Announcing the 2010 Iron Mug Competition Results

1st Place: David Sutula of the Herndon Wort Hogs

2nd Place: Brian Barrows of the DC Homebrewers

3rd Place (tie): Ryan Alverson of the DC Homebrewers

3rd Place (tie): Chris & Debra Mitchell of the Herndon Wort Hogs

5th Place: Ryan Alverson of the DC Homebrewers

Honorable Mention: Bill Jusino of the DC Homebrewers

Honorable Mention: Jared Kiraly of the DC Homebrewers

Honorable Mention: Kelly Kratt & Brad Simpson of the DC Homebrewers

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.