Thousands to Participate in Worldwide, Simultaneous Toast
What
In honor of National Homebrew Day (which falls every year on May 7), each year the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) celebrates AHA Big Brew on the first Saturday in May. And guess what? This year, May 7 is a Saturday! Throughout the day, hundreds of bars, breweries, shops and homebrew clubs nationwide will host their local communities to brew on-site for a national, same-day homebrewing session. At noon CDT, all homebrewers and beer lovers are encouraged to raise a glass of homebrew in a simultaneous toast to homebrewing, a hobby enjoyed by of thousands of people all over the world. A number of suggested recipes are selected for participants to follow. This year’s recipes celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot—commonly referred to as the “German Beer Purity Law”—which went into effect in Bavaria in 1516 and allowed brewers to use only three ingredients in their beer: water, hops and barley. Full recipe details and directions can be found online.
When
All day long! Saturday, May 7
A simultaneous toast occurs at 12:00 p.m. CDT
Where
Everywhere! From homebrewers’ homes and backyards, to the shops that provide the ingredients and supplies, to local breweries and craft beer bars worldwide. View an interactive map of AHA Big Brew event locations across the country. Register your local AHA Big Brew event and join the conversation on Twitter with #BigBrew16.
Who
Everyone! As long as they’re 21 and over, of course.
Why
There are more than 1.2 million homebrewers in the United States. With one in every 200 adults in the U.S. now crafting their own beer, homebrewing has become one of the country’s fastest growing hobbies. AHA Big Brew is a toast to the nation’s homebrewers and their shared love and appreciation for homebrewed beer, mead and cider. In 2015, over 11,000 people celebrated the AHA National Homebrew Day at 484 registered sites. Additionally, 2,722 batches created 19,631 gallons of homebrew enjoyed around the world. Last year, 50 U.S. states and 14 countries participated.
Contact: Jacob Streiter (on behalf of the American Homebrewers Association), 646-695-7047
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About the American Homebrewers Association:
The American Homebrewers Association has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 46,000 homebrewers. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) organizes events including Homebrew Con and the National Homebrew Competition. The AHA also publishes Zymurgy magazine. The AHA is part of the Brewers Association, whose Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers and anyone interested in making their own homemade beer are invited to learn more at HomebrewersAssociation.org. Follow the AHA on Twitter, and join us on Facebook and Instagram.
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