Samuel Adams Announces 2014 National LongShot American Homebrew Contest Winners

BOSTON, Oct. 6, 2014- The brewers at Samuel Adams today proudly announce the latest in a line of talented and imaginative LongShot American Homebrew Contest winners, at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver – craft beer’s most celebrated gathering. This year’s winners include Forestville, California resident Greg Rasmussen’s Robust Porter, Smithtown, New Yorkresident Matthew Knott’s Classic Rauchbier and Samuel Adams employee John Marra’s Dunkelweiss. The three winners will now be able to share their homebrewed creations with craft beer lovers across the country when these winning brews are bottled and made available nationwide next spring as part of the 2015 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack.   

Samuel Adams founder and brewer Jim Koch has been hosting the annual LongShot homebrew contest since 1995 to recognize and honor American homebrewers who continue to push boundaries and challenge the notion of what beer can be, just as Jim did in his kitchen 30 years ago when he first brewed what would become Samuel Adams Boston Lager. American craft beer has undergone a revolution over the past three decades, with more than 3,000 brewers currently operating, compared to about 50 in 1984. This boom is thanks in large part to homebrewers and craft brewers like Jim Koch, who are resilient, unafraid to challenge the status quo, and passionate about quality craft beer. Past LongShot American Homebrew Contest winners have gone on to become professional brewers, turning their homebrewing hobby into a full-time career. The most recent example is Cesar Marron, winner of the 2013 LongShot American Homebrew Contest, who opened Sketchbook Brewing Company in Evanston, IL following his win.

"I know firsthand that brewing great beer in your own home is a messy and challenging, yet rewarding, endeavor – definitely more of a passion than a weekend hobby," said Jim Koch. "These dedicated LongShot winners are brewing high-quality beer and now they will get the chance to share their delicious brews with craft beer lovers across the country. Greg Rasmussen’s Robust Porter, Matthew Knott’sClassic Rauchbier and John Marra’s Dunkelweiss are outstanding brews that are worthy of this great opportunity."                    

Samuel Adams also recognizes the ambitious and adventurous brewing spirit of its own employees and chooses an annual employee homebrew winner to include in the LongShot variety six-pack alongside two consumer winners. This year’s employee winner, voted on by visitors to the Samuel Adams Brewery, is John Marra, Samuel Adams Brewery Representative in Brooklyn, NY.

A panel of industry judges including Bob Townsend of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tony Forder of Ale Street News, John Holl andJulie Johnson of All About Beer Magazine, Tom Dalldorf of Celebrator Beer News, Jeff Cioletti from Beverage World and esteemed beer writers Jay Brooks and Marty Nachel, joined Jim Koch in selecting the consumer winners. Together, they selected the winning brews based on the American Homebrewers Association Beer Judge Certificate Program guidelines. Each beer was carefully evaluated on the aroma, appearance, flavor and mouthfeel according to the style category under which it was submitted.

About the winners:

The 2015 Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew Contest variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores in the spring of 2015. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Greg Rasmussen’s Robust Porter, Matthew Knott’s Classic Rauchbier and John Marra’s Dunkelweiss.

Learn more:

Samuel Adams, Boston Lager, LongShot, and American Homebrew Contest are registered trademarks of The Boston Beer Company.

This additional update from Samuel Adams:

Last Friday, we gathered in Denver to add to the excitement of craft beer’s most celebrated gathering, The Great American Beer Festival (GABF), by announcing three beers crowned winners of the 2014 Samuel Adams Longshot American Homebrew Contest.

Jim toasted three homebrewers who will join the ranks of creative and talented Longshot American Homebrew Contest Winners of the past. The contest began in 1996 as a way for Jim to recognize and honor American homebrewers who continue to push the boundaries of what beer can be, just as he did 30 years ago in his kitchen as he homebrewed the first batches of Boston Lager.

Over the past 30 years, craft beer has been on the rise and we don’t see any signs of slowing down anytime soon. We can attribute this in large part to homebrewers like those who enter our LongShot contest each year and craft brewers who are resilient and always looking to push the boundaries of brewing and introduce new styles of craft beer.

This year’s winning beers are:

Greg Rasmussen’s Robust Porter: A traditional robust porter, California resident Greg Rasmussen’s Robust Porter is sweet and roasted with cocoa, coffee, toffee and slight vanilla notes from the varieties of malt used. Rich with malt flavor, the beer is complemented by slight citrus and earthy notes from US and UK hops.

Matthew Knott’s Classic Rauchbier: Recognized for its traditional smoky, slightly savory malt sweetness and roastiness is Smithtown, New York resident Matthew Knott’s Classic Rauchbier. The smoky flavors are balanced by a light toffee malt character and slight citrus from the hops. The brew finishes with a lingering smokiness, sweetness and subtle hop flavor.

John Marra’s Dunkelweiss: Representing the Samuel Adams employees with a winning homebrew is Brooklyn, New York Brewery Representative John Marra’s Dunkelweiss. This beer is brewed with traditional Bavarian yeast that contributes to the complex aromas and flavors. The aroma is characterized with notes of tropical fruits and clove. Malted wheat contributes to a bright and clean cereal note, which complements the spicy flavors of clove, nutmeg, banana and a slight sweetness.

This year’s winners present three unique and distinct brews that will be made available nationwide next spring as part of the 2015 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack. We can’t wait for you to try their special brews and look forward to sharing more of their homebrewing stories in the upcoming months.

Congratulations to our three winners and to the more than 1,000 entries we received! It is because of their innovative spirits that craft beer is growing and more alive than ever.