This year homebrewers in the Pacific Northwest will gather for the first ever Pacific Northwest Homebrewers Conference (PNWHC). The conference will be held March 4-5 in Vancouver, WA. Local clubs have been looking to put on an event of this type since the National Homebrewers Conference (NHC) visited Seattle in 2012. The PNWHC is endorsed by the American Homebrewers Conference and anyone who has attended NHC will feel at home with the event schedule. The conference will feature:

• 24 educational seminars with topics ranging from simplifying your brew day to going pro.
• Pro Brewers Night with over 15 regional breweries pouring beer
• Club Night. Area clubs will be pouring beer and partying!
• Pre-conference bus tours of local breweries
• 2 dinners and a keynote lunch
• Exhibit hall with vendors showing off their gadgets and wares

Due to other commitments, this will be the first year I am missing the National Homebrewers Conference since it came to Seattle. Instead, I’ll be heading to PNWHC instead! Looking forward to enjoying great beer with some great people. For more information on the conference you can visit pnwhc.com.

The 2015 National Homebrewers Conference registration has opened! This year’s conference is June 11-13 in beautiful San Diego, CA. Registration is available through February 24, 2015. If there are more applicants than spots there will be a random lottery system to pick attendees, so be sure to apply before the deadline! I imagine this year will be a popular destination and could sell out despite having more spots available than last year.

There are a couple requirements for every attendee of the conference:

• Must be a member of the American Homebrewers Association
• Must be 21 years of age

Since the conference came to Seattle in 2012, it has been a can’t miss event for me. The people, the seminars, the beer, and the people are wonderful. Did I mention you will meet great people who share the same passion for brewing beer as you? San Diego offers amazing breweries and is also home to White Labs tasting room where you can sample beers fermented with different yeast strains side-by-side.

You can register for the conference here. See you in San Diego!

On Saturday, November 1, homebrewers across the country will be reaching out to friends and community members to teach them how to make beer.  The American Homebrewers Association created Learn to Homebrew Day in 1999 to spread the word and get more people involved in this wonderful hobby.  If you have ever been interested in making your own beer this is a great low risk, high reward opportunity to learn.  No need to buy equipment and ingredients.  Your friendly neighborhood homebrewer will supply it all, and, who knows, they may even be nice enough to give you some of the beer you help brew.  You can find a Learn to Homebrew Day event near you here.

Whether you are a seasoned homebrewer or new to the hobby, find a way to help a potential homebrewer learn how great this hobby can be.  Be an ambassador for homebrew and make a brewing buddy in the process.