The May’s Service Center Homebrew Tent will return to the Sixth Annual Lititz Craft Beer Festival on September 22th, 2019. We will again invite the brewers of the top 10 entries to our Homebrew Competition to pour their beers for three public vote prizes, and two brews will be reproduced in commercial breweries.
2019 Top Ten
- Mid-Day Mango, Pale Ale
- Bill & Steph Hapenovich
- Wee Special, Wee Heavy with Coffee aged on Bourbon Oak
- Paul Cowan
- Did It All For Chinookie, American IPA
- Steve Palmer
- Rye Altbier
- Mike & Amber DeGrace
- Tropical Stout
- Mike & Amber DeGrace
- Cadillac Tire, American Amber Ale
- Steve Wakefield
- One Way or Another, American Blonde Ale with Orange Peel
- Josh Shock, Dave Hume & Zach Shock
- Ascending Arc, New England IPA
- Bill Balistreri
- Clockwork Oransje, Gose
- Matthew Campbell
- What’s Wrong With Cloud 8?, Hazy Double IPA
- Wayne Swartz & Jason Bartch
Important Dates
- Entries due Friday, July 26th. Drop submissions at Lancaster Homebrew anytime they are open by the end of their operating hours the day of the deadline. We’re also holding a drop off event between 7 and 9pm at Rooster Street Butcher in Lititz on Friday, the 26th where we will collect entries and guarantee cold storage until judging.
- Top 10 announced by Friday, August 2nd
- Sunday, September 22nd is Lititz Craft Beer Fest 2019. Ten finalists pour their beer alongside more than 90 commercial breweries in the May’s Service Center Homebrew Tent, where a public vote will determine the winners of three prizes in addition to two Brewer’s Choice prizes.
Entries
- Entries due Friday, July 26th.
- $5 per entry. Limit 3 entries per person. Beers only. No pros. Payment due at drop-off. If paying by check, please make it payable to “Lititz Craft Beer Fest”
- Two (2) 12 oz. bottles, two (2) 22 oz. bombers, two (2) cans, or one (1) growler per entry. Please provide this beer ID form with your entries. Skip all other labels–entries will be identified by number and style only.
- Please identify the style of beer you submit on the beer ID form using the 2015 BJCP style guidelines.
- Drop off your entries at Lancaster Homebrew or between 7 and 9pm on Friday, July 26th at Rooster Street Butcher if you require cold storage. Contact us at [email protected] if you need help submitting your entries. All entries will be chilled before judging.
- The preliminary judging will take place the week following our Friday submission deadline. The ten (10) best beers, as determined by a panel of judges, will be announced by Friday, August 2nd.
- This is not a BJCP event. However, our judges will be using the same scoring system.
- At least ten (10) gallons, bottled or kegged, are required for the finalists to pour the day of our festival in our Homebrew Tent. Our competition is popular. Last year was the first year we asked our homebrew finalists to bring at least ten gallons, and the majority of finalists were kicked after two hours. Votes are collected for the first two hours or until half the finalists run out, whichever comes first. We count votes and award prizes on stage at the conclusion of the three-hour event. We plan on having a great time and helping as many people as possible to experience our competition.
- There are seven weeks between the date the finalists are chosen and the festival. (August 1st to September 22nd is 52 days) If you’re not able to brew more than five (5) gallons at a time, consider brewing, submitting, and sitting on that first batch to see if you’ve made the finals.
- In previous years, Lancaster Homebrew offered a 50% discount on ingredients used in the competition to our top 10 finalists. This year, the Lancaster Homebrew discount is 100%! Any finalist who wishes to re-brew after being selected can bring their recipe to Lancaster Homebrew and secure regularly-stocked items at no cost.
- If kegged, please bring your own dispensing equipment. We will provide a tent, table, ice, and rinse stations only. You may serve from bottles if you want.
No Pros
No entry will be accepted from any person that our committee determines, in our sole discretion, is submitted by a person or entity that is a licensed brewer, is in the process of attempting to obtain a license, or is employed by or directly affiliated with any licensed brewer. No entries will be accepted that were brewed in a commercial brewery.
Prizes
A public vote at the Lititz Craft Beer Fest determines first, second, and third place, and the winners will be announced at the end of the festival. Two brews will be worthy of a nod from local professionals. Cox Brewing Company of Elizabethtown, Pour Man’s Brewing Company of Ephrata, and Spring House Brewing Company of Lancaster will each make a homebrewer’s dream come true by offering the opportunity to brew in their commercial breweries, and each collaboration will be served on draft until they’re sold out.
- Each top 10 finalist will receive:
- Complimentary ingredients from Lancaster Homebrew to be used in the competition. Any finalist who wishes to re-brew after being selected can bring their recipe to Lancaster Homebrew and secure regularly-stocked items at no cost.
- Two (2) free tickets to the event. Each finalist brewer will receive free entry to the beer fest and can distribute their complimentary tickets amongst friends and family.
- Prizes to be awarded at Lititz Craft Beer Fest 2019:
- Cox Brewing Company Brewer’s Choice: Brew at Cox Brewing Company & your beer served on tap until it’s gone
- Pour Man’s Brewing Company Brewer’s Choice: Brew at Pour Man’s Brewing Company & your beer served on tap until it’s gone
- Spring House Brewing Company Brewer’s Choice: Brew at Spring House Brewing Company & your beer served on tap until it’s gone
- 1st Place Vote: $500 Pre-paid VISA
- 2nd Place Vote: $250 Gift card to Lancaster Homebrew
- 3rd Place Vote: $100 Gift card to Lancaster Homebrew
If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. We’re also on twitter at @LititzBeerFest.
History
Here are the top 10 finalists from each of our previous competitions. Lititz Craft Beer Fest began in 2014. There is no significance to the order of these lists after the placeholders.
2018 Finalists
- 1st place, Chocolate Chips in My Pancakes
- Step Brothers Brewing, Porter
- 2nd place, Strawberry Not Darryl
- Steve Nott, Milkshake IPA
- 3rd place, It’s 10:33
- John Scanlon, American IPA
- JoBoy’s Brewpub Brewer’s Choice, WTHelles
- Brian Mills, Helles Lager
- Cox Brewing Company Brewer’s Choice, New American Slang
- Josh Shock, Dave Hume & Zach Shock, American Pale Ale
- From Moscow With Love
- Josh Shock, Dave Hume & Zach Shock, American Strong Ale
- At The Garden’s Edge
- Jared Wolfe, Hibiscus Saison
- Lime Cucumber Blonde Ale
- Dave Timblin & Ryan White, Blonde Ale
- Blue Harvest
- Brooks Edman, Berliner Weisse
- Mango Lassi
- Brooks Edman, Berliner Weisse
2017 Finalists
- 1st place, Creamsicle Blonde Ale
- Matthew Campbell, Blonde Ale
- 2nd place, Breakfast in the Dark
- Adam Chamberland, Imperial Stout w/ Maple Syrup
- 3rd place, Zephyr
- Mike Fegely & Alastair Peters, Pale Ale
- JoBoy’s Brewpub Brewer’s Choice, Zephyr
- Mike Fegely and Alastair Peters, Pale Ale
- Second Glances – Head Rush
- Nehemiah Talbott, American Amber Ale
- High Amplitude
- Bill Balistreri, Imperial Stout
- Descending Arc
- Bill Balistreri, IPA
- Raspberry Beret
- Kristen Richards, Milkshake IPA
- Touch of Rye
- Mike Adair, Brett Saison
- Easy Come, Easy Gose
- Josh Shock, Dave Hume & Zach Shock, Gose
- Hazy With a Chance of Hops
- Brian Wagner, Imperial IPA
2016 Finalists
- 1st place: Maple Bacon Coffee RIS
- Chris Harvey & Caitlin Miletto
- 2nd place: Yuzu Session Milkshake IPA
- Derek Wolf, Brad Moyer & Dean Pierce
- 3rd place: Goin’ Broke IPA
- Ryan Foltz & Sam Son
- Hop! In the Name of Love
- Matthew Kupchinsky
- Hazy Shade of Summer
- Craig Fahnestock & Mike Baer
- Red Craic
- Brian Wagner
- Melon Felony
- Tim Myers
- Blood Orange Wheat
- Mike Adair
- Slice of Life/Blood Orange
- John Scanlon
- Moral Dilemma
- Matt Topper
2015 Finalists
- 1st place: The Gourd, The Bad, The Ugly
- Steve Anderson
- 1st place: Stowaway Stout
- Adam Chamberland
- 2nd place: Solar Terminator
- Derek Markel
- 3rd place: Surfboard Session IPA
- Matt Ranauro
- Pumpkin Pecan Pie Porter
- Travis Markel & Damien Garloff
- Double West Coast IPA
- John Palmer
- Hop Along IPA
- Steve Foose
- Batch 40 Pale Ale
- Andy Good
- The Rites of Signage
- Shane Pawelczyk
- Tropical Implants w/Citra
- Derek Markel
2014 Finalists
- 1st place: Scottish Ale
- Kathy Yellets & Kelly Fedin
- 1st place: Smoked Chipotle Porter
- Brian Thomas, Jason Clement & Will Meiser
- 2nd place: Smashed Wolf
- Allen Arslanian
- 3rd place: Bride of Zombie
- Harold Ford
- 4th place: Pale Ale
- Brian Wagner
- California Blonde
- Craig Fahnstock & Mike Baer
- Sour Cherry Berliner
- Jon Briggs
- Italian Breakfast
- Dean Pierce & Steve Buller
- Post Ride Pale
- Eric Stoffer
- Hot Pine IPA
- Michael Foster