2010 Iron Mug Competition Judging

Iron Mug 2010 Entrants,

Thank you for participating in the second annual Iron Mug Competition between the Wort Hogs of Herndon, Virginia and the DC Homebrewers Club. Also, thank you to Derek Terrell of myLHBS in Falls Church, Virginia, for supplying the secret ingredients for the competition and helping with the judging. We are pleased to announce this year’s celebrity judges; Lee Hitchins [Beer Buyer and Manager for Whole Foods, Fairfax, VA], Mike Roy [Brewer at Franklin’s, Hyattsville, MD], and Jared Kiraly [Brewer at Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA]. We are honored that Lee and Mike have taken time out of their busy schedules to offer their well regarded opinions.

The judging will be taking place shortly. After the votes are tallied and the judges have proffered their opinions, we will crown this year’s Iron Brewer at an awards ceremony to be held at Rock Bottom in Arlington, Virginia, on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:00 PM. All are welcome to attend, including friends, family, and other club members who may not have had the opportunity to participate this year. Thanks to Dave Warwick, brewmaster of Rock Bottom Arlington, and Jon Jones, Manager, for accommodating this awards ceremony, and to Derek Terrell, owner of MyLHBS, for the time and effort he has put into sponsoring this competition.

Rock Bottom is located inside of Ballston Common Mall in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. Ballston is Exit 71 off of I-66. Rock Bottom’s main entrance is inside of the mall, and the main pedestrian entrance to the mall is along Wilson Boulevard. However, there is a large sign outside of Rock Bottom that can be seen clearly from Glebe Road North, and the mall’s main parking garage entrance is next to the Rock Bottom sign on this road. Parking in the garage costs $1 on weekends. The mall and Rock Bottom are also approximately two blocks from the Ballston Metro stop on the Orange line.

Rock Bottom Arlington 4238 Wilson Boulevard Suite 1256
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 516-7688

We look forward to announcing the winners of this second annual Iron Mug Competition on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. over a microbrewed pint at Rock Bottom.

The Judges

Lee Hitchins’ inception into real beer can be traced bay to his college days where he worked as a bartender for the nationally recognized vegetarian restaurant Moosewood while attending college in the idyllic town of Ithaca, New York. There was a beer called “Hennepin” on the menu and though he didn’t much know what a “saison” was, or most likely even how to pronounce it correctly, one thing was certain—that beer tasted good! After that his eyes were forever open to what beer could, nay, SHOULD taste like. After college, and for reasons still unknown even to Lee, he moved from the beautifully temperate climate of New York state to the questionably habitable environment of Tampa, Florida. Craft beer was relatively scarce back then, so Lee made it easier to get his hands on the good stuff by becoming beer manager for a few independent beer and wine retailers. After tolerating the heat and humidity for as long as possible, Lee moved up to NoVa and quickly insinuated himself into the craft beer scene by becoming a buyer and manager for the new flagship Whole Foods in the Mid-Atlantic region. Since that fateful northern relocation he has not only built his store up to be one of the most notably craft-friendly beer retailers in the area, but somehow also got involved as a paneled beer judge for the newest nationally distributed brew magazine, Beer Connoisseur. Lee would also just like to remind everyone concerned that he does not have a drinking problem, he just has no problem drinking.

Mike Roy, brewer at Franklin’s in Hyattsville, Maryland, has 10 years experience in the brewing industry. He started in the brewing industry in 2000 at IncrediBREW in Nashua, New Hampshire. In 2004, Mike got the opportunity to take over the brewing operations at Milly’s Tavern in Manchester, New Hampshire. During his tenure, Milly’s won Best Beer in a Boston Globe People’s Choice event in 2005, two gold medals in the 2006 Great International Beer Festival for both Porter and Imperial Stout, and was named Best Brew Pub in New Hampshire by Ratebeer.com for three straight years in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Jared Kiraly, brewer at Harpoon Brewery in Boston, Massachusetts, began his commercial brewing career in 2009. Now fully graduated past the bottling line and into keg cleaning, he has had quite an impact on both Harpoon brewing plans and facial hair. Harpoon, founded in 1986, strives towards brewing great beers and fostering a sense of community that is unparalleled, actively pursuing charitable events locally. Jared was formerly active in the Washington area brewing scene having not only worked at MyLHBS, but also participating in both the DC Homebrewers and the Wort Hogs prior to starting at Harpoon.