for one, hope that was the majority of lowland snow we'll be seeing this winter.  Living at the bottom of a steep hill, it cuases lots of problems for me.  I hope any of you who were snowed in had an adequate supply of liquid courage on hand.  Now it's time to look ahead to what's next. 

Belgianfest:

The next event I'll be attending is Seattle's 2012 Belgianfest, which will be held this year on Saturday, February 4th at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on pier 66.  There will be more than 60 different Belgian styled beers from several different Seattle area breweries.  Tickets are on sale now from Brown Paper Tickets, and there are two sessions to chose from:

Session 1: 12:00-4:00 pm
Session 2: 5:30-9:30 pm

I already have my ticket for Session 1, and I'm looking forward to wrapping my lips around some Saisons, dubbels, wits, farmhouse ales, lambics and more.  Belgian yeasts have very distinctive character, and I'm looking forward to a full afternoon of inundating my palate with various, wonderful Belgian styles.