Any cool homebrew stand ideas for GABS 2014?

[oztapguy]

After this year's GABS, we had quite a few requests to add some homebrew elements to the festival. We have been putting our thinking caps on and speaking with potential sponsors/partners and will very likely be doing something next year..

We also thought there might be people on this forum with some cool ideas we could also incorporate into the event. Whatever we do, we'd like it to be appealing to potential homebrewers (interested in getting involved) up to the more serious homebrewers. Interactivity is always more fun too.

Bearing in mind that GABS is a big consumer event and not the homebrewer focussed ANHC, can you think of any great ideas that would be suitable and fun??

 

[Yob]

I'd love to see a stand running a few randall's type of thing.. IPA stand running through hops :icon_drool2:

 

[Spiesy]

A stand that is actually home brewing... making brews up on the spot.

Will certainly get interest, get people asking questions and interested in making homebrew - and it will smell AWESOME.

 

[oztapguy]

A stand that is actually home brewing... making brews up on the spot.

Will certainly get interest, get people asking questions and interested in making homebrew - and it will smell AWESOME.

Thanks for that..

Live brewing is definitely on the current ideas list - for all the reasons you mentioned!

We have five sessions over 3 days so we could have a lot of fun!

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Live brewing of the various methods eg. K&K, BIAB, 3V so the punters can see home brewing can be as simple or complicated as you want and still make good beer. Pre-make a few kegs of the brew being made live - so punters can taste what the end result will be like.

Some sort of "Brew-off" between on of the commercial guys and a home brewer - brewing could be done in advance and filmed so it plays on the stand. The stand itself could have side by side samples of the two brews. You could get all fancy with the rules so that each brewer has to use the same system (3v) and the same basic recipe so the end result comes down to technique and a bit of recipe tweaking.

 

[Mardoo]

A stand that is actually home brewing... making brews up on the spot.

Will certainly get interest, get people asking questions and interested in making homebrew - and it will smell AWESOME.

Live brewing of the various methods eg. K&K, BIAB, 3V so the punters can see home brewing can be as simple or complicated as you want and still make good beer. Pre-make a few kegs of the brew being made live - so punters can taste what the end result will be like.

Oztapguy yes, definitely, live brewing and Grumpy those three different methods is a great idea. In general people have no idea how beer is made, zero, so it'd be pretty fascinating for folks if it was well set up. A glass front fermentation fridge with glass carboys so people can see fermentation in action, an opportunity to play with malt and hops, an interactive exhibit on how malt is made, etc, etc. Think educational science exhibit, but more fun. There might even be someone on the forum who does exhibition design and could help you with it. There might even be some grants available to help with costs. Hell, I'll write the grant if we can find one, that's a former professional life for me. PM me if that becomes something to explore.

 

[MastersBrewery]

I'd love to see a stand running a few randall's type of thing.. IPA stand running through hops :icon_drool2:

I know wasting hops is sinful, but perhaps and small sample of the hops being used in the Randall, for those that haven't seen hops or smelt fresh hops before would be great. Also even for some of us home brewers, we only get to be familiar with a hop once we've handed over the cash, so perhaps some varieties from left of field.

 

[EvilTwin]

Slightly off topic, but got back from Beervana and they had a great MALT seminar which involved tasting 5-6 different Malts and exploring the flavour characteristics they also had cool wheel charts to go along with each tasting so you could compare what you identified with its "real flavour profile".

More OT - Even if it isn't live brewing(but I think live is best) showing the different hombrew methods between Extract, Partial, BIAB, 3V would be cool. I think a lot of beer drinks know home brew to only be a coopers plastic carboy and canned ingredients.

(having volunteered at this year GABS I do think homebrewing was woefully under-represented.

 

[Khellendros13]

I know wasting hops is sinful, but perhaps and small sample of the hops being used in the Randall, for those that haven't seen hops or smelt fresh hops before would be great. Also even for some of us home brewers, we only get to be familiar with a hop once we've handed over the cash, so perhaps some varieties from left of field.

Matilda bay had some grain and hops (that are in their recipes) on display for all to see/smell.

 

[Jace89]

I know it's a whole heap of work, maybe more then you plan. But leading up to GABS why not run a competition? Winner gets to have his beer served at GABS or something.

I know in the past a homebrewer has had a award winning beer brewed a small brewery and then served the intire 3 days. Just some food for thought...

Would be great so have something exciting rather then 3+ dudes standing around waiting for a mash to finish.

 

[oztapguy]

Great ideas. Keep em coming!!

Steve

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Thinking out loud here....

Perhaps a stall run by the home brew clubs,similar to anhc club night. With a ton of taps of homebrew to try.

Homebrewers could offer up a corny of their best brew to be sampled and voted on by the punters.

Cost to enter for the brewer being the cost of the ingredients.
Prize either some awesome sponsor giving brew bling away. Or a cash prize based ont the token takings...


Alternatively cash back to the brewer based on the tokens taken for thier beer. That way everyone wins and your likely to get more entrants.

And/or a share of the token takings to the brew club as fundraiser.

Or... Get one of the big brewers on board to brew a large scale batch of the wining brew.

I am sure there might some conflicts between giving away home brew and the commercial stuff. Maybe the brewery boys might be put out. There migt also be licensingissues

Lost of logistics to work out still, but hey, its an idea.