Thousands to Participate in Worldwide, Simultaneous Toast as American Homebrewers Association Celebrates 40th Anniversary
What
In honor of National Homebrew Day (which falls every year on May 7), the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) celebrates AHA Big Brew on the first Saturday in May. Throughout the day on May 5, 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. This year’s official Big Brew recipes—Rocky Raccoon’s Honey Lager and Dusty Mud Irish-style Stout—were handpicked by the legendary Charlie Papazian. Heralded as the “father of homebrewing,” Papazian is the founder of the AHA, which this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary. At noon CDT, all homebrewers and beer lovers are encouraged to raise their glass in a worldwide, simultaneous toast.
When
All day long! Saturday, May 5
The 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 #BigBrew18.
Who
Everyone! As long as they’re 21 and over, of course.
Why
There over 1.1 million homebrewers in the United States, 40 percent of which started homebrewing only within the last four years. AHA Big Brew is a toast to the nation’s homebrewers and their shared love and appreciation for homebrewed beer, mead and cider. In 1988, May 7 was announced before Congress as National Homebrew Day, and so the AHA created AHA Big Brew, held each year on the first Saturday in May, to celebrate National Homebrew Day across the U.S. and globe.
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 (AHA) has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of 46,000 homebrewers. The American Homebrewers Association organizes events including Homebrew Con and the National Homebrew Competition. The AHA also publishes Zymurgy® magazine and offers the Brew Guru™ mobile app. The AHA is part of the Brewers Association (BA), whose independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA’s 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.