2009 Iron Mug Competition

Thanks to all the participants in the First Annual Iron Mug Competition between the Wort Hogs of Herndon, Virginia and the DC Homebrewers Club! We had a great time organizing the competition, and trust that you had as much fun participating. Suffice it to say, woodruff is pretty interesting to work with.

Also, thank you to Derek Terrell of myLHBS in Falls Church, Virginia for supplying the secret ingredients for the competition, helping with the judging, and sponsoring the event. Thank you to the celebrity judges—Dean Lake, brewmaster of Vintage 50 in Leesburg, Virginia; and Bill Catron, one of the few Americans to be knighted by La Chevalerie du Fourquet des Brasseurs, currently representing Palm Breweries (Rodenbach, Boon, De Gouden Boom, etc.), and formerly the beer sommelier for Brasserie Beck followed by a brief stint bolstering the Belgian beer selection at De Vinos, for taking the time out of their busy schedules to offer their well regarded opinions. Hopefully, we haven’t burned you out on the flavor of woodruff.

The judging was held on September 26, the votes were tallied, and the best entries were chosen. We will be announcing the winners of the competition during the Awards Ceremony. It will be held at Rock Bottom in Arlington, Virginia, on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 1:00pm. All are welcome to attend, including friends, family, and other club members that may not have had the opportunity to participate this first year, and we are told that Rock Bottom will be offering some special beer pricing thanks to Chris Rafferty, brewmaster of Rock Bottom Arlington.

Rock Bottom is located inside the 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 First Annual Iron Mug Competition on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 1:00pm over a microbrewed pint at Rock Bottom.

See you then!

Dave
Wort Hogs

and

Martin
DC Homebrewers